Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-01-03

kF1nuHl1 n8u l0Icnucu IOr ncr Deau-
ty-Horace Kent. Virginia refused
him; but grandma said, scornfully,
'sthat made no difference. She would
come to her senses soon," and to my
utter amazement the tr0ssedW went
on, and by and by we were hidden to
the weddings quite elegant affair,
where Virginia walked and talked as
if she was frozen. Frank and con-
fessed to each other that night, that
the business passed our apprehension,
for we had no idea then Of foul play.
Kent and Virginia were to sail for
Europe within a fortnight of their
marriage, and went to Washington
and Baltimore to pass that time. Left
alone one evening in Baltimore, with
severe headache, Virginia rcmcm-
bered to have seen some aromatic
vinegar in her husbands dressing
case. Kent was peculiar in his care
full way of locking up his belongings,
and she took her own bunch of keys
to open the box, when, rather to her
surprise, she found the key in the box.
Some listless, vague impulse, which,
she could never aftcrward account
for, prompted her to lift the upper
tray, although she had found the vim
egar already. Underneath, to her
surprise, she found papers, and was
about returning the tray to its place
without further examination, when
her eyes were caught by the words
"My own Virginia" in a dear, q too
well-knOwn handwriting.
When Kent came back that night,
he found his beautiful young wife
senseless upon her bed, with two let
ters crumpled between her cold fing-
ers. One, the last letter, Langley had
actually written her, the other, the
base forgery, in which he asked to be
released from his engagement. Kent
was not at all bad. He loved her
madly, and you may be sure that his
sore punishment began when, after
the physician had brought her out of
that death-like swoon, the first words
that escaped Virginia's lips, in that
strange, passionless tone, which is far
worse than anger, were, @Remember
will never forgive yOu-never "
They came back to New York for a
single day but Virginia saw no one
but her grandmother. The old lady,
upon her death bed, raved of that in
terview, and vainly implored her for
giveness for urging Kent on to his
treachery. The newly-wedded pair
sailed in the ill-fated ship which took
fire off the coast of Noya Scotia, and
whose name still carries terror to
many heart. Virginia was one of
that handful of survivors her unhap-
py husband fought for her place in
the boat, and remaining behind him
self, perished with the ship. The ag-
ony of terror, the long night which
she spent at the mercy of the waves,
proved too much strain upon her al
ready overburdened frame,and Frank
and were summoned by telegraph
to her at Halifax, where she lay for
days unconscious with the brain fe-
yer. And then, to add to her misery,
when recovering, she was thrown in
to neal ly fatal relapse by seeing ac-
cidentally that the Tecumseh had
gone down in the attack on Mobile
harbor, with every soul on board.
The Tecumseh was Langley's ship.
Virginia came to live with us about
two years before the commencement
Of my story. She seemed to feel a
sorrowful remorse about her husband
which was not grief, and yet it cast a
shadow over her life. "He was
treacherous and false" she said to me
one day, "and he broke my heart-but
what right have I to judge him !?
Harrie, told him 1 would never for
give him, and he died thinking him
self unforgiven." Of Langley she
never spoke.
Well, the "perfect treasure" made
her appearance. She was q rather
young woman, with pleasant, low
voice, and very good manners for one
of her station. was charmed. Ger
tainly this girl seemed determined to
please me she did her work in a
faultless, neat way; she amused and
played with the twins and baby had
more quiet nights than have known
him to have for weeks. So after a
months trial began to sing Alice's
praises, and allowed her full control
in her department, with good many
privileges. Virginia. alone, did not
seem to like her. Virginia had GU
rious way oflooking at new faces, a
searching, penetrating glance, that l
always thought had a sort of mes
merism in it, all the stranger because
her eyes were so gentle and soft.
Alice never met the look fair
ly, as remembered afterward.
1t was in the spring of '65. The
closing scenes Of the war were crowd
ing thick and fast upon each other
Virginia kept her room q good deal.
The warm April weather seemed to
enervate her, and she shrank away
from the Joy and enthusiasm we all
exhibited. Poor child! 1t was hard
for her to hear of the soldiers and
sailors who would be coming home
now, and to feel that for her sore
heart peace would bring no balm.
One night Frank had taken box
at the Italian opera in New York
We lived in Brooklyn, and, as Kel.
logg was to sing, I begged Virgins
to 70 with us. Bnt she steadily de.
clined. She would stay at home and
keep house, she said. Now, two oi
INV servants were at a fireman, q bal
that night. leaving only Alice and
the cook at home SO must saw I fell
rather more casy about the children
when l found that Virginia would
not 70. Going from New York tf
Brooklyn at night. however. is a Iona
Journey, and It was close upon one
tn the mean t;ma v;ro;,;. ora,