Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1870-10-21
stlttt Storp.
TWICE MARRIED.

was high tempered, %ayward girl.
When | WAS fourteen my mother died
and eighteen months after my father
married second time. | had the prcju-
dice most girls have against step mothers.
was very much displeased when my
father married, | rendered myself aS diSa-
greeable rs possible to the woman he had
made his wife.
She was not patien, or particularly cool
tempered, and besides. considered me n
spoiled child. Who needed strict home
discipline to correct my imperIections OF
habit and disposition. She Was right
enough about it. But it might naturally
be expected that woa,d resent her exer'
cising any very arbitrary authority over
me. The consequence was that We quar-
relied constantly. as only a high-tempered.
self.willed girl aud an arbitrary woman
can.
Before | was l. had fled from my faith
er's roof to marry man only three years
older than myself, and nearly as ignorant
OF the realities of lie.
Arthur Loraine's father wasamerchant.
Nv father was an auclioneer and house
agent. and not remarkably we'll 10 do
in the world. The merchant ab-
solutely refused TO assist his son in his
anger at his hasty marriage, and my
father was too poor to 10 50 il hi, Will had
been good, and it was not.
We were very helpless pair to be cast
upon our own resources thus. Arthur as
4 rich mans son, had never learned any
useful employment; had never done any
thing more arduous than TO lounge about
his fathers counting house, or make u
leint at keeping books.
had spent the best part OF my life. so
far. AT school My father. poor man, in
his ambition to educate me, had spent
much money ON me that he could i'll afford
We found very soon We had made grand
mis,ake-Athur and l. We were like
two stage-playcrs taken with each others
pretty faces, and acting love in q farce
WilfulueSs and romauce-my step-moIh
er had very sensibly opposed the intimacy
hal rs much to do with it as anything
1t was not long before we quarreled in
most unromantic fashion, and one night
Arthur left me in 4 fit of bad temper, and
never came back. The next | heard of
him he had gone to sea.
was too proud to 60 home, poverty
stricken as | was. went. instead, to q
distant town, and tried to exc out an exist
ence 10y turning my accomplishments to
account But was too imperfect in all
to succeed at anything Of that sort, and
was glad enough 10 get needleworh At
even a starvation price. How | lived for
| the next three years il is hard TO tell.
was hungry; | was cold; l was perse-
cuted for youth kept me some portion OF
my good looks, in spite Of suffering and
privation. | heard from home some
times; but proud as ever, though under
such stern dicipline never told them that
all was not tolerably well with me.
In one of these letters from home, came
one day. news that my husband had died
on shipboard, within year after my sepa
ration. The same letter urged me to
come home. My step-mother was in fail
ing health, and was needed as well as
loved there But would not 90. | was
net cold. hearted enough to feel no sor-
row at Arthnrs death, though the news
of it was more to me like hearing OF the
death of some acquaintance than OF q
dearly loved husband | was scarcely