The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1870-09-21


nation, or that she was icaptivated b,
his bold unreasoning love for her
do not know. Certain it is tn,
very means which we all though
would disgust her, and cause his ex
pulsion from the house, seemed Il
win her regard. Tom went thert
when the rest of us did not, and h,
often left his business to go in the day
He seemed to keep Jealous watcf
fover the house, lest any enc eiscshoaft
60 there. a< - it2<e9l
/ Bert was an easy-going fellow, bu
he was provoked. He even talked tC
Hilda, and told her that he didn'i
want her to marry Tom. :
"But Pm not gong to marry Tom,
she would reply, almost weeping. 81
like him as friend, and he is fond o.
me-"
| So the fellow continued to go there
as he liked. ~ - +. s
But presently a rival came onto the
edge 10 be worthy of Hilda; and, in
spite of Toms jealousy, Mr.. james
Crashaw won the prize
They were to be married in June,
and take a little journey, then go to
housekeeping; and in May Mr.. Cras
haw went away from the city to set.
| tie up some business.
l saw Hilda two or three times
while he was gone, and I knew that
Tom was there good deal. But as
he had behaved betterthan we had ex-
pected, that didn't matter much. She
had made good choice, he said, and
he didn't blame her. " He. Tom, had
nothing to offer %ife,f neither proper
ty nor income, and might not be able
to marry for ten years. He and Hill
da were friends, and that contentcd
him, he said. 80
1t was all very sensible arrange
ment, and both had shown reason
ablencss thatswas very edifying. Hill
da could not have been romantically
in love with her intended but she was
proud of him, and fond of him rs of
her brother. He was about thirty
eight and she twent-two, and as he
had a good deal of experience, and
seen good deal of the world, she
looked up to him all the more, though
she sympathized with him less.
The manner of her engagement
showed. her feelings. He had offered
himself, .and she postponed her ans
wer ll.she should have spoken to her
brother. al'
"Do you love him, Hilda?" Bert
asked.
81 think he's very nice, she repli-
ed, calmly. sit seems to me that he
is the right kind of person. IF you
think it is all right, I'll tell him yes. "
Bert thought it was all right, and
so she told her lover yes. ''', Is,
And so all was going smoothly,
when suddenly there was hue and
cry. 1t came first in whisper the
very day that Mr.. Crashaw came
home, and it came from the servant
who lived at Bert;s a new servant, the
old one having married, - a-t
The first l heard of it was enough
to stun me. Mr.. Crashaw had broken
off his engagement with Hilda, who
was crazy, and going from one swoon
10 another, they said, and Bert was
after To IN Acton who was trying to
escape Swift upon that came the
denouement; Bert had shot Acton
dead
OF course the city rang with it, and
some took one side, some another; but
everybody blamed Hilda. She owned
t. having been impfudent, and more
fond of Tom than she supposed she
90 L. al, -
another man but she passionately
denied having done any serious wrong.
"She is a fool p' was the verdict of
those who knew her best. We had
all seen her babyish, yielding ways,
and knew that she was as ignorent
of the worlds wickedness as baby
might be. She believed all men to be
as honest and friendly as her brother
Bert, and never thought of distrusting
one. - e7
But all also agreed that Tom was a
scamp, for they saw that he had play
ed the lover even while pretending to
be reconciled to her marriage.
1t was a hot fight for. and against.
Bertwas honored, but Tom had friends
in power and besides, it could not be
proved that any great harm had been
done. i--'
So the result was that poor Bert
with his brothers heart on fire, and
his pride and honor wounded, was
sentenced to prison for life.
We did our best. We sent him ev-
erything, we went to see him, we tri-
ed to get his sentence shortened, but
all to no purpose. And he was slow
ly dying in his captivity. The dis
grace, the confinement, were killing
him slowly, but surely.
We pore 1t a few months, then SIX
of us made league. One knewsDf q
wonderful drug of which he had learn
ed the virtue in the East, and we all
swore secrecy and devotion. Besides,
we had friends at court, officers to
whom we would not absolutely tell
anything, but who would agree not to
sec anything.
Hilda had the house and furniture
sold, and, with broken heart, left
the city, few knew where for. But,
before going, she was reconciled to her
brother, and took weeping leave of
him.
1t was understood that her depar-
ture had been great injury to HIM,
and that he was rapidly sinking under
his troubles.
n The. prison physician shook his
head, and the warden allowed all pos
sihla induloences Soon Ii was nn-.