The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-10-28

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i put constraint on my wife, who hs'
very generously made over her Who'll
fortune to me, and began to grumble a
the expenses. made our living s.
frugal that she demonstrated, and final
ly ran up large bills where and whel
she pleased. Against this I protested
and we had open quarrels more thai
once.
My clothes grew shabby. L coul'
not afford to buy new ones, although
the interest of my investments wa
more than | could spend for rationa
living.
/ finally grew dissatisfied with ever,
thing but my money. 1 neglected m,
wife, and grew careless of her society
Seyera ]gentlemen came to my house
among them a would-be-author ant
celebrity. He came, thought, too OF
ten for my good name, and / orderet
my wife to discontinue his company
She refused, and I locked her in he
room. How she managed to set her
self free, l never knew but in, thu
evening, when 1 returned, she wa.
gone from the house. That caused MI
some uneasiness not much, for wa!
soon absorbed in taking accounts of my
gains. ....r ! 3'f1
1t was, perhaps, nine in the evening
had just managed to take up papeI
for moment to read out its business
details, when the door opened, and In
came my wife, dressed bewitchingly, a
If just from an evening concert, follow.
ed by that mOustached celebrity.
Good eveEing, my dear" she said
in the coldest way Imaginable, and
placed a chair for her friend.
StOpW l cried, my jealousy arous-
ed; that man sits not down in my
house.n
"That mana gentleman and my
friend-shall sit here if / please" said
my wife, firmly.
( My passion was excited then as ii
never was before, and collared the
scoundrel. He was my match; but
my wife put dirk-knife that she drew
from a cane into his hand, and he stab
bed me. l tainted, and remembered
nothing more till found myself OH a
bed in my own chamber, watched over
by my housekeeper. : i
Where are they ?" l gasped. '
"Gone !" was all she said.
1t occurred to me then, like flash of
lightning, that somebody was near me
at the time | was wounded, that my
keys were about my person, and that 1
had been robbed, perhaps of all my
available property.
The thought threw me into an ago.
ny of fear. ordered my clothes to he
brought to me. The keys were there.
Taking one of them out, told Mrs.
Hale, my housekeeper, to go to my
safe, and bring me the papers that were
there. She returned, her face white
with terror, to say there was nothing
there, all the little doors were open.
Robbed robbedr' l yelled With
imprecations, and again my senses de-
serted me. I -.
Brain fever ensued. For weeks lay
deprived of reason, literally treading
the very verge of the grave. One
morning L was conscious only of a
sinking, deadly feeling, as 1 feebly
opened my eyes. Was it an angel l
saw standing beside me, her soft eyes
full of pity, looking down upon me
with the most commissioning gentle
ness? For moment / thought /
might be in heaven; but no, / reason
ed with myself, l IlOved money too well.
My treasure was all of the earth, earth
ly. Again 1 opened my eyes. The
vision seemed wavering now, but oil, !,
did it not wear the beauty of sweet Lu-
cy Manning? A quiet, unutterable
peace took possession of my entire be-
ing. l forgot wealth, health, every
thing. My past life seemed blotted
out, and l was again untouched by the
gripping hand of avarice, true, loving
and loved-and Lucy Manning was my
idol.
But l recovered slowly, and at last
as my strength surely returned, L miss
ed her. AS soon as she saw l could he
left with safety, she had left me; and
oh, the blank-the dreadful blank! 1
wandered around my rooms, now SO
desOlate, and saw the many evidences
Ofmy miserly habits.
/ know not why, but towards my
wife my feelings seemed to have under
gone a revulsiOn. l fear l hated her.
She had nearly beggared me, deceived
me, shattered my health, and Destroy
ed all my health, and destroyed all my
hopes.
Months passed before | was able to
estimate the damage that had been
done me. Every means that could be
put forth were used for the discovery of
my money, but all in vain.
One night sat by the fire, cheer
less, disappointed and lonely man. /
had been thinking thoughts that only
burned my brain, but did not purify
my heart.
"IfI had only married sweet Lucy"
said again and again, "a.l this had
not been So"
My hOusekeeper came in with let
ter-an unusually large package it was,
and as it bore foreign postmark, /
opened it with trembling hand.
What was that? Arustling, crumpled
bank note! Another and another
came forth, until there lay upon my
knees twenty bills of the largest de-
nominations. A few trembling lines
accompanied them:
my HUSBAND-l am dying! My
disease-there is no need in telling you.
Forgive me, and accept this enclosed
as faint effort toward restitution. 1t
is not much over half of what we took
from the safe. The rest isl know not
Wllclt. ttlll ucStllSus TdlcWCll, iOI.
ever"
An icy chill thrilled me. 1t seemed
as if her spectral presence was near me.
1 shuddered as L rolled the bills togeth-
er, and threw them across the room.
"Lie there, curse of my soul!' /
cried. "Lie there till have conquer
ed myself! ay, if the victory is not
won till you are rottOn" ..--.
l shut the door and sealed it, and for
six months, l toiled like penniless
man, till partially redeemed myself.
BY managing cautiously, L placed my
business on a successful footing. and
began life again, new man.
1t took many years to wear off my
old habits of parsimOny, but every eff
fort gaveSme a new and agreeable
pleasure. Meantime Lucy Manning
became dearer than she had ever been
in the flush of youth. L entreated her
forgiveness humbled myself to a con-
fession, tested myself in all ways, and
convinced her at last that l was as
worthy now as once / was only i'm
seeming.
On the day of my wedding, l opened
the sealed door. The bank-notes lay
whele had flung them. took them
up With the pride of a conqueror, and
placing them in her hnnds, exclaimed:
They are no longer my masters;
use them as you will"
Now am nian!-redeemed from
the thraldom of covetousness. l have
blooming children. Lucy is an angel
of goodness, and write myself as l did
in the beginning, "By the grace OF
God, am what am"
An immense cataract, which rivals