The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-07-24
VOLUME XII.

| explanation upon ner return.
The days wore heavily away, and nj
| word moro came from her. l was de
pressed and oppressed with feeling o
anxiety and alarm. A week elapsed be
fore she returned. The first intimatior
had of her arrival was the following
note:
| FRIEND HARRY: 1t pains me to write thi'
| note, but it is very necessary, and L cannot
shrink from it. Whom told You that loved
You / did not know my own heart and the fu
| ture happiness OF both of compels me ia
say that can never become your wife. Dc
not make any effort to see me an interview
| would be of no avail. and could only prove
painful to both You and me. JENNIE.
Need 1 say that this heartless note
completely stunned re for time. My
brain wits in a whirl, and 1 was so
stupefied that I hardly knew whether /
was dead or alive.
This condition passed after time,
and I locked at the matter as calmly
and coolly as could. I determined to
leave the scene of this bitter disappoiut
ment and seek "surcease OF sorrow" in
the excitement and change OF travel.
Arranging my affairs did not take me
long, and drawing my funds from the
hank, where they were deposited, I
babe alden to my frier DIS and started for
New York. My sudden resolution was
| a surprise to all Who were intimate with
me, but nay explanation was that had
long meditated a trip to the old world,
and a more opportune period than the
present to gratifiy this desire would
probably never occur. I had been
entirely reticent about my relations with
Jennie, and although some of my boon
companions rallied me about leaving
such an attraction when, to all appear
ances, I was the favorite sutton, I passed
the matter off as though it was a cap
ital joke while suffering unspeakable
torture at my heart.
In few days q gallant steamer bore
me across the ocean. It is unnecessary
to name the route pursued, or speak of
my rambles in England and on the
continent.
A year passed then came a longing
for my native land, and homeward I
turned my footsteps. Upon arriving at
New York went straight to Washing
ton, where I had friends, through
whose influence I obtained position in
the postal department of the govern
ment. My duties were in the bureau
devoted to "dead letters" Here an
other year was spent. Time passes
very swiftly when one is busy, even if
buc uodIb Is Heavy. NY duty was
chiefly opening dead letters, and many
curious and quaint epistle passed
through my hands.
One day while the room in which
several clerks beside myself were en-
gagged was undergoing repairs. several
old letters dropped from a desk being
removed from the wall. The carpen-
ter picked them up and handed them to
one of the employees in the Office.
Why" said he, Harry here is
letter directed to you"
As ] received it from his hand re-
cognized the hand writing at glance.
It was from Jennie, and had been writ |
ten nearly a year previously. By some
means it had rot reached me while I
was waiting for the place subsequently
obteined, and had preceded me a few
days in the "Dead Letter Office"
There it had lain almost a whole year
through an accident, but for which 1
should never have received it, and
probably never know the revelation it
brought.
With a nervous tremor I opened it
and devoured its contents, which were |
these:
DEAR HARRY To-day was surprised and
pleased to ascertain that you had returned |
from your wanderings and are in Washington. |
grievouslv panied know by cruel forgery
When heard that you had left N could |
not believe it, but soon was compelled to do |
SO. Believing that knew your heart, it was |
impossible to understand the motive or reason
for your sudden aud strange departure Fate
solved the mystery. You remember the party
on my eighteenth birthday. and YOU will rec
ollect that Richard Price logged our foot
steps wherever We went He overheard our
conversation in the garden, and thus learned
of our engagement A year previously he
had proposed to me and was rejected, and in
revenge he determined to bias. my happiness
at all hazards He was an expert at Initiating
the handwriting Of others, and having at
tended the same school that did for several
Year,, be was easily enabled to produce a
fac si,aile OF my chirography. few weeks
after your departure he was thrown from a
buggy and fatally injured. Before he died he
sent for me, and received from his tongne
the secret he was the author of a letter to
which my name was signed, and had caused
your sudden and strange flight.
In whatever light you have come to look
upon me, it is but right for you to know the
truth. For myself my heart has never
changed. JENNIE.
The first thing I did ,fter reading
this letter was to obtain leave of absence
for a few weeks the hext was to hasten
to my lodgings, pack my trunk and take
the first train for N -.
The train vas the "Fast Express"
but to me it seemed "slow coach"
Close connections were made, and at six
o'clock that evening stepped upon the
platform at N. It had been two
years since my feet had touched it. A
crowd of recollectlons rushed through
my mind, but nothing stayed me. At
once I set out for Fisk mansion. It
was summer, and as / followed the walk
from the gate to the door every object
seemed as familiar as if had seen them
only the day before.
My desire was to find Jennie alone,
and my wish was gratifed. The old
hall door was open, and I stepped in
turned into the parlor
softly and saw her sitting at west win
dow gazing at the glowing sunset sky,
but oh how changed. There were Jen-
MES eyes and hair, but the rounded
form and glowing cheeks were wanting;
in their place were wan features and an
emaciated form-a wreck of her former
self. Thehand of the destroyer was upon
her, and evident that her sufferings
were fearful. My heart sank within me,
and again my dream of happiness van
ished.
She uttered a cry of delight as 1
to her side, and, half-rising,
extended both hands toward me.
caught her in my arms and pressed her
to my heart; then she sank exhausted
into her chair. In a few moments she
revived, and look of angelic sweetness
her features as told her the
history of the "Dead Letter." for then
she saw that it had remained unan-
swered from accident and not from
design.
We went over the bitter past, only to
prove how cruelty we had been de-
Irauded of happiness by untoward &C
,idents following the malice which had
first directed our paths apart.
Supper was announced, and 1 attended
Jennie to the dining-room. The family
we're not aware who their visitor was,
Tor Jennie had purposely kept them in
ignorance thereof, to furprise them as l
had surprised her. They greeted me
cordially and xuara sonn rnoda |