The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1870-07-28

i
| knew that he saw me foy the first time
Don't leave me-" he said, family, as
was about to call my grandmother. | gave
him his cordial which was kept for thi:
crisis and he received it at once.
Tell me all about it." he said Il was
bound for Meriden, what then?"
You Jumped from the wagon when the
horse was running near our house, and were
brought in insensible.'
Last night, suppose; l must go on to
, Meriden to-day"
I'VE suppose it was ten days ago, and
you could go to the moon as easily as to
Merdcn. The doctor says You must be very
quiet"
"jupiter Tonans! ten days, Whose house
is thi, ?'
at belongs to my grandmother, Mrs Tenn
pcrance Hale | will ell her to see YOU"
'.Thank you; | can wait. Perhaps the
sight OF another stranger might fatigue me
, too much"
But thought he might safely be left alone
for while.
''IIe will talk all the time" sarl to my
grandmother when she went up stairs.
II don't see but he's quiet enough she
said, coming down again in a few minutes -
He wants you to write letter for him."
| wrote one this wise from his dictat ion
DEAR MARY-I came to grief within five miles
of Meriden as they tell me have been light-headel
for :: matter OF ten days The business that came
on will have to be done all over again. NeVerhe-
less | will not abandon hope till enter at the
door which, according to Dante, bears that nscrip-
ton Ever yours, j. j. DEANE.'
You must not speak another word" |
said imperatiyely.
II promise, if YOU will sing again what
| Won yynrn sin rinr Whnn | f,unI ,Ovco1f in flo
body this afternoon"
So sang "Allen Percy" and ''Auld Rob-
in Gray" and two or three other old ballads
Of which | had 4 store, and my patient soon
fell into healthy sleep. The next day he
found his appetite, and from that time came
back to health with wonderful rapidty. He
was docile as lamb to my grandmother but
with me he became the most cXacting and
troublesome convalescent that ever tried q
woman's patience He openly preferred my
grandmothers dainty dishes, and if | left
him for an hour his bell would ring, and
went back to find his pillows on the floor
and his head 50 hot that nothing but stroking
it with cologne and singing all the while
would cool it. To keep him still / read
aloud for hours, thinking far more of him
than of my book
We grew very well acquainted in these
| tttS III went W NleIlltll OH
II shopping expedition found thick let
ter at the postotiice for Mr.. Deane, which
had been lying there nearly three weeks. 1t
was directed in 4 lady's hand, and thought
the sight Of it brought q shadow to his face
He looked So glad to see me after my two
hours absence that | went up stairs in quite
a utter of spirits. Could it be possible that
| was to taste at last the Joy Of which had
heard and read with unsatstied longing !?
But | would not stop to think about it.
'.IIere's a letter for you that Job brought
in while you We're gone said my grand
mother
took it and glanced at Mr.. Deane. He
sat by the open window reading one sheet of
his letter with knit brows, while the other
| lay beside HIM Suddenly u light breeze
whirleh it out into the tlower-plat, and ran
out to get it. 1t had not occurred to me to
be curious about the letter, and nothing was
/ farther from my thoughts than to read even
the date OF it; but the writing was large and
plain, and, rs | stopped to pick it up, the first
| four words We're burned into my mind like
| letters of fire
My own dear husband" Surely 1t should
have been nothing to me that Mr.. Deane's
wife had written to him; but, woe is NE {!
the fact OF his having a wife nj all was like a
death-boW to me-like the instant before
drowning when one sees nj a glance the whole
map Of ones life.
| gave him the letter without looking at
him, and went up to my room.
| Doubtless this was the ''Dear Mary" to
whom | had written that first letter from his
dictation, and had foolishly taken it for
granted that she was his sister. He had ncv-
cr spoken OF her; hut married people are al
ways mysterious, and her price might be far
above rnbies nevertheless. He had done
nothing to make her Jealous. Once he had
taken my hand and touched it with his lips F.;
and all the rest of the foundations ofmy cas-
tie in the air lay in looks more or less OK
pressed.
But the love, it appears, was all on my
side. He was idle and grateful, that was all.
| would go away at once, no matter where.
Mr.. Deane was so far recovered that my
grandmother could easily attend to all his
wants, and he could soon return to his own
place. 1t would be something to remember,
if nothing more.
Then | read my own letter, and in it was
my way of escape
Aunt Rachel wrote to say that ''shc was at
deaths door with neural 5ia, and would
come to help her with the children ?" She
saw that door so often in her own account of
her sutlerings that familiarity with it had
rather hardened my heart toward Aunt Ra-
chel, but now was ready 10 lay all the stress
on her letter which it would bear
'What will Mr.. Deane say to your going
away" said my grandmother, when | had
impressed on hnr mind my duty to Aunt
Rachel.
81 don't care what he says"
'Lor!' said my grandmother, with look
which implied two hours speech at least.
THAT letter was from his wife" said
looking anywhere but at her.
She never answered q word, but Just kiss
ed me on both eyes and strokcd my hail
tcnderly for minute or two. Then we part
} ed for the night, and | went away in the
morning before Mr.. Deane was up
, Aunt Rachel was out of sight of '.death's
: door, long before | reached her, as | had
confidently supposed she would be; but she
welcomed me heartily and the kisses of the
children soothed somewhat the sore spot in
my hearth.
For the next three days the activity of the
Z ''busy bee" long ago impaled on /; poetica
pin, was not to be compared with mine
, there were any gifts Of healingin mere work
was determined to have them out of it bu
the image of Mr.. Deane was ever in m,
minds eye, and, rs people say who hav,
not been to the "Norma," got no better
fast.
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