The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1870-01-14

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fed woman cling more closely to Asst
ley for protection.
The scene must be- ended for her
sake, and Ashley besought Holt to
leave them till the next day, when, il
they could but decide upon what was
fright it should be done. For her sake,
too, he coudescendcd to plead with the
frantic man; and seeing that Mary had
tainted In his arms. he laid her down,
Isud led Holt from the room, that the
sight of her might no longer madden
him. Lis rage died out from simple ex-
haustion, and throwing himself into q
chair he wept Ike child
Ashley reused him. "Holt, be man.
This is an awful tragedy; / wish to
Heaven bad died rather than played
Iiny part in it. There are not upon the
earth two men so broken hearted as yCu
Iand /. Let us accept what is inevitable,
but let US spare what anguish we can 10
that unhappy woman. Leave me now
and tomorrow ] will zee yon again"
Holt rose passiveIy. lyon are noblcF
than /, he said, as he turned 10 90.
/. seemed to Ashley that his grief was
but beginning Nhen he tried to explain
the whon thing clearly to Mary. The
torture Of putting 1t into words was so
INTENSE that all before was nothing COM
Ipared with it, when at length she com.
pretended, and asked him il he wished
her to leave him, even that agony seem
cd slight contrasfed with what he cndur-
ed in telling her that lie believed she
Iought TO do 40.
i Loving "a she vas, she could not COM
Iprehcnd the sacrifice to duty which Asst
ley was striving 10 make, and her thor
ough ignorance Of the world rendered it
Impossible 10 make her understand what
her position would be If she remained
where he was. And yettbis was case
so Ashley tried 10 persuade himself-so
extraordinary. 50 different from any thing
that had ever been in The world before,
iha. no law. human or divine, could ap-
Iply to IT, But above all this thoughs
rose dominant. that by whatever mystery
J Of uuconsciousness deprived of memory,
, she was still Hollis wife and not his, and
! with this ihought piercing him like q
sharp sword, he said that he believed she
ought TO leave him.
She rose up. cold and proud in 4 mo-
} mcnt, and would have left then, but at
, the threshold her spirit failed, and she
turned again TO throw herself at his feet,
) with tears and sobs.
t NisNhaq yelled many sights of woe,
/ the clouds Of night have many times been
; pierced by cries Of anguish, bitter cries
for faith and patience, going up above
r the stars right to the feet of God, but
: night never shrouded deeper woe than
this-biiierer cries never pierced the
: shuddering darkness.
) When morning dawned they were both
: very calm and still Their tears were
e she'd. aud their eyes were dry. He had
decided for the right, though his heart
r was broken in the conflict; and she wo-
T mau-like, had accepted the right. not be-
cause it was so, but beeduse he said it was
: II shall de-" she said, 10 a voice from
which all passion had departed. Il can
t bear no more and live. but can bear even.
: this and die"
Who can describe that parting? When
/, the sun set, it was upon Ashley broken
ueAEISu duu atOHt. 11olt 0du lakSu
l away his wife.
0 Seven days passed. and Ashley never
left his desolate home. He made no dis
! tinc,iou between day or night, bat lay down
: to sleep-if the stupor which from time to
time rendered him unconscious could be
Q so-called-at any hour that sleep came to
S him.
At the close of the seventh day he tried
T for the frst time to lCSkmhis fate boldly
in the face Il am not dead" he said,
:. l'.therefore il is clear that this grief viii
Q not kill me-" That night he undressed
x and went to bed,
a The night six years ago, when the
y sheeted figure lay upon the tahle, and he
dreamed fantastic dreams of terror con-
6 nected with it, came to mind more dis
n tinctly than it had ever done before. Hi:
Il sleep was broken and feverish, and haun-
Q ted By wild dreams. Twice he awoke
feeling certain that he had heard knock
q lug at the door. and twice he slept AGAR
|. when he found that ell was silent Blu
he awoke third time in the gray dawr
u and heard the sound again, a feeble knock
ing at the outer door, which ceased sud
!. denly. He rose. determined to ascertaiI
Is the cause; he unbarred and opened tn,
70 door, and there fell forward across tn
threshold the dead body of Mary.