The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1877-08-10
disgrace yourself in any way, King?"


"As to that, shall never stoop so low
as to covet my neighbours wife or marry
another's betrothed; not if live alone
through three-score years. No, Martha,
give yourself no concern about me or
mine. Live, as heroically as may be,
the life chosen for you; and remember
always, in your darkest hours, that
there is one that is true to you in spirit,
even though all else fails. Farewell"
"Good-bye, King"
The wronged aud disappointed suitor
sought the open air, and wandered
toward the adjacent hills. Before him
lay the tortuous Chehalem, winding its
busy way through glade and gorge, itR
line marked in the blue distance by
purple haze of trees.
Scarcely ever in life bad he looked
upon a prospect so beautiful. Broad
prairies spanned the intervening miles
between himself and the mountains
that hemmed the distant ocean. Bunch
grass, standing waist high as he walked
through it, waved everywhere like a
mighty meadow. Forests of fir, tall
and dark and stately, raised their emer-
aid points in the balmy air, and through
the hazel copse a wild deer bounded
now and then.
"What country! And what pros
pect for the future lies before one here"
ba OoliTOoui1a1 oo ba youead in asFop-
ishment to behold the glory of the sur
rounding landscape. "And yet, in the
face of all these beautiful creations of
the Infinite Presence, 1 am utterly un-
done and thoroughly miserable. had
hoped to cast my lot in this new coun-
try, and live and die contented. This
morning my blood flowed like wine,
and my heart was an anthem, beating
in time and tune to the eternal rhythm
of the universe. The river of my exist
ence flowed on in gentle current, till
all at once it encountered a mighty
chasm, over which it now goes, surging
frantically on to destruction. But stop!
L will not yield to disappointment. 1
will go away to the growing city and
bury my sorrows in mad ambition. I
will be a man in spite of wrecked affec-
tions."
Doubtless King Greensborough imag-
ined that the harder part of the mental
fight was his. Had he paused, however,
to critically compare his present free
dom with the bondage under which
Martha was suffering, he would have
realized that only small degree of the
suffering was his, comparatively.
He was not fairly out of sight before
the legal husband of his promised wife
began such TRADE upon him in the
presence of Martha that the tried wom-
ans temper was wrought into a fury
which she scorned to exhibit, though
the tumult in her soul was terrible.
He criticised Kings personal appear
ance; called him awkward, silly, ugly,
vain, and all the other adjectives in the
catalogue, accompanying his slurs with
illusions to his own superiority that at
last drove the infuriated wife into a
frenzy.
Turning about and stamping her foot,
with the anger glowing in her eyes like
radiations from the eyes of an enraged
wildcat, she forbade him ever mention
ing the name of King again.
"You dare to sully the thought oi
him by your disappearing tongue, and
pll rid myself Of your presence if I die
for it ~ she screamed.
Thomas Jones was frightened.
Reader, you and 1 have more than
once met men whose chief delight
seemed to consist in throwing hot
thoughts, like pepper, into the eyes Of
those over whom the law had given
them legal claim and supreme power
We have seen the object of unjust accu,
sations shrink and yield, and the often
sive party as constantly encroach, unit
his victim. Then, again, we have some
times seen the assaulted party turn sud
denly, like stag at bay that betakel
him to the waters, and asserting herself
so easily COW the fault-fnding bigo
into silence as to cause US to wondel
why the experiment had not been befor,
attempted.
If Martha Jones nee Marblehead wa
not possessed of sufficient firmness Il
absolve herself from her part of fraud
ulent marriage contract, thereby en-
hancing her own happiness and spelling
this story, she did possess the impetuos
ity to compel her lord to keep his tongue
even though by so doing she unwit
tingly fostered further unjust suspi
cions.
The knowledge that the disappointe,
suitor to the hand of his daughter hat
appeared upon the scene, only to fin,
the bird securely Gagged, did not ruffle il
the least the conscience of Major Mar
blehead. That the bird pined in he
prison-cage was no concern of his. Th
nonsuited suitor had once given hin
mortal ofense over trife. Other mel
might make concessions if they de
frauded their neighbors or their childrel
in any way; but Major Marblehead wa
l ALWAYS satisfied with his own conduct