Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-08-24
ONLY ONE FAULT.
.-~-oR,fHEpRuHKARp's WIFE.

r. q &Sf7% .Ea 5IIf
You NAV see it in Kensel Green Gem
etery.s Asplendid tombstone, with q
Womap's name upon it. Not Ruth
HOlly-though that is the name under
which yeu shall know her-but a prou-
der name, and one you may have
heard. Flowers grew about her tomb,
and the tart lies softly over it. You
would scarcely guess her life and Its
sad end as you stand there. Rather
would you fancy that love and tender
ness surrounded one over whom such
a costly pile of sculptured marble rears
itself, from her birth to her death.
1t is story such as seldom write
this life of hers-one that cannot be
ended by happy reunions and the
sweet sounds of marriage bells; but
there are too many such stories in the
world to be quietly passed over, if hap.
pily there be any warning in them.
The lives OF others are, if we read them
rightly, the best sermons ever preach
ed: and this one of Ruth HOlly's is one
only too true. Yet it began very
sweetly, like some old pastoral poem.
She loved, and was beloved again,
and the man she loved had only but
one fault. He was young, he was
witty, he was handsome, he was gen.
erous; his love was devotion, his friend
ship no lukewsrm thing of words; be
had great talent and great power. His
.eioquence thrilled many an audience
worth the thrilling. What he wrote
touched the soul to the very quick.
He was an amateur painter and must.
clan, and everywhere was loved and
honored. and admired. He had only
one fault in the world-he drank toe
much wine at times. When he did
SO he turned, so said convivial friends,
into a very demigod. 1t was wrong,
but not 30 bad as might have been, ,and
he would sow his wild oats some day,
they said, loving him as his friends all
loved him; and SO Ruth thought.
Sweet, loving, beautiful Ruth, to
whom he had plighted his troth, and
wOOed in verse and song, and with bis
most eloquent eyes, long before be put
his passion into words; but so did not
think Ruth Martins father. This one
fault of Edward Holly's overshadowed
his virtues in his eyes; and he refused
him his daughters hand, giving him
the reason why, plainly and not kind.
ly;v ly;v.,,, - . s,,,,.,d vst Nod Ho,.
ly,' said the old man, shaking his head
sternly. '1've seen men OF genius &c
the same road before. I've often said
I'd rather have no talent in my family,
since 1t seems to lead so surely to dis
sipation. My SONS are not too brilliant
to be sober men, thank heaven; and as
for my daughter, only sober man
shall have her for wife. You'd break
her heart Ned Holly
So the dashing man of letters felt
himself insulted, and retorted hotly,
and the two were enemies.
Ruth suffered bitterly; she loved heI
father and she loved Edward; TO disc.
bey her parent or break her lovers
heart seemed the only chance offered
her. She had other lovers, she had
seen much society, and had been In
troduced to the highest circles In
France as well as in England; bul
amongst all the men she had known
nsne that pleased her as well as Ed
ward Holly did. Not what one styles
an intellectual woman herself, she rev
efenced intellect, and her affections
were InteQS0. lu0 otIuSslO III Aoi
heart was terrible.
She met her lover by stealth, and
against her fathers will; but for long
while she resisted his entreaties to
marry him in defiance of the old mans
refusal. At last, angered by her per
sistence in obedience, Edward accused
her of fearing to share the fortunes o
one comparatively poor-one Wh(
must carve his own way up life's steel
hill without assistance. The unmerit
ed reproach sank deeply into her warn
heart, and in sudden impulse OF ten
derness and sympathy she gave him
the promise which he had SO long
sought in vain. They were married
accordingly, and on their way to Lon
don, where Edward, sanguine and con
scious of power, believed that he shouif
make for himselfa name and q position
of which any woman might be proud
To her father Ruth wrote long ant
loving letter, inn ploring his forgiveness
but the answer crashed all hope within
her bosom. g El,i11ss ~
sAs you sow, SO must you reap, wer'
the words the odd man wrote. i hav'
no longer q daughter and Ruth knew
that henceforth (for she had been moth
erless for years., she bad In all tn
world only the husband for whom sh'
had sacrificed fortune, and what !
far more, the tender protection Of
father.
In these early days Edward did hi
best to make amends for all, and sh
was so proud Of him, and so fond Q
him, that she soon forgot to grieve.
She heard his name uttered in prais
by all. She knew that he had but &
keep steadily on to mount the proudes
seat in fame's high temple; and for
wear she had no fear of his falteriDe
Now and then a feverish something Il
his voice and manner, a strange ligh
in his eye, a greater flow of eloquenc
in his talk, q more passionate demon
stration of love for her than usual, toll
that she2was under the influence
wine; but the fact only seemed to en-
hance his power of fascination; neve
was he 30 brilliant, never so handsome
Almost could Ruth have laughed q
the sermons preached by temperanc
folk, of the harm sure to follow win
drinking 14-l4-jll.1 GA lizFf4
If the story could end here, the tru
story of Ruth Holly's life, it would b
almost a happy one; butalasI the sunni,
slope down which It seemed 80 easy t
glide gaily grew darker as tn
years flew on. How they began to tel
her the fate before her, Ruth hsrdE
Alittle flush of shame came frs
when his step was unsteady and hf
yoice was too loud. Then, q grieve(
<oor ar funi hen he WAS t3uY06s0nA