Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1871-08-25
5fiscellamu.


AN ENoCH ARDEN CASE WITH A
New SEQUEL-A one-armed horseman
recently travelling through Missouri,
stopped at blacksmith shop to have his
horse shod. The smith noticed the emp
ty sleeve, and asked him if he had lost
his arm in the war. He replied, with
a sigh, that he did, and even more, 60
ing on to relate how he had left home to
enlist in the southern army, and at the
close of the war, in going back, he
found that his wife, who thought him
dead, had moved away, and he had since
been unable to obtain trace of her.
"What is your name ?" said the black
smith. When the answer was %. NJ
Waldrup,' he suddenly released the hoof
over which he had been bending, and
without looking at the ex-soldier, cried,
"Follow me into the house y and hur-
riedly led the way. Amazed as he was
at such conduct, Waldrup mechanically
obeyed the unexpected bidding, and be-
fore he could pause to think, was in the
presence of comedy matron, about
whose sewing chair three happy children
were playing. She was the blacksmith's
wife, the mother of his little ones yet,
as she arose to see whom the smith had
brought in, and caught sight Of the
strangers face, one Wild shrek proclaim
ed the instantaneous recognition, and
she tainted In the belief that Waldrup
was dead, she had married the black
smith of Cedar City in the very year of
the soldiers parole, and now could only
confess her dread mistake, and call al
ternately upon either husband and her
God for pardon. After the first agitation
of the singular reunion had partially sub
sided, the two men returned to the smithy
and talked the matter over as sensibly
andcoolly as their respective feelings per-
mitted. Devotedly as he loved the wo-
man, the honest blacksmith admitted
the others stronger right to her, and
generously consented that she herself
should decide between them. After
long passion of tears and self-reproach,
she elected to 60 with him whom she had
loved the first; but declared, with bitter
lamentations, that she could not leave
her children. The smith, IA sing his
head from his breast, on which it had
dropped in the first dependency of his
great affection, eyed her wistfuly for a
moment, and then said, "You shall take
them, my dearl' When the steamboat
st. Luke stopped at the landing some
hours later, Waidrup went aboard with
his still weeping and thickly-veiled wife,
and the blacksmith followed with the
children. The boats bell rang for the
starting, and the dread separation was
at hand. The crew, the passengers, the
captain-al who witnessed it-were af-
fected to tears by the touching scene
With great drops rolling down his taw-
ny cheeks, the smith kissed his children,
one after another, and in choking voice
bade their mother an eternal good,by.
The two men gazed wistfully into each
others faces, shook hands long and earn
estly, and then the blacksmith, BY
strong effort of iron will, released the
hand Of Waldrup and walked quickly to
the shore. He never turned his face
again toward the boat, which soon pass
ed out of sight around merciful bend
of the river, but strobe on, with head
bowed down, to the home whittier the
voices of the wife and children should
welcome him no more.