New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-04-11
spoke thOee words seriOusly-sternly,
might almost say.
mo such thought ever enfered nv head

spoke thoee words seriously-sternly,
| might almost say.
mo such thought ever entered my head, u
| answered.
| He looked at me very earnestly.
| You say that ON your word Of honor ~
| ''On my word of honor"
| answered with perfect sincerity; and
evidently satisfied him that was speaking
the truth. He took my hand and raised i:
gratefully to his lips.
| Il thank you,' he said, simply. lyon
encourage me to tel! you a very sad story
| Your own story ?" asked.
| my own story. Let me begin by telling
| you why l persist in leaving your house
always at the same hour. Whenever / 20
out am bound by promise to the person
with whom l am living at Eastbourne to
return at a quarter past nine o'clock" -.
! The person with whom you are living p
| l repeated. you are living at boarding
house, are you not ~
| II am living, Miss Bradirg, under the
care of a doctor, who keeps an asylum for
the insane. He has taken house for some
of his Weather patients at the seaside, and
| allows me my liberty in the day time, on
the condition that l faithfully perform my
promise at night 1t is quarter of an
hours walk from the house to the doctors
| and it is rule that the patients retire at
| half past nine o'clock"
Here was the mystery which had so sOrely
perplexed me, revealed at last The dis
| closure literally struck me sDeechless I'm.
consciously and instinctively / drew back
from MIN q few steps. He fixed his sad
eyes on me with touching look Of entreaty.
Don't shrink away from neF' he said.
You don't think am mad"
was too confused and distressed to know
what to say; and at the same time, was
too fond of him not to answer that appeal
took his hand and pressed it in silence
He turned his head aside for moment.
thought saw tear on his cheek. l felt
his hand close tremblingly on mine. He
mastered himself with surprising resolu.
ton; be spoke with perfect composure when
he looked at me again.
do you care to know my story" he
asked, latter what have just told YOU"
II am eager to hear it," answered. "You
don't know how l feel for you. l am too
distressed to be able to express myself in
words"
You are the kindest and dearest of
women!" he said, with the utmost fervor
and at the same time with the utmost re-
spect.
We sat down together in grassy hollow
of the cliff, with our faces toward the
grand, gray sea. The daylight was begin
ing to fade, as l heard the story which made
me Roland Cameron's wife.
"My mother died when / was an infant
IN arms" he began. "My father, from nv
earliest to my latest recOllections, was
always hard toward me. l have been told
that was an odd child with strange WAYS
OF my own. My father detes,ed anything
that was strongly marked, anything out of
the ordinary way in tie characters and
habits of the persons about him. He him.
self IiVnd (Qs tho nh q; sol NV
rule, and he determined to make his son
follow his example. l was subjected to
severe discipline at school, and was care
fully watched afterward at college. Look
back on my early life, l can see no traces |
of happiness. / can find no tokens of |
sympathy. Sad submission to hard des-
tiny, weary wayfaring over unfriendly |
roads-such is the story Of my life from ten |
years old to twenty.
II passed one autumn vacation at the |
Cumberland lakes, and there ] met by &C
cident young French lady The result of |
that meeting de cided my whole after life.
''She filled the position of nursery gov !
erness in the house Of wealthy English |
man. l had frequent opportunities of see. |
ing her. We took an innocent pleasure in |
each others society. Her little experieuce |
a perfect sympathy of thought and feeling
between US. We loved, or thought we |
loved. was not yet twenty one, and she |
was not eighteen, when l asked her to be
my wife.
Il can understand my folly now, and can
laugh at or lament over it as the humor
moves me. And yet l can't help plying
myself when l look back at myself at that
time-l was 30 young, SO hungry for little
SO weary OF empty, friendless
lIe. Well, everything is comparative in
thla world fn |
regret, that friendiess lite, wretched as it
Was.
The poor girls employer discovered our
through his wife. He at once
with my father.
my father had but one word to say-he
insisted on my going abroad aud leaving it
10 him to Iele ase me from my absurd engage
nent in my absence. 1 answered him that
should be OF age in a few months, and
hat was determined to marry tho girl
lie gave me three days to reconsider that
esOluriOn. held tO my resolution. Ina
week afterwards l was declared insane by
wo medical men, and l placed by my
ather in lunatic asylum.
"Was it an act of insanity for the son of |
gentleman, with great ex pectations before
lin, to propose marriage to q nursery GOV
rnessl declare, as heaven is my witness,
know OF no other act of mine which could |
nstify my father, and justify the doctors,
D placing me- under restraint.
II was three years in that asylum. It was
fflclally reported that the air did not agree
nth Me. 1 was removed, tor two years
lore, to another asylum, in q remote part
t England. For the five best years of nv
fe have been herded with madmen-and
~ reason has survived it. The impression .
produce on you, on your father, on your
rother, and all our friends at the picnic is
hat am as reasonable as the rest of nv
'llow creatures. Am | rushing to hasty
onclusion when l assert myself to be now,
nd always have been, sane manl
AT the end OF my five years of arbitrary !
IMPRISONMENT In free country, happily for
Ie-I am ashamed to saw it, but I must I
peak the truth-happily for me, Inv merci.
ss father died. His trustees, to whom
as consigned, felt some pity for me- They y
'nld not take the responsibility of grant.
e me my freedom. But they placed me
nder the care OF d surgeon, who received y
g into his private residence, and who T
lowed me free exercise in the open air. l
"A wear s trial "f this new IuOte of life
tis1rd the surgeon, and satisfied every =
re elae who took Jbe smallest interest in II
g. that l WAS perfectly fit to enjoy nv o
,erty. l was freed from all restraint and =
as permitted TO reside with near relative u
mine in that very lake country which y
ID been the scene of my fatal meeting
Ith the French girl six years before.
v. e
81 lived happily in the house Of nv rela- O.
re. satisfied with the ordinary pursuits of
country gentleman. Time had long since d.
red me oi my b"yish infatuation for the IL
rsery gOverntss l could revisit with ii
lfect composure the paths along which c
had walked and the lake on which we lu
d sailed together. Hearing by chance
at she was married III her own country. I e,
uld wish her all possible happiness, with d.
sober kindness Of a .tisinterested friend. L.