The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1874-05-30

At that mona,.s couoIe OF servants
entered the app cent, bearing num-
placed a nbgnjfcept ectIace Of pearls
upon the dreszjngcxse
" There Tesaid hss5s.is lis present from
Your future husbarn
demonstrate.
DO. Don I % speah;v vss6id her father
Ina ), OAio" Sr or leave my
He turned on hiA oo1 &c ba o,o1,o
and quilted his dausitsr's rraserdo 90 an
OYerwhelmed.wiqlsse presence, pre- .3nc
the unhappy girl csi5 no1 roe;ItaiI at,,
!lie IesoIulIon Sls ne !, yeted to command
III 'lie Iioiiehs u flneed Passively
sIo-lil.ih8 LIl-l tos.sI.s.;sasa that had over
,ahcn neIi &Scile under the
to array her for thSE "i'' Oo5""
During the perts1c- of 4ba cora
I1nohy she "Pp more dead than
HNe' ana 10 T' 70 10y when Walker
saiuIeu her as ~ - that she started
direct from the CD hsxH eh M pTocgeaeI bo[ea 81
ner awaited fhg s,s.lia "a. =. din .g
conducted to her chamber, and locking
hVLcCil III Iclb OhtdD ndlh6E To enter
tain the bridal part as best he could.
In vain did her stel mother and sister
solicit admission. She refused to suffer
them to come into her presence. SAD
den indisposition served as pretext for
her leaving the COMPANY. and her hus-
band had presence of mind enough to
put the best face upon he matter.
When the guests haddeparted, Caleb
Walker ascended the sairs with slow
step and thoughtful men, and tapped
at his wife s door
g Let me in" he said in a low tone.
81 have something say to you that
will not displease YOU.
Ruth opered the dor, but averted !
her eyes. Her husband OWNED what |
was passing through her mind. Seating |
himself near her, be spoke in the tore |
Of a man whose soul is penetrated with |
| sorrow.
"Do not make yourself unhappy" !
he said. Hear me patiently. IF I |
tell you that l repent having married |
! you, you VIII not perhaps believe me |
vet 1t IS true. [ wSs made to believe |
! by your father and step-mother, that |
| yOur affections wen disengnged, and /
that you had no aversion to me-that
/ yOu wOuld dispense with those atten-
/ tions customary fom a lover to his |
! betrOthed, but whhh the difference of |
! our ages, and my consciousness that
/ nature had dealt hRdly with me, rem
/ dered me averse fom Offering. Too
/ late / have discovered the cruel decep-
| tion y0ur father haspracticed upon me.
/ Still 1T IS IN nv power to render Your
| fate less wretched tlan you anticipate.
Bear the name of mT wife, command in
my house, dispose Of me and my for
tune as you please Before Heaven, I
promise you solemnly to live with you
only as brother, until you can receive
me as the husband Of your choice"
He ceased speaking and sat gazing at
her, awaiting her reply. The force of
truth Is always irresistible Ruth
dried her tears. and extended her hand
to him.
g accept your offer she said.
Z" and thank you foryour generosity: I
will try and repay S@r kindness. You
have daughter, shild shall be my
care. But froE - will see my
:. !. =. !. : ]. !:
instant uni
u. ]
Goodnight" nndS3 taout shaking
hands with her, or gen looking at her,
Caleb Walker left BIS ycFing wife alone,
and desceSded the tairs'<
The following d@ she met him with
a cheerful cOuntenace; aid few days
later his daughter, in interesting child
about four years old, was brought
home. Ruth was naturally a very af-
fectionate woman. Estranged from her
nearest connections by the base dacep-
ton they had prac6c upon her, she
needed an object upon which to lavish
her tenderness. and soon found it in
little Efie, who became plssionatelv
fond OF her.
Time flew by, and Caleb Walker kept
his word strictly with his beautiful
wife. He did more; he was incessant
In his endeavOrs torender her happy.
Two years passed away, with scarcely
any change in his domestic relations,
except perhaps that Ruth was more
confidential with him, and at times
evinced more tenderness towards him
than she had bitherto done. Efie was
her darling, and she appeared to love
the child with so strong and passionate !
an attachment, that Mr. Walker often
marveled at it.
One day, early in spring, Caleb Wal .
ker Informed Ruth that he had taken
country house for the summer. This ]
was welc Ome news to Ruth, and she be- I
gan to prepare for their removal. Three ;
weeks later, they were comfortably in {
stalled In their country residence. 1t :
was a moderately-sizedf farm house, hav
ing an abundance Of shade trees and I
fruit surrounding it, and Ruth began to /
busy herself among the plants and flow {
ers as soon as the weather permitted. I
The place was near enough TO the city !
to allow Caleb Walker to make daily
visits thereto, if he hal occasion to do 7
so.
1t was in the month of July, the ,
weather was intensely warm, when one ,
morning Caleb WaIler set ont for the ,
city, to be absent allday. Late in the
afternoon Ruth tookssEffie bv the hand ,
and wandered into The adjacent wood to !
seek for some roots she desired. So in /
tent was she upon the object of her /
a arch that she dia9t ap qhssSys sg vJl the
was nearly upon thetp Then it was
that she, catching the child by the hand,
hurried onward, hoaiug to reach the
house before the ra1Iell.
She was yet haFEile distant when
the storm burst upof%hem with all its
fury, and the nins Ascending in tor
rents. drenched her and the child TO the
skin. She had passed beyond all shell
ter, and could find no place nearer than
her home where she could gain refuge.
It therefore became a matter of sheer
necessity to go forward. When she ar
rived at her house, as might have been
expected, she was in very exhausted
condition bnt Effie did not seem to be
much the worse for the accident, save
her wet clothing. The first tn ng Mrs.
Walker did was to attend to the child,
and it was not until her step-daughter
had her clothing changed, that Ruth
pulled off her drenched garments.
The following morning Ruth was so
i'll that she could not leave her bed, aud
her husband Immediately summoned a
physician. Two or three days more
and Ruth lay prostrate in bed with ty-
pboid fever.
Days and nights Caleb Walker sat by
the bedside of his wife, who lay uDcon-
scious. her mind wandering, and rag
ing fever rackipg her frame. He would
not be satisfied with the attentions of
her nurses, but watched every move
ment abe made. For long time it was
doubtful whether she woul6 recover.
Dt - Io,+ 4ba disaase took favorable /