The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1878-04-26
THE SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPH.

a.
Rain and snow mingled together; bl
the very drearineSs of the weath'
prompted me to call upon the Due
leys, who were suffering most ME
ancholy bereavement. The servaI
admitted me without annOuncemeI
"a I was the confidential friend of til
family. Miss Dudley was sitting in
chair with her head bowed over hC
arm. and when she raised her face [
greet me / saw she had been weeping
Dudley was walking up and down
back and forth, with slow, dTaggin
steps. his head sunk on his breast.
sat down beside Caroline, taking he
hand in mine, for we were engaged t
be married when the year of mourn
ing had expired.
"This weather is enough to depres
even the happy" ] said, "but L wlsl
that had found you more cheerful
Do you not think you ought to over
come, so far as possible, this trouble
for Dudley's sake? 1t Is killing
him."
81 know it, and that is what give
me so much pain. OF course my grIee
is nothing compared to his. But 1
| breaks my heart to see him so chang
ed. | fear that if he does not die
outright IL worse calamity Will happen
Sometimes ! fear for his mind:
The disaster which had brought
such irremediable loss upon the house
of Dudley was the loss of his wife. Hel
youth, her J~1uty, her NevoioH, q
him sdid the tfRgiG manner ol hel
death, were apparent to all why III
sorrow should be deeper than that o
MANY others similarly beTeaved. IL
nf tha oh a I.
octer of both and of the intense love
which seemed to blend their beings
into one, it was almost Il marvel thai
he survived her at all. When / had
seen them together in the freedom OF
of their own home the thought bad
more than once occurred tome that the
existence of each was dependent upon
that of the other. Yet she had perish
ed suddenly-been swept from him by
a swift and terrible catastrophe which
had hardly allowed them a parting
embrace.
In the Autumn of 1862 Dudley had
been called to Havana on business.
His wife persuaded him to permit heI
TO accompany him. How well L re-
member that splendid Autumn day
unOn which they sailedi Caroline and
myself staid with them until the last
moment. How beautiful Mrs. Dud-
lev looked as she waived her hand
kercbief TO uS from the deck, the
bright color lighting up her always
eIo9uent face into the loveliest ami
1afionl We had watched thenOble YES
seI until if was a speck out in the Mar
rows. then we had turned away with
n sioh. half sad and yet not sad. We
had no nresentmant of evil, and when
her brother and his wife returned Car
oline and were to be married.
THAT vessel was fated never to touch
the Cuban shore. When but twelve
hours from Havana, at midnight, in
the midst of darkness and storm, she
was run into by another ship, and
sank i'm fifty minutes. Thrown from
her berth by the severity of the COLL
sion. Dudley seized his trembling wife
under hiaarm, forcing his way through
the disordereG crowd from the cabins,
already filling with water, to the up
per deck. Here he maintaiHed his
nIace while the men and officers made
atiorts to launch the boats. The INST
of these filled and went down. Inc
second WAS more successfully manag-
ed. A few women, 10 whom was CIV
ell the first chance, were Lowered lQto
it by the light of lanterns, whose un-
certain pIeam made the tempest more
appalling. Mrs. Dudley chung 10 her
husband, begging to be allowed TO
stay with him until he, TOO, shoula !. be
As.fdtittedko B5zk. b{G esperate effort
~ saIvatiS G5ut fo4 dlie6 !ssf p{iitsy-
eTS fad no'mfiucnce with him, HIS
desire for her safety Overruled the
rie,Tipps of love. With almost rude~
ness he tore away her cHnging arms,
the rome was fastened about her waist
and lowered down. Theu Dudley, car
inr no more for his own life, jumped
info the boiling sea. But the crew oI
fine uniuiuI Ell vessel picked him up
Lafnrp life was extinct, and he recoV-
orod his ccnsciotIsness to md hilpselt
in tbe cabin of the other ship. LHui
long after dav break the vessel fingered
aroS1nd the snot, until all hopes OF res
cuing any floating persons VINO IllIsnl
Inc riinpi1g to pieces of the wreck were
over. Then il continued OH us way "
New York, l.,
Over four months had elapsed, DUR
ing which a ray of light had nardly
Dudley's despair Ills SIS
~ shaIed his darkened life, .deterrlng
to- --'aVe, and withdraWiqg from
society to devate --.4ide their
was almost the only one o".-
near circle of relatives whom they car
ed to see.
AT times Dudley would he possessed
Of strange fancy that his wife might
not he dead-that she might have es-
,aped-be now in some remote portion
Of the world whittier some passing
bark had conveyed her. Facts and
theories were against him. The boat
which they had seen overwhelmed by
he wave had never been heard from.
Another boat, which had put out last,
lad succeeded upon landing upon an
sland coast after three days floating
IN the waste of waters, but in all hu-
nan probability the first boat had
zone down within five minutes after
he left the ships side. Sometimes
Dudley would work himself into an
llarming state of excitement, avOw-
ny his belief that if his wife was dead
he certainly would vOuch safe him
ome token to put his mind arrest.
This evening of tine 3lst of March
felt light hearted and joyous, despite
he sad faces of my friends. My spir-
is had risen triumphant over the
over the gloom induced by
with others, even over the
illldIlelCe l. SOlIcllIlltS IelI at TIE
dconsummation ofmy wish
y. am sure that my face shOne
with pleasure, for / had that day re-
,eivel letter containing news of an
access of fortune, which had eNhilaTat-
ad me beyond the power of my oTdin-
,ry trouble to subdue.
Suddenly Dudley stopped in front
If us. His eyes looking larger and
Iarker than ever from the sunken |
ines about them, were fixed upon me
With an intensity almost mbearable.
"Is it not strange" said he, "that all |
his time-dll this tiMe-she has sent |
ne no message"
| was surprised rs well as startled by |
lis question. Despite his theory that |
{ she was dead she would comfort |
lim with some special message, l had !
lot realized that he was seeking con-
olation in some palpable token from
he spiritual world. 1t was too much
opposed to his previous habits of
thought.
"What have you eNpected.' was all
could say for the moment.
Anything that would prove that
she was mine in death as well as in
.ife.r
1t was just then that an idaa flash
ed upon me which | hoped would
save him from the madness which at
times L apprehended might destroy
his brain, noble and massive as its
structure WAS | resolved IN law tho