Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-05-08
HIS WIFE.
Twice Welded, Once Mated,

y
light as one sees only in the South-the
sky one beam of living light, yellow and
clear as crystal. The soft breath of
summer stirred the leaves Of the starry,
white jasmine, which swung as by I'M
seen fairy hands. The1night,, IN all its
perfection, lay gloriously fair, unmarried
bv any sound to break the perfect out
Gnesof the picture, save the musical
voices. We stood together beneath a
wide spreading magnolia tree-John
Vandeleur and I. The moonlight CLINT
ed on his stern, white face; his dark
eyes were bent upon my own; both
his hands grasping mine grasping them
with the desperate eagerness of despair
JESSIE" he said, at length, breaking
the silence that lay between us two.
am going away tomorrow" 'i"
I felt my heart bound madly, and
then stand still, with underlined terror.
We had been SO happy all that long,
quiet Summer, away from the noise
and din Of the world, shut in by forests,
and green banked lakes, and waving
verdure It had been like beautiful
idyl, and like all such episodes, had to
end sometime. But it was hard les
son that / had learned in the interim.
[ knew that during those few short
weeks / had learned to love John Van
deleur; and I knew, also, by look and
tone, and the caressing manner, which
stood instead of speech, that he loved
me. But [ felt that a shadow stood be-,
tween us-an impenetrable shadow
did not know how impenetrabler until
that night, when, out in the pale-faced'
moonlight, we stood beneath the mag
nolia trees. I saw him gasp for breath.
as his eyes met the look of pain in
mine; gehe trembled = violently, and
dropped my hands with aSpassionate
gesture. -
: "Jessie;S he cried, suddenly, facing
me in desperation, you love me, and
Lob God love you SOL And yet ]
am going to. break your heart. This
to me; a wild, hasheesh dream, in which
such wretches as ought never be per
mitted to indulge, All, we'll, it is over
now! Jessie say that y,u love me-
once-just oncer" as IS ss9t75 Us e a<saf
Hooked into his dark, sad eyes. al" /
do" I answered, firmly Ave- come
what might, that was true, and earnest,
and unalterab1e. He threw both arms
around me, and drawing me closer to
him, pressed one kiss upon my lips. No
one else has ever kissed them, no one
else. ever shall. .rifk .er..-y ii s.srsi ~
Can you bear to hear my story to-
night % he asked, as / ioosened the
clinging arms, and stood before him,
trying hard to calm the wild,, tumultu-
Gus throbbing of my heart. g " Because, 4
he continued, "yeu must know it; and
Ii shall 60 away tomorrow ;7iqe
"Iscan't bear ite'a 81 of sac1suHa 0
NV voice sounded far away, and faint.
He pushed the dark hair from his fore-
head. and turning his face away from
my eyes, leaned against the magnolia
tree. -
give years ago, he began in a cool,
dreary tone, while travelling in Eu-
rope, [ met the woman who has. ruined
my whole life. | cannot tell you how
she entangled me in her meshes, throw
ing the net around me with consum-
mate art and skill; suffice it that she
succeeded in her schemes, and [ was
bound to her, body and soul, i'm aims
of CALLING iron sly on cannot imagine
what my life has been since then, until
few months age, when I received a
letter from a. fmsig ylapds telling me
that she was dead and Il was free. Then
I met you, and our friendship grew and
ripened every. hour, into something that
can never die. To-day, Jessie che
paused and elenched. his handssfercelv
together To-day Z received, alletter
from her-this woman-my wife-do
you understand ?-telhng me that the
report of her death was mistake, and
she is, now on her, way to this 60 untrylto
join me. All, God! you cannot dream
of the agony that has been mine since
then! | am wild with anguish and des-
pair, it seams as if I should 60 mad or
He paused and once turned his eyes
toward me. The moonlight was pallid
on his face, and showed the dreadful
suffering which was his. I did not
speak; / had no words; who could speak
atsuch time? eiiua nEo11esaW - Is.
Jessie" he went on brokenly, "while
she-that woman-7-hves, [ am sfettered
with heavy chains 1cannot appeal to
the law for my freedom, for, vile as she
is, she operates within its pale, and jus.
tice cannot reach her, There is ne hope
Jessie, none. wermust bear our heavy
burden as patiently as possible, remem-
boring that life must eDd sometime"
Then he drew me, to him for a mo
ment, and gazed silently into my eyes.
No word passed his lips; he pressed my
hand conyulsirely ito his heart, and
turning went away through the moon
light. 800 as. - =,
All that night I knelt at my window
with my head upon the sill, in a trance
ot,Woe, and agony. When the morning
came, L arose from my knees, ane
throwing aasefupon the bed, slept from
sheer exhaustion. Il 10 sf asai s8i'
A few weeks later. in company with
my mother lshelwas all | had in the
world,) Istarted for Europe 4 hoped
in other lands. and amid new and chang
ing scenes, to find some surcease tony
sorrow: did notknow. then how hard
it is TO rio one SELF of d haunting grief
for sorrow follows, Ike a gaant spectre
h*tl -, or St1f1S fanH sStafks