Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-02-05

L
and am assured that the sensation Is
very uncomfortable. There must have
been leaves on leaves folded away in her
| character, that had never found or sus-
pected, to account for the savage change
in woman who had been "all womanly.'
1t injured my digestion and disturbed
my steep; for it forced me to take to
pieces all my pet theories about women.
and make them over again.
Her infrequent letters told nothing of
her real life; they were full of glittering
generalities about pictures and cathedrals,
and now and then bitter jest on the hol-
lowness of life.
Married happiness seemed to provoke
her TO special wrath. The trail of the
serpent was over all her thoughts. When
/ pressed her about her own health, she
wrote, II am always well enough to bear
my burdens, such as they are. Nothing
can kill woman, you know"
But one or two travellers who saw her
at Heidelberg (where she had fixed her
self, to be near her brothers, who were
in the university brought word that she
was white and wan, and only the shadow
of her former self.
81 have been bored to death lately"
she wrote once, with the devotion of
Cousin George and his new wife. They
may be called vagabonds, having no visi-
BILE means of support; but love is to be
food and drink and lodging, to say moth
ing of clothes. The deluded woman
thinks she has power TO keep him always
at her feet. and it would not surprise me
at all if he were already, in his heart, a
little weary of her Women are so easily
deceived that | wonder men have taken
so much pleasure in doing 1t through all
ages. / begin To favor the French Gus
tom of selecting wives and husbands for
ones children, instead of leaving them
to their own devices in the most import
ant matter of their lives. The only OBJ
lection lies in one of old Fuller's nut.
shells: ''ris to be feared that they who
marry where they do not love, will love
where they do not marry but people
will do that any way, and, after all, love
is only the right side of grief"
When George Deane and his "deluded
wife" came home | charged them, on
their honor, to give me a true and unvar
nished account OF Mrs. Deane's condition
of body and mind. They had been so
rapt up in one another, that they had not
seen much change in her as TO manner,
but they had somehow got it into their
foolish heads that she had not lived hap
PLY with her husband, as she would
never talk of him even to her children.
speedily disabused their minds of that
notion, for, as have said before, Isabel
and her husband had never ceased to live
in their honeymoon till his death.
Isabel had been abroad five years when
she sent ME golden curl of her daugh.
ter's hair, braided with iron.gray, which
she insisted was her own. | sat twisting
it about my finger with my heart full of
rebellion against the evil fate that had
taken her clean out Of my sphere, when
had counted on double share of her so.
cety for the rest OF my life.
"This is the conclusion of the whole
matter" sal 10 myself, for want OF
ANYBODY else to say it TO. blessed he
those who expect nothing, for they will
not be disappointed"
And on that instant the postman, dart
ing up the steps in the rain, held up a let
ter 10 my window II was very thin
letter, and held only these words:
MISS DEssisoS: II yon will come round 70 the
Russell street IDfrmary a. soon a. possible aft,s
RECEIVING this note you may do some good, and
MAnIA STONE Matron OF InGrmary
Doing good in hospitals had never
been my forte, and | was morally certain
that had never laid eyes on a woman d
the name OF Maria Stone.
Besides all This, it rained as if il were
the first day of another deluge, and most
likely the letter was meant for another
/ Miss Dennison; Dennison being Ii com
mon name, and the prefix Miss commonei
still and growing more So
| am ashamed To say that | hesitatcc
some minutes, with my rubber shoes in my
hand; but curiosity, rather than benevo
lence, finally carried the day, and ! wen
forth, on long, wet walk TO Russell
street.
"Are you Miss Dennison'" said 6
woman, who seemed to be waiting to lei
me into the infrmary.
eyes"
miss Eleanor Dennison?"
Eyes"
"Then you are the lady wanted"
II was comfort in my soaked condition
to hear even that, though / put no faith
| in il.
was led through a room containing
seven or eight beds, all occupied by con
valescent patients, into small one, 80
dark that could not distinguish anything
| for moment.
'Is she here'" heard woman's voice
ask family, and guided by the sound,
saw woman lying on narrow bed
propped up with pillows
II am Miss Dennison," said, "but
am very wet, and may give you chill
ut don't matter" she returned, aftel
waiting for prolonged coughing,fit "
pass. Nothing can hurt me, and mus
say quickly what have to say"
Even then felt certain impatienc'
that had been dragged out on such
day, to hear the dying confession of
stranger, who probably intended it fol
some other person.
| How often, but for our hard working
guardian angels, we should pass by witt
| u sniff and miss forever the most blessed
opportunities Of our lives!
sat down by the woman's bed, anc
she grasped the cape OF my waterproof
as If to be certain that | should not es
| cape her. She was much emaciated (hel
cheeksbones stood like rocks at low
water), and, having been dark brunette
10 her best days, her coal-black hair ane
extreme sallowness made CHASTITY con
trast with the white pillows at her back
"Are we alone?" she asked when TIM
Matron went out and closed the door