The Van Buren press., 1876-04-11
MISCELLANY.
Written fos the Pssss.
A Story for Girls.
THE WIDOWED WIFE.
A House of Woe.
BY EDWARD.
(Coneluded.)

nity which offered itself to accom- plisl
my ends, and enable Josie to attain ,h,
ultimatum Of her desires-tie acquaint
ance of her handsome Gordon Nelf on.
One night, in the summer OF 1856,
lovely night, when the - Eraprcss of til,
skies," looking down from 'ssrs.. witchln,
canopy in.the heavens. bal 3 the eartl
with her showery- beams Us ftght--s
large and gay number Of boys and girl.
assembled on the Greenport beach ol
Long Island Sound to witness the fash
ing of the oscila,ing waves that tumbled
hither and thither upon the bosom ol
this beautiful sheet of water. Among this
crowd that assembled at this delightful
summer night resort. were our hero and
heroine, Josie and Gordon. 1t had been
planned by me, because Of the authority
vested by both the parties interested.
Gordon had become quite infatuated with
Josie, from the conversations which
l had held with him about her. josie q
heart danced with joy in anticipation Of
the pleasure she expected to realize in
her acquaintaneeship with our hero.
l contrived to bring them together in
what termed quaint piece of strategy.
l made an arrangement with young lady
friend of mine to induce Josie to walk to
certain point on the shore at the same
time proposing to walk with Nelson to
the same spot
When both Of them arrived at the des
ignated point, speedily took occasion
to introduce them to each other, and i'm
mediateIy taking the othe. lady. arm,
strayed away from the love-enam CURED
swains. and left them to whisper their airy
nothings' in each others ears.
Godon Nelson. whose heart had SO
long been invulnerable to Cupid's dart.
at last succumbed To the charming form,
the lovely face and the lute.like voice Of
this beautiful syren, Josie.
After the sual amount Of courtiny,
this loving pair were married in the fall Of
1856. What came of the marriage we
shall learn later in tho course Of our
story
In quaint little cottage, on one of the
most picturesque streets of this lovely
little SEA. a.washed town, lived a wsdticd
pair. The outside Of tn. house bespoke
its walls sound of comscnsruft uursti,i~
was constantly heard, Kind words that
never de-" found no echo across the door
of that dwelling. The wife was proud,
uncompromising woman. Her will was
the absolute law of the household. Eve.
rything must be as she desired, or theie
could be no quiet near her. She oppos
ed the wishes of her husband in every
respect. His home. instead Of being an
asylum of rest, to which he might haste,
when the day's work was done, was now
a place haunted alone by terror's dread
full ghost. Consequently, be was at the
house very little, save to eat and sleep,
His nights were spent in the stores and
hotels of the town. He hardly ever was
at home, and even when he was, seemed
almost speechless, SO perfect was his
silence. and held but little intercourse,
and even that was confined to that rem
dered absolutely necessary by circum'
stances. The wife, apparently, was to.
tally indifferent of the attentions of her
husband. She was frightfully extrava'
giant in her expenditures, and the debts
she contracted in her husbands name
were enormous No one, noticing them
at the time of which lnow write, would
have thought that they had ever loved,
so great was their estrnngement, ard so
utterly miserable their lives. Yet they
had, and that with al. the ardor and fer
vencv OF which young love is capable
What, then, pray" l seem to hear
my reader remark, had SO fearfuliy
turned aside the smooth and uninterrupt
ed meanderihgs Of their river Of iover p
"Ah, dear reader, do you not remem-
Der Josie Reeves? Have you forgotten
her perverseness, her wiilfulness, her OBJ
stinacy, her insolencc2 Have you for
gotten her treatment Of her mother
Have you forgotten her domineering
spirit? If not, then tell me il you do not
recognize our heroine in the married wo-
man we have described abovel
She had married man, only, by her
ungovernable temper and obstinate dis
position, to overtuin bis, as we'll as bel
own, chalice Of bliss
After nearly Ave years Of this most
dreadful of all lives, Josie and Gordon
because Of uncongeniality. separated. he
occupied room IN his own house, the
sill of which she never crossed, tue ser
want. girl bringing his meals to him. Just
across the hall from the husbands room
was the suit of apartments occupied by
the wife, into which he never stepped. lie
ate and slept under the same roof, with
her. but each avoided the other, and they
seldom met. There was no divorce. bnt
by mutual consent, they had determined
to live apart Now. spite Of all this
dear reader, there was no lack Of love on
the part of either husband or wife, and
If we could have drawn aside the vel
that shut out from our gaze their inneI
lives, we would have found that the fires
of their smothered love needed but 9
breath to fan them once again to life.
Soon after the separation. l met Cor
don, down town, one night, and, after th'
usual greeting, he in confused manner
said.
HAIRY, I suppose you have heard
that Josie and have separated"
"Yes," l replied, "and, Gordon, VI
are good friends, and have been for Z
long time You will not be offended. il
I ask you some questions about the mat
ter ~
mo, no, Henry" he replied, "yot
were the originator of the match, and i
is but right that you should know why