The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1874-11-05
An Angel Unaware.

consented to be my wife take my advice
and speak from experience, Taking il
up and down, I've had a fair share Of mat
rimonial happiness, but the majority of The
differences OF opinion between your aunt
| and myself ] attribute entirely TO the in
fuence and interference of my mother-in
law. By the way, who is Mrs Hoyt?
don't remember hearing you speak Of her
She ceased to be Mrs. Hoyt when Susy
! was five years old, and became Mrs. Gard
iner. Iloyt, as far as | can learn, left hel
nothing but Susie. Gardiner left her a
| lawsuit"
"Oh a widow again =
"1 es; and, Uncle Israel, she is not one
| bit like the traditional mother in-law She
is little morsel Of blue-eyed woman
as gentle and sweet as Susy herself
| They all are. Butter would scarcely
melt in the mouth Of Mrs Bond before
married her daughter Julia, and-well
| you have heard her DISCOURSE
| had Cold chills of apprehension crept
over me rs | imagined Mrs Gardiner as
sailing me in like fashion. Under the
strength of my uncle's mother-in-law,
went at once and secured house at the
very extremity of the city suburbs-a gem
Of a cottage, with whole city between its
| white gate aud my mother-in-I law elects
residence.
saw her gentle lip quiver when l told
her where we were to live, and there was
pititul tone in her low voice when she
said, lit is very far from here;' but she
| made no other remonstrance, and | hard
ened my heart, and furnished it. Directly
opposite was a handsome residence with
wide grounds, a lovely country mansion,
within easy distance OF my business fol
which | longed, but waited for fortune
wheel to give a turn in my favor to pur-
chase it.
Alter we were married and settled in
our cozy little cottage, Susy and | would
often sit upon the porch and talk about the
happiness Of living in the house coveted,
and which was Tor sale, though rented and
occupied Sometimes Mrs. Gardiner would
come over 10 spend the day, and Susv
would tell her OF our castles in the ar,
when my cotton speculation made us rich
was doing small business at that time.
IN wholesale leather store, being junior
partner, but | had invested every spare
dollar ! could command in Joining a com
pany t. buy some thousand acres of cotton
IN Louisiana, growing. We felt certain in
realizing al Immense fortune Wien ou.
cotton was ready to pick and put into the
market, and every letter from our agent
N the South gave us new hope SO, we
furnished the new house, in imagination
and looked forward TO owning it one day.
In all this time could not truly find any
reason to regret my connection with my
motherin-law, 1t is true. she often advised
me, hurting my married dignity some
what by taking the ground that she who
had been my Susy's constant companion
for nineteen years, understood her DISPOSE
ton and peculiarities better than |. who
'worshipped the ground upon which she
trod," etc. But, honestly, could never
say her advice was not good, and Susy
was quite willing to admit | understood
her perfectly.
So nearly year glided by, and my blue
eyed mother-in-law was Just as loveable
and gentle as before my marriage. NV
heart smote me sometimes when she spoke
OF the loneliness of her home without
Susy, but ! thought Of Uncle Israel, and
was firm. 1t was in the fall Of 1867, when
appalling news reached the company of
cotton spectators, and we looked each
other blankly in the face. Instead of the
bales Of cotton we had expected coming
to be coined into gold, we received news
that our agents had employed inexperi-
enced hands, had irritated the freedmen,
who would have been glad to getthe work,
and had so mismanaged the whole affair
that our cotton was worthless There was
no one to go but myself, and my home at
fairs held me. Susy was not well, and |
did not wish to leave her, yet there might
yet be something saved, if a competent
agent went at once to Louisiana.
While hesitated and lamented Mrs
Gardiner came to the rescue
You must 60" SIZE said, "and leave
Susy in my care. 1 will stay here with
her, and YOU can return as quickly as pos
sible. Hannah will come too
Hannah was family servant who had
been ousy's nurse. | engaged a nurse re-
commended by Mrs. Gardiner, and with
heavy heart, set my face southwark. 1t is
not necessary TO enter into the details Of
my business worries. For month was
detained, trying to get some return of the
money We had invested, and failing utter
ly. Then, healt-sick, l started for home.
In the great cities the yellow fever ragged,
and L avoided them in my route; but on
my way from New Orleans to Memphis,
at little place called Vaughan Station. |
was taken i'll.
Put off the train, bag and baggage, |
was driven to a Wretched little tavern.
and left to die or recover as | saw fit. |
have an indistinct memory of a doctor
feeling my pulse, Of dreary certainty of
filth and discomfort all about me, and of
burning thirst Then followed agonizing
dreams of dtlirium, with pain in every
limb, racking headache, loneliness, mad
ness. was fever-rached with horrible
tancies, now being sawed apart by medi
cal students. now beset by wild beasts
rending me limb from limb now in sea
OF tire, now in desert, craving water |
could hear tinkling from near fountain
and could not reach
Then in my delirium came some angel
who cooled my lips, put water to my
mead, let the air in upon my stiiea
agonles lcould not make my tongue ut
ter the words in my mind it would bab-
BILE OF everything else, but chiefly of Susy.
and the fear Susy would come to take the
horrible fever
And in my home there was enacting a
scene | have heard described so often
can put it here as if had seen and heard
all. Susy lay white and weak in her own
room, with our first born in her arms, not
two days old, when a telegram came to
her. The doctor at Vaughan Station had
found my address in my MOTEL book and
telegraphed my condition
"Oh," sobbed Susy, ''he will die there
all alone, and will never know, mother,
what you have done for him"
"He shall not die alone,' Mrs. Gardiner
said, resolutely. 'He shall have good
nurse and loving one, as fast as steam
can carry her. Eh, Hannah? ?"
"Yes'm, said Hannah, "you make your
mind easy, ma'am. I'll do my duty"
''There is no train till night Can we
pack trunk of invalid comforts, Hannah