St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1871-08-18

AN LAUGH ARDEN OASE WITH \
New SEpUEI.-A onc-armed horscman
recently travelling through Missouri, stop
ped at Il blacksmith shop to have hi,
horse ahod. The smith noticed the
empty sleeve, and asked him if lie had
lost his arm in the war. lie replied,
with Il sigh, that he did, and even more.
Going on 10 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.
''N hat is your name ~ said the black
smith. When the answer was -. NJ
Wal'lrup," he suddenly released the hoof
over which he had been bending, and
without looking at the cx-soldicr, cried.
"Follow me into the house :" and hur-
ricdly led the way. Amazed as he was
at such conduct, Waldrup mechanically
obcycd the unexpected bidding, and be-
fore lie could pause to think, was in the
presence of comcIy matron, about
whose sewing chair three happy children
were playing. She was the blacksmitll's
wife, the mother Of his little ones vet,
as she arose to see whom the smith h;d
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 alter
natelv 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 rs scnsibly
and cody as their respective feelings per
mltted. DevOtcdly rs he Lowell the wo.
man, the honest blacksmith admitted
the others stronger right to ter, and
generously consented that she herself
should decide between them. After a
long passion of tears and sclf-reproach,
she elected TO 20 with him whom she had
loved the first but declared, with bitter
that she could not leave
her children. The smith, raising his
head from his breast, on which it had
dropped in the first despondcncy of hi,
great alilic:ion, eyed her wistfully for
and then said, "Yuu shall take
them, my dear :" When the steamboat
st. Lake stopped at the landing some
hours later, Naldrup went aboard with
his still weeping and thic>ly-vciled 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
'aptaln-all who witnessed it-wcrc al
ertci TO tears by the touching scene
W llh great drops rolling down lis taw-
ny checks, the smith kissed his children,
one after another, and in choking voice
'ade their mother an eternal good-by.
The two men "azed wi>ttully into each
'ther's fIccS, shook hands long and earn
,stly, and then thc blacksmith, by
trom% effort OF iron will, released the
lanl ol Waldrup and walked quickly to
he shore. lie never turned his face
gam toward the boat, which soon pass
d ont OF sight around a merciful bend
II the river, but strobe on, with head
'owcd down, 10 the home whittier the
oice' of the wife and children should
Welcome him no more.