The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-12-07

husband. Had only found II out now wa
deprived of his company Was this the reasol
that | could do nothing but inwardly reproacl
myself for my conduct to him. The longer
Thought, the more convinced | became tha
Maud was right, thSt was jealous, and tina
| was in love, rs she called IT,
This knowledge did not make me happier
for no sooner knew loved HIM than long
ed to tell him so, and make up, as far as
could, for all my former cruelty; for coulc
call nv conduct by no mllder word. | passet
sleeplcss night, and AS | lay awake ! com
posed various letters of confession which
resolved to send the following day; but wher
morning came my pride stepped in, and be
gan to feel it would be impossible to write and
/ settled | must wait till my husband came
home, and then tell him how his absence had
altered me.
got up early and walked out to meet the
pOst-man, so anxious was to get letter from
him; it was the first ever received from him
since our marriage, and no girl was ever SO
anxious for, or so pleased with, her first love
| letter as 1 was over this
| 1t was long letter, full of loving messages
and terms of endearment, all of which cut me
to the heart, for they sounded like SO many re-
proaches; in reality, think there was tone
of gentle reproach throughout the letter. He
gave me an account of his journey and Of his
mothers health, begged me to write to him a
faw lines every day; but he said not word
about returning.
| spent the morning in answering il, much
to Maud's amusement, who, of course, thought
| was pouring out volumes of love and com
plants of my temporary widowhood; after
tearing up dozen sheets of paper, | at last
sent short note, cool and with no allusion to
my misery The more tried, the more i'm
possible | found it to write any expression of
love or penience, though | was hungering to
do so.
For whole week | went on in this way,
suffering more acutely every day, and every
day, and every day receiving long, loving let
tiers from Mr.. Cartwright, and writing short,
cold answers
lost my appetite, | could not sleeps night,
and the torture that | was enduring made me
look so i'll that Maud became frightened, and
declared she would write and summon my
husband home, and tell him | was pining
away for him. ! forbade her doing this so
sternly that she dared not disObcy me, for |
was determined that he should never hear
from any lips but mine that at last his hearts
desire was attained, for loved him.
At last when he had been away ten days
could bear it no longer, for | felt should have
brain fever if | went oD in this way, so deter
mined to go to Melton, where Mrs. Cartwright
liveu, and see my husband | came to this
decision one night, and went into Maud's
room early in the morning to tell her my in
tentiOn. ! expected she would laugh at me,
but think she guessed something was wrong,
for she seemed glad to hear 1t, and helped me
pack few things and set off in time to catch
the morning train.
1t was three hours journey, they seemed
three years to me- for the nearer got to my
husband the more impatient | was to see him.
AT last we got to Melton, largish town. of
course, as | was not expected there, there was
no one to meet me, so | took a fly to Mrs. |
Cartwrlghts house, where | arrived about
three o'clock
learned afterwards that Andrew was with
his mother in the little drawlng-rOom when /
drove up, but, thinking | was only visitor,
he escaped into another room; so found my
mother in-law alone.
BY her side were some of my husbands |
socks which she was darning; socks which |
had handed over to the servants to mend, but
which now longed to snatch away from his
mother His desk stood open, letter to me,
which he was writing lying upon it.
The servant announced me AS Mrs. Andrews,
my voice failing as gave my name, so that
Mrs. Cartwright held up her hands in aston
~
"Mr. dear Nelly! Has anything happened?
How very i'll you look! What is it?" she ex-
claimed.
IL want my husband" | gaspcd, sinking in
to chair, for thought should have fallen.
Without another word Mrs. Cartwright left
the room; felt sure now she guessed all about
it, and can never thank her enough for for
bearing to worry me with questions as to what
| had come for
She came back in few minutes with glass
Of wnc which she made me drink oil, saying
she would send him to me ut once If took it,
complied, and she went to fetch him; in an
other minute | heard his step outside the
door, and then he came in.
Nelly, my love-my darling what is it,"
he cried, as | rushed into his outstrcched
arms, and hid my face on his breast, sobbing
bitterly. For some moments | could not
speak; at last | recovered myself enough to
sob out:
80, Andrew, my love! my dear love! can
you ever forgive me? ! came to ask you, and
to tell you | can't live without you" | would
have said more, but his kisses stopped my
mouth; and when at length he let me go, there
were other tears upon my cheeks besides my
own
That was the happiest hour Of my life, in
spite of my tears; and before my mother-in-
law Joined us, which she discrcctly avoided
dong TIL dinncr-time, had poured out all |
had to tell in my husbands ears; and had
learnt from him that he had left me To try what
effect his absence would have on me; for he
had felt for some time that my pride was the
great barrier he had to overcome to van my
love
He had Judged right. lie was too generous
to tell me how much he had suffered from my |
but know it must have grieved
him terribly He is different man now, ne
looks so happy, and ! know he would not
change places with any one on earth. We
went back to the rectory the next day, but we
could not persuade Mrs. Cartwright to come
with us: she said we were best alone, and |
think she was right.
The Western Clin-Dwellcrs.
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