Liberal Republican. [volume] (Dallas, Or.) 1872-1???, 1872-11-16
DALLAS, OREGON SATURDAY, NOV l6 1872.

Hao not usual. lie cDtefeu the pArior. |
| She was not there. The gas was
turned down, and the apartment seemed
given over to solitude.
Thence he went up the stairway to his
own room-his room and hers. But
| here was darkness, unrelieved by any
light at all. He thought that, perhaps
before the night had come on, she had
laid down to sleep, aud had not yet
awakened. In this belief he called her
name once or twice:
eileen. Helen !"
No answer. Then for the first time
a vague feeling Of unrest posses d
him. The familiar form was nowhere
to be seen. But he saw with dreadful
amazement, that the doors cf the ward
robe wherein his wife's dresses were
kept were open, and that the wardrobe
itse t was empty. From this testimony
to IA terrible conclusion, his gaze wan
about the room He did not dare to
let bis nin1 rest upon the conclusion
that was forcing itself upon lis attention
but everything that met his eye made
this conclusion more peremptory and
manifest. Helen had gonc-on this.
her II arriage day, aud fed from his roof
and from his protection.
From his dlshonored chamber the
unhappy Gilbert Graves went down
into the parIor. He sat there for lit
tie while pondering. Around him were
those memorials of her former presence
her portrait, the piano; her favorite
chair-which nearly wrought madness
to his brain From that reverie he
aroused himself to ring the bell for the
attendance of the servant.
Hannah, he said when the latter made
appearance, +" did Mrs Graves, before
her departure to day, say whether she
desired that YOU and the other servants
should remain 10 her service uutil her
return 7"
lie spoke with wonderful calmness
so much so as to disconcert Hannah,
who bad had her suspicious aroused by
Mrs. Graves singular departure.
"She SAID nothing at oil, sir, She
seemed to be in a hurry to get
away"
'Did-did her cousin call for her,
Hannah, or did, she 20 alone 7"
WAS it her cousin sir! A gentle
man came for h r, and, when she had
20, her trunk ready, they went away
together"
"Nery well, Hannah. As Mrs
Graves will probably be away all the
sumner, think | will break up house
keeping Come down to my office to
morrow. aud tell the others to come
down, and yon will all be settled with
Don't forget that, Hannah, | am very
sorry that your mistress should have
forgotten to give you her directions
upon the subject You may gov now. "
Left to solitude. he again gave him.
self up to thought. lie had done
what he deemed most advisable to
remove suspicion from the minds OF the
household. Then he set to work to
find any message that she might have
lett for him. He looked everywhere,
but to no purpose. Leaving the par
lor, hconce mor0 sought his own room,
The loneliDess of which seemed more
appalling than ever in the face of the
certain knowledge that his wife had
pro, Ell laithless There. at last, his
band fell upon it-a letter addressed
to him, in Hclen's handwriting, but
hurriely and nervously written This
was her porting message:
''ptrhaps am adding another
wrong to the great wrong that | am
about to commit, when | leave these
words for you to reed Did you think
oh. did you ever think when you
married me, that | could ever desert
you a. am about to do? Ever since
our marriage | have been haunted by
the thought of poor Mary Plymptou.
1t has driven me to this. Ii was for
the love of me that you broke her
heart, Gilbert Seek her again, and.
if such happiness can be reserved for
you, marry her for the hate of the
wrctched woman for whom you sacri
feed pure and loving womans devo-
ton. am going away, never to sec
you again. Oh if ] could only have
loved you as Mary did I! Bat upon
this anniversary of our marriage, com
mence 10 forget me. We have both
sinned and suffered Heaven forgive
us both, Gilbert! HELEN"
: In these lines, more fatal than the
thrust of the murderer's steel, did Gil.
bert Graves read the story OF retrlbutlon.
And, as he read it, the vision OF the
face of the desolate woman whom he
Ind once loved. and who could never
be his, rose before him to his discomtit.
ure Truly he had been the architect of
ruinl