The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1871-08-25
claimed as mv legal master. Tremu:

claimed as my legal master. Tremu-
lously broke the seal and read:
ats long story, Judith, but l must
tell it. am a criminal before God and
man. AS that old devil OF doctor has
told you about that cussed forgery l
s'pose it's no use playin' sanctimonious,
so I'll tell you forged that note that
sent your broadeloth covered dandy to
the penitentiary and l told wilhul
lie, too, about a dead sweetheart ana al
thatl Pretty well done, wasn't IL.
What a cussed fool a woman is! She'll
be dead in love with some soft-headed
scalawag, and yet she'll believe any
bad yarn about him that common sense
might teach her wasn't true! But all
that's neither here nor there. had
cool two thousand of that pesky forgery
cash buried, and so when | found that
old Armstrong was on my track / un-
earthed it and skedaddled. You're wei
come to Broadcloth' if you can ever
catch him! I'd feel worse to leave the
young ones, but they every one look
like him-the sleek-faced, soft-handed,
sugar-eoated dandy You've had
deueed tough time of it, old girl, but
after all I've been very kind to you'
eonsiderim that you never loved me ;
but then there was no love lOst-thats :
some comfort. Now for my prospects.
Pm off for South America. Pm not
afraid old Armstrong will follow me,
for he cares more for you than the
money by a darned sight
l know you'll take care of the chill
dren but l only ask one thing Don't
teach them to hate me! Sometime,
maybe, you'll hear from me again. but
I don't fancy striped breeches, and so
III scoot.
Goodbye, and don't hate me more
than you can comfortably help.
JOIN SMITH"
That was all. Neither date nor SUI
prescription which might lead to 4
knowledge of his whereabouts was ap-
pended. OF course 1 knew he would
not 20 to South America. His saying st
was to put pursuers on false scent.
1t may not have seemed u very hon
orable thing for me to do, but ! showed
my letter to my only friend and de
pended upon him for counsel as though
he had been my father. After a Ions
and earnest consultation it was at las
decided that we should immediatel,
make preparation to remove to tn
home Of my childhood, where my siste
, Sarah lived, and who for nearly twenty
five years I had not seen and seldom
' heard of.
, Our preparations for departure wer
o rapidly consummated, and by the open
Y ing of the early spring we were read
d for a steamer voyage, as my protecto
p, decided that the steamer route was tll
d best because most expeditions.
- NV brothers and sisters held a solem
n farewell reunion at home, where til
70 gathering seemed like a funeral. on
n elder brother, with his bran-new, sly
Il ish wife, condescended to visit Us for a
,r hour or two and then returned to I'll
70 city, leaving the other members of OF
family, who decided to remain unit
near the time when we should be read
" for our final departure. My two siste
younger than myself had long bee
" grandmothers, but olive branches sti
!, grew and fiourished around their boar
and their cares were as arduOus as whC
some eighteen years before they h;
witnessed my personal sacrifice upC
=, the altar of Hymen. To bid them
long goodbye was my sorrowful dut
and l felt intense relief when they d
: parted for their homes and left myse
= DIR. Armstrong and my children TO pr
as pare in peace for the journey.
The stage coach which was to conv,
us to the steamer dock at Portland
~ days journey from our home-was m
" mentarily expected, and left the hou
and ran to pay final visit To the re,
ing places of my dead. Reclining up
y the freshly springing grass poured o
" u my soul in an agony Of prayer for {
- father of my children-sueh a prayer
- comes forth born of despair, and such
> springs from the tried spirits Of tho
from whom earthly hope has fed.
- ~ Suddenly n sort of magnetic light G
" veloped me, a feeling of such peace
passeth understanding took possessi
- =. of my soul, and before me again flash
" through the filmy light the vision OF
oe kindly face, with long, white beard a
- beaming eyes. 1 gazed because l cor
= not help but gaze but while / star
" the vision vanished, and I left the 81
~ tranquil, happy, subdued. / seem
:. en- rapport with some mysterious pr
ence, which was rs peaceful and W
come as it was unaecountable a
strange.
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