The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1876-11-08

| tlAI VI u DIdNc anu HODie woman, VINO
from duty and principle makes q sac
rifice whose greatness the world can
never measure.
81 wish it could be avoided" said
she; but how is it possible ? Even If he
returns and claims what l have saved,
before a separation is legally effected,
he can take take it without any power
of mine to prevent. Is it not SOP"
was obliged to confess that it was.
"Then," said she, with a sad resolu-
ton, "This step must be taken. 1t
tears my heart, but will do my duty
to my child"
therefore took such data from her
lips as enabled me to bring petition
before the proper court. While | sat
making the memorandum, she threw
in various EXPLANATIONS of sorrow at the
state of things with her, that excited
me with unusual sympathy. l know
that lawyers are not apt to be the most
sentimental of men. But here was q
case to challenge, in many of its con-
Meeting circumstances, the sympathy
of any living creatures. did not
hesitate, accordingly, to render the
poor lady full measure of my better
feelings in return for her sorrow.
"Poor Henry" she would say. 81
loved him so much! l can't but love
him yet! How can forget those early
days."
The safest way for me was, while she
talked thus, to hold my head down as
closely as possible to my paper. AT
some points of her story, 1 do not be-
lieve | could have looked her in the
face without helping the unhappy crea-
ture along with tears of my own.
"When We were married." said she
again, 81 didn't think of days like
these. wouldn't have believed it if
my best friends had told me they were
to come. l loved Henry, and l know
how truly then he loved me. But he
has been led astay. He never would
do this of himself; some one else must
have led him into it,"
After a time 1 succeeded in collect
ing all the facts from her that were
necessary to the business, and pushed
back from the table. She once more
inquired
81 cannot prevent him from taking
all except by bringing the action for
divorced"
81 see no other way" 1 told her.
"Then, said she, with a heavy coun-
enance, "the matter is settled forever.
l am to live and die alone. Good day,
sir; l loved Henry before he took to
these courses. All. sir 1 love him
now. l would rather make any sacri-
flee, if l could thus avert this dreadful
STEP"
She took her leave of ME sadly, as
if she were passing out into the dark
shadow of cloud.
sat undisturbed in my Office for
several hours Eliminating OH the hard
case that he had just been presented.
| thought within myself it was a fear
full matter thus to divorce husband and
wife forever, when, perhaps, happy
circumstances might yet intervene to
reconcile their differences; and felt
it worse than all that a law should be
allowed to stand on the pages of the
statute book, which drove an unpro-
tected woman to petition for divorce
in order to save her property.
The more l thought about it, the
harder it seemed to me to be. Yet 1
knew there was no present remedy tor
a case like this, but the one she felt
forced to choose. Her husband had
been away from her-had voluntarily
deserted her for a number of years
long enough to warrant the granting of
her petition. He deserves to be cut
off from true and loving woman whom
he had so basely betrayed, and hoped
to be an instrument in bringing about
ruch result.
Even while 1 sat thus occupied, the
door opened, and there walked in a
man perhaps thirtv-fve years, who sat
down in the chair which my unhappy
client had vacacated. He stated that
he was a person long absent from the
city, and therefore wanted legal adj
vice. expressed myself ready to
deal it out to him, of course.
I expect my wife is somewhere in
the city, he said, and 1 am anxious to
find her. Can you help me? And af
ter that l want more help
what is your name?' asked.
Henry Mallows.'