Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1879-10-01
WOODSTOCK, vT., WEDNESDAY, OCT, l. 1870,

In my halr, ! held his boy till my
arms ached, and tried TO magnetlEe
him with my touch but might al
we'll have been 80 much empty air !
for him, there was but one woman IN
the world,
ut IL not safe occupation Tor q
young girl 10 try such an experiment
l had not been IN the house two
months before loved him with all
my heart, aud he scarcely knew mo
by sight, He had habit Of reading
aloud to his wife tor an hour or two
every day, aud ono book, In which
they were much interested, was James
Greenwoods Seven Curses OF Lon
don, Mrs, Deane pretended great
sympathy with the poor wrctches that
1t described, and talked very lovingly
OF the fallen ones Of her own sex 4; OF
course, Mr. Deane loved her for II
more than ever, II that were possible.
"They gave II up, however, after
reading a few chapters, because she
said in her mawksh way that II was
too painful to be true. hope she has
L
found out by this time that because
things arc painful they are all tho
moro likely to be true. | got the
book out Of the library again as soon
as they returned it, and finished it my.
self, Ifyou have read il (and ifyou
have not, recommend IL to you, and
all other starched,up women, who
have seen nothing but the whi,ed side
of this sepulchre OF n world)-1 say, II
you have read it, you cannot fail to
remember a certain chapter which,
after describing many forms Of villainy
in tho way Of anonymous letters, goes
on TO detail II very ingenious method
Of getting money out OF widows and
orphans, called the 'dead-lurk.'
cater man dies somebody writes
a very familiar letter purporting to
come from his mistress, or an accom-
plice in some piece Of wickedness,
asking for money according to promise
as if they had not heard Of his death.
The odds are that the poor woman,
hoping to preserve her husbands name
from the stain and disgrace Of an in
yestigation. will send the money.
Women are so credulous that they
will believe one story as soon as an
other. l admire the talent and acute
ness of such a trick it is to me the
cream of the book, and do not think
it too painful to be true.
"About a month atterward Mrs.
Deane happered to hear me use vul-
gar word before her little boy, who
repeated it at once. it was slip OF
the tongue not worth noticing; but
she could not make fuss enough about
it, and sent me away directly. She
was too self.righteous TO give me any
recommendation to her friends, and /
had to go into strange place with
very little money and no certificate Of
character. But never mind that now
she has had her reward
IL soon found people enough to
look at my black eyes and the flowers
in my hair, and l came to grief Of
course. You have been looking all
along as if you expected it. 1 came
to grief without delay, as said, but |
got some pleasure on the way, perhaps
as much as my betters in the long run.
I got along we'll enough till a slight
cold turned into a cough, and l began
to grow sick and poor equally fast.
l had one child to support, he was
then about FIVE years old the only
creature that ever loved me. But |
see you are not interested IN him ;
nobody was ever interested in him ex-
cept his mother.
81 had no prospect before me but a
lingering death in the poor house,
while my lovely blue.eyed boy would
be cuffed about in some orphan asylum
until he was old epough to work. In
this evil case, when was in the sor-
est extremity, saw the death of John
Deane in newspaper, and all my old
wrongs at his wlfes hands rushed over
me like food at the same moment
1 remembered the Seven Curses OF
London, and the trick that bad ad-
mired 80 much. don't pretend TO
make any defence, you are too hard
hearted to admit it if did), but I was
desperate, and could not see my boy
starve. ....
"With the utmost care aud deliber.
alton put together letter addressed
to Mr.. Deane, which would have car
ed conviction, ev en- to your mind, that
l had been near and dear to him. 1t
was long and afectiouate, and sighed