The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1877-07-26

most intense grief.
Ayres was mortified, but his courage
was unbreken. Folding his wife in hi!
arms, he bade her be courageous an(
trusting, for he should certainly wipe
away the stain of his first misfortune
and win success. With repressed tear
aud burning words OF impassioned love
each to the other, they parted.
Arrivingat New York. Ayres foun(
no difficulty in making the most advan
tageous disposition of his affairs. o.
the results he quickly informed his wife
i'll kind and affectionate letter. Scarce
| ly had these conclusions been reach
ed when he received proposition frou
n friend to go to Wisconsin, and hav,
ing accepted it, forthwith SO addressed
his wife accordingly, and again bidding
her not to lose faith in him, bnt be oI
good cheer and as soon AS possible, he
would send for her. He then started
for Wisconsin.
On his way out he wrote again to his
wife, and still again on his arrival. Bnt
to all thesesletters lie received no re.
ply.
Repeatedly he wrote, but from the
day he left New Orleans, he never re-
ceived one line from his wife. Natural
ly he concluded that the fathers per-
suasions had prevailed, and that his
wife had deserted him. Hoping against
hope he waited, and thus years rolled
away. Meanwhile he prospered in
business.
Everything he touched seemed to
turn into gold, as if he had found the
philosopher stone; and in the course
of few years he became rich.
About this time business called him
to New York. Upon his arrival there
he chanced upon New Orleans jour
nal. and almost the first article that at
tracted his eyes, was notice of suit
of divorce, instituted by his wife AS
may be supposed il was startling IN the
extreme, for Notwithstanding her sup~
posed desertion he still loved her
He Immediately wrote to one of the
best lawyers here, enclosing fifty dol
lar note; telling him it was his fee to
see that the divorce was perfectly legal
and beyond dispute. And there the
matter ended; but few years later he
married again, aud subsequently, hav~
ing acquired great wealth removed to
Chicago.
Long years after this, Mr. Ayres
made chance visit to New Orleans.
The vigor and elasticity of youth
were gone. Step by step he had pass
ed up the ladder of fortune, and now
stood at its apex, gentleman of matnr
ed years, just looking down the slant of
life.
Who can describe his emotions on
visiting the place where the memory of
many scenes was brought to his mind.
Here it was he made his first venture
i'll business and love, both of which
proved so disastrous.
One morning he was sitting at break
fast at the old San Carlos. when lady
III deep mourning entered the room.
At glance, he knew it was his first
love, his former wife, although he had
not seen hor for many long years. Tho
unexpected sight of her whom he had
loved and lost, completely unnerved
him.
He resolved to have an interview, and
with this purpose followed her to the
parlor, and made himself known. Mu-
tual explanations followed. aud the
mystery which had so darllened aud
onveloped their lives, was made clear at
last.
1t seems that after her husbands
departure for New York, she had never
received one of his letters, her father
having Intercepted them. Years pass
ed bringing no tid,ngs of her husband,
until she became so discouraged and
wearied with suspense and anxiety, that
it needed not her fathers assurances
that he had basely forsaken her alto
gether.
Driven almost to desperation, and
urged on by her father, she applied for
divorce, which was readily granted
her, on the plea of desertion, and after
wards accepted the hand and fortune of
wealthy planter; and left her fathers
roof, a heart broken. if not q prema-
turely old woman, for the home of her
husband, who resided in the country.
Her husband subsequently died, leav-
ing her, not in actual want, but com
paratively poor.
BY her first marriage, she had one
son, who was then a tall, tine-lOoking
young fellow, between eighteen and
twenty years of age.
After hearing her story, her ci-de-
cant husband wrote full account of all
that had transpired, to his wife; telling
her what he intended to do, and she,
being woman of good sense and rea-
son, readily acquiesced in his plans.
F. - l. -
Chicago with him, settled an annual
income of five thousand on her and took
his son into partnership.
There. both mother and son are now
living, in beautiful home, surrounded
by fine large grounds aud with every>
thug calculated to promote their hap
piness. Both families are on pleasant
and intimate terms.
In this true story, the condnct OF all
the parties concerned was most honor>
able except that of the misguided faith
er whose deception estranged two low