, 1877-12-23

: To-day united an old package Of letters, a
, | faded and yellow. The writer has long sinl
passed away, so will take one and send It t
you. not for anything new or Strange that
{ contains, but that those who read it mar Sc
that Love laughed ut locksmlths as hearth
fifty years as he does now, or that the cours
Of true love ran no smoother then than now.
II. ST. Z.
New ToRK, Sept. 5, 1s27.-Ny Dear Hs,sn
Now that [ have returned to America, / vii
| comply with your request and rive you some q
the particulars Of my wedding; bur l ulust tirs
give YOU bit OF history that necessarily goe
before.
You knew of my engagement to Mr.. Clifford
before you went away, which WAS the Year pre-
vtous to mamma's death. Nothing could haye
been fatrer than our prospects, We had the
approval OF all connected with US. Ny trous
seau was In the hands OF the best uodste il
the city. The house we were to occupy. anG
the grounds surrounding it, were undergoing
complete transformation. The architects ant
landscape gardeners were urged to put forsl
their skill to the utmost in rendering The wholt
place most beautiful. The uphoIsterers to-, too,
had their orders to spare no pains or expense in
the interior adornments. Everything looked SC
bright to me. II was more like some fairy tale
than anything IN real life. 1t reminded me ol
| came all too soon. One morning mamma vas in
her usual health; the next, she was cotliued for
her burial You who have lost dear mother
can tell how hard the blow fell upou ME, SO
| suddenly and unexpectedly it c1ule.
Beiug an only child too, Ike yourself, had
no.one to go to for sympathy but my father.
| and he could give me none. Indeed, it wds
t who gave him the boon sought. l never saw
. man so cast down, SO utterly overwhelmed
by ercl Every hope seemed crushed, every
ray OF light had vanished forever, leaving the
| future dark aud gloomy. Mamma had been his
| first and onlY love. They had grown up from
| childhood together She had been all in all to
hins. Now death had come and robbed him OF
his treasure. The soft brown eyes that bad
lighted up SO often at his homecoming we're
closed forever. The beautiful lips that had
spoken SO many eDdearng words were cold and
! lnotionless. Mr.. Clifford, who was absent on
business at the time, was hastily summoned,
aud with al! the affection OF son he entreateu
papa for my sake to be more rcconcilcd, but his
efforts were vain. Our old pastor, who had been
papa's spiritual guide from boylood, came, and
with prayers and tears hesought Him to bear
this his first aiiliction with more Of Christians
tortitude and resignation. At first he would
not listen to even him, but gradually he grew
t:ilnler, and after time tried to say, "Thy will
be duuc.''
will pass over the funeral, with its Grape and
flowers, the long procession Of 1nourncrs, the
consignment to the tomb oi her who was always
far less OF earth than Of heaven, and of the ter
rible 4 loom that settled down upon Our once
happy home. The year which followed was one
" endure even the recital Of some Of tue events.
My father sent to Philadelphia for some distant
relatives Of mammals, q widow lady with TWO
daughters, to conle and remain with us for
tilne thinking thereby to tighten my load of re-
sponsibllity, and also as means Of lessening
my gref, which was preying upon me fearfully.
l tried to tell him that / greatly objected to
thcir coming, but he would not listen to me,
state to reason on any subject. They came, and
from that hour date nv unhappiness- Nam |
mas death was nothing in comparison.
Mrs. Scdgcwick was scheMing, hypocritical !
woman, with an unsuitable ambition, and her !
daughters were not whit behind her in any |
thing, not even in beauty, for they were all !
three remarkably handsome women.
Kate, the older of the daughters, IVES |
queenty being, who had her mothers black hair,
and even b|acker eyes, and wlluse every motion
was 4 command. EIla, the Younger who, tAey
said, rtsetnblcd her father. was little, kitten
ish thing, pretending to be mulch younger than
she really was, and purriug around every one
who came in her way. Why is 1t that when we
meet sumo persons VIC lose ourselves, so to
speak? l have known those who possessed
more than an ordinary share Of self-reliancc; |
but let them come iuto the presence of certain
persons and they We're stripped Ut their indi~
putting on such meckness and conde-
;venson that they were most ptiful to sec.
lust so it was with myself when 1 cane before
hcse women. They saw at a glance the power
hey had over me, and they never lost an oppor~
'AnAtf "Ai4S lilly LU let HE 1tEl IT, I
)f course our welding vas postponed for time,
md alterward learned they had intended it TO
&c forever.
Mr. Clifford was obliged to be absent on busi-
less in the South for several months, and DUR
ny that time they tried every means in their
'ower to accomplish their purpose. They had |
earned Of his wealth and position long before |
hey came to u.s. and they had looked well as to
lle future. kate WAS better fitted for his wife
han /, they had said, and his wife she should
c II strategy were Of any avail. Their first
'ove was to invite young gentlemen friends
rom their native city to visit tlenl. I would '
Z urged to accompany them in their drives !
ere aad there, on account of nv health, tI1ey
aid. All these solicitations tried to- decline | /
'ith tirmness, but it was tue mercst ,semblance
{ trn1ncss, as each time. their wishes were | )
ratified, when my father, having oeenappealed !
"ou.e r oi fay dauStsf you muit Try to
the bascuess OF their treachery or would ! +
ave loathei even the sight Of their | t
lb'e garments, in which they delighted :
>, arrny 1n5,r themselves, .s knowing full well
Hereby. The first intiluation nAd 4
their pcrfdy CANT TO INC Ia letter from Mr. n
litfortl. In it he said lie was SO glad was try l
= to bear my loss so well, and t]lathc thought "
IL, only hc envied the handsome young gentle Il
ell Who were my companions knew there IL
IS something he wished to conceal tIchind his Il
casant 'ral'lery, tut, when questioned my ! X
taer as to what t'o had "rltten concerning me, T;
found that uoue but tue bricfest cosnu.uuc;- tt
,tis had passed between them, and entirely Of S.
business nature. sat down and wrote u long | -
tter to Mr.. Clifford, telling him all ulY W
>ubics. and astlng Ills advice with regard to
iny from home for time to be rid OF the an o1
yances Of these 1naueuyering women.
litcu long and auxious1y fur an answer, but e:
ne came. After weeks passed. appealed to ju
Y father for i solution Of the. mystery. He p1
Ok INF band in his and said: Any daughter. I'll
VOLT 1tiDl is Int rfcY ~