Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1875-03-06

verse of humanity, taking from home
hearth-stone idols. Leaving som
widowed, some bereft of cherishe
children; leaving gloom and silenc
where once had echoed life, laughter
and song 'Oh, time !" is the anguish
ed wall of our desolated hearts, tho,
pltlless destroyer, creeping into ou
band ofloyed ones. Stealing from u
our brightest hopes, our fondest ties
As time stole on all the weary masse,
of earth, SO it did on Sydney Morrow
and his fair young bride. 1t found
them, ten years later, no nearer uniting
their severed creeds than when they
began lif5 together for veal, or for woe
little dreaming in the dawn of all theil
fair hopes that woe would SO far out
balance all of the joy they had so faint.
ly shared. Clasping their religion, and
their bosoms they went through life
proclaiming it a hollow mockery, a
miserable mistake. Though loving
each other devotedly they mutually
expected the other to succumb. Thus
it was they wore away existence, grew
prematurely old under the scathing
billows of pride. They whom love
had united, sin severed as effectually as
oceans could have done. Theirs was
a grand mistake by loving mot wisely,
but too well. Sydney Morrow at
thirty, was wrinkled, and care-worn.
One would have scarcely recognized in
him the sunny-hearted Sydney of days
gone by. Many remarked upon it, and
knew why. His wife from the bright,
joyous maiden, had come down to
languid, dropping woman; seemingly
Indifferent to all ties save church du-
ties, listlessly and mechanically per-
forming her duties as hostess, yet ever
ready and willing to labor for her re-
ligion. In behalf of the poor of the
church, the ladies proposed having
church fair. Mrs. Morrow as, usual,
was one of the managers. She knew
it was expected that the members
would furnish everything for sale. She
knew also that to assist them she would
have to apply to her husband for the
requisite means. This she was too proud,
too independent to do. In her ex-
tremity she determined to sacrifice
some of her jewels. In their travels
in foreign lands, Sydney had purchased
precious quaint old ornam ats. every
thing that he thought wouloiRlease and
charm his idolized wife. 1t was some
of these she decided now to part with.
Gems that loving hands had decked
her with in the days of 'auld lang
syne," jewels that were wedding gifts,
when her star of promise was rising
bright, she falteringly laid forth as her
lamb upon the altar. When her touch
fell upon them it awakened a tide of
memories that had long lain stilled and
silenced, in the grave of blighted hopes.
1t swept over her, bearing her unre-
sistingly back Ger that waveless moon
lit sea, back to the time when her bay
wreath was fresh, and fragrant, which
was now withered and barren, back,
far back into the mystic past when her
newly assumed sandals were stainless,
before they had wandered into forbid
den paths, which led so fatally to an
ger and distrust. She fain would have
the mistake of her life; but
"tis DONE" she said, and.again took up
the burden of life. The fair was to be
quite a success, and Sydney Morrow
leaving his wife at the vestibule pro-
missed to call early enough to get
good look at the tables. Later in the
evening, when he entered, the fair was
at its height. Strolling leisurely around,
be concluded to interest himself, until
his wife should be ready to return, by
examining the things for SALE
In passing table, the glitter of jew
Ell attracted him, and he stopped to get
a better view of, but in an instant, in
the twinkling of an eye, the color re-
eeded from his face, leaving it fearful
Iy, CHASTITY pallid for he recognized a
1uaint, beautiful necklace, one of his
first gifts he had ever made her, his
angel. He raised his head, glanced
around to see if his emotion was un-
noticed, and with the light of mad
man cleaning In his eyes, and the pal
Ior of death mantling lip and brow, he
strobe out leaving forever the presence
Of the gay crowd, and forever. aye for
ever the presence of his wife, who at
that moment was at the extreme end of
the hall, and was, happily unconscious
Of his discovery. In reaching the street
Sydney Morrow felt as he had never
felt before that to live was death, and
to die would be utter destruction. In
all these years he had never doubted
his wife's love for him. He felt keen
Iy that she reverenced her religion
above him but to doubt her love had
never occurred to his mind, until the
necklace on the fair table caught his
eye. And now. ali his thoughts few
back to the dreamy italian day, when
he clasped that trinket around her
beautiful throat, when his lips were
warm with her kisses, and it seemed to
him now that he could yet hear her
thanks. With staggering
footsteps he reached his home. Hur=
riedly he penned his vile frigid adieu
Briefly relating to her how he had ac-
cidontally come to the knowledge of
her perfdy. He dropped his pen as if
sickened with contempt, and strobe
out into the silence, the midnight to
be seen by the wife of his bosom no
more, no more As if lOathing life, he
sped far away, never wearying, never
resting, his aim was onward still fur
ther. With no goal in view, but to
calm the cravings of his lacerated