The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1869-03-02

yellow, folded paper, and giving Il Z
him. continued, "read that before yo'
Judge me-"
The writing was irregular aud scrswl
ing, a. if done by one in great haste o
With shattered nerves. Mr.. Barnes reac
the few lines three or four times through
, before he seemed to take in their full sig
nifcance They ran:
NV York, August 7, ls4s.
NY Dear WIFE: Come to me at once
Harry is very i'll. and worn ont with carr
and watching. my own health Is giving
way l send this by private hand, to Mr.
Jeremy, who will arrange for your do
parture, aud possibly may accompan!
you part Of the way. RoDKRr'
There was brief silence. Then b
laid the faded letter softly down, an,
whispering with bsted breath, II see |
ALL see it ALL" held toward her hi,
trembling hands. A smile like the memo
~ Of childhood's sunny mornings hsshe,
through her lingering tears, and tn'
weary burden Of twenty years seemed u
DC lifted from her life. like the mist Of tn,
night, as the strong arms closed aroVau
her again, and she heard the fa,nillal
voice speaking to his own heart rather
than to her, ... .E r..-
g How can l ever atone for these TWEEN
ty years of wrong y -.. r...'. ..
"Obliyious of the young people wait
ing and wondering in the next room DO
livious of all the world but themselves
they looked in each others eyes. anC
talked ftfully for more than al hour, but
the reply to his frst question diseloses
all that we care 10 know. .a..s Hre
"Who gave you that letter q
MIR. Jeremy. / did not know wha,
to do, 1t seemed so unlike you to send
to him, and not to me direct, that fel!
incliaed to doubt But YOU were not
quite well when you lett home, and Mr.
Jeremy was your most trusted friend. So
trusted, you remember, Robert, that you
laughed at me, as both vain and foolish,
when told YOU, some months before,
that he seemed to be seeking opportunity
and enco engagement for culpable advances,
and in very shame | tried to persuade
myself that you must be right And then
the thought tina. you and Harry might be
dying, among strangers, thousand miles
away from me, wrung my heart; and, fol.
lowing my first impulse. started to 60
to YOU on the same day he gave me the
letter 1t WAS the second day out before
be threw off the mask. At first. l affect.
ed not to understand him, and tried to
laugh; but that only encouraged him.
Then l repuised him, and threatened to
appeal to the captain OF the boat for pro
lection But be tainted me with my
helpless and eqaivocal position; and f
"a lii lis gd1ses, ana 't adia aaSHias he teFsA
he gave me was written BY himself, and
that he spared no pains to commit me ir
rcvocably to bis fortunes; and, with
deyilish malignity, he even showed me-
copy, true one, as ] found afterward, oil
an article which be had sent TO the press,
and which he assured me had then been
circulated throughout the city. ! was
crushed, but not conquered. ! did appeal
to the captain, who placed me on the first
westward bound steamer We met, and
within five days after ] started away,
was at home again. BUTT was home nc
longer saw Mr.. Gage, and he told me
OF all you had done, but was slow TO be-
lieve what had to tell. We have tried
to learn your whereabouts but beyond
the cold courtesy Of the bank officers a,
st. Louis We could never penetrate. You
guarded your secret well. With the little
money you left me, added to what Mr.
Gage generously advanced me, opened
this little shop God prospered me
abundantiy; aud here l have remained
ever since In my inmost heart, l knew
you would come back again sometime
and never closed my eyes In sleep with
out PRAYING God to spare me to see tina
day And now that day has come Oh
husbant--dear husband The past Is BY
ried out Of sight, and we are yoan.
again p y"' "fi 3" n'' ''' '
is Mr. Gage still living fp7 paw ''
mo; he died two years ago; but hi'
sons have succeeded to his business
Several years ago, the lots where we livec
were covered by huge business houses
built BY Mr.. Gage. The rents paid to
them long ago, and, since then, neithe
father nor sons would take dollar .
their proceeds, but have regularly depos
tied them in savings bank, to the cre,ll
Of Little Harry as they would Away
call him or course I would not toucl
them without your consent lively
years ago, my cousin Helen died, aud lef
me her five year.old girl. You saw he
in the front room" anf Boo So. as
where is Jeremy ?" .r., n.nspia p,
"Dca ten years ago. Mrs Gage ha'
a lettsr written by him few days befor
his death, to her husband. l have neve
seen it, but they told me that these fact
, are there stated, amid much penitent pro
testation, substantially as l have just tolt
them to you God forgive me, but it wa
bewildering work, sometimes. to think 0
him with any but malediction." $40
! There was long pause, broken onl!
by the scarce audible sob that marked tn
ebb Of tho storm of emotion which hat
so lately swept through that quiet house
One BY one tue street lamps threw thei
/ struggling beams into the setting dark
ness, and the roar Of. the day subside,
gradually into the city's multitudinou
voices Of the night" Then she ros'
softly aud said g....,l.. .,5ier -auJu.
Let us call IN the children aud whei
we shall haze satisfied their wonder, yo'
Shall tell me all your history through al
Ithcsr many years f'H' wv .'''"'