The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1879-04-17

at tne way sne naQ Doen outraged, was
to lessen her dignity as woman The
two sailed from Havre for New York
on the 14th of August, 1856. On the
seventh day out, when they were half
way across the ocean, Hugh Glenden-
ming was suddenly missed. There was
no trace of him on board the steamer,
and it was readily concluded that the
rash and unhappy young man had
thrown himself overheard.
1t was naturally the cruelest possible
trial for Agnes when she was forced to
believe that her husband had committed
suicide. j, She knew, too, that he had
been disheartened by her coldness;
again and again she had repulsed him
when he had tried to have an explana-
tion with.her. Naturally, now that he
was gone, all the generosity of her first
love returned; she forgot his faults, and
remembered only her own; she accused
herself of cruelty and heartlessness, and
.sorrowed like, the most despairing of
1t seemed natural, under the circum-
stances, that Agnes should not only
mourn, but mourn with peculiar hope
lessness, for her young husband, who
had been taken from her only few
months after their wedding-day. She
sorrowed year, two years, three years;
but by that time her family all began
to make an effort to persuade her that
it was wrong thus to continue oppress-
ing not only herself but them with this
long-past aff1iction. She WAS faithful
and tenacious of impressions, but at the
end of. four years she had resumed her
ordinary dress and begun once more to
mingle freely in the society of her
mothers house. She was more attract
i've than in her girlhood, and her story,
too, was well known, and created
touching interest in her youth and
beauty. She had several admirers, but
not until George Dana returned did she
allow any one to come near Ter as a
lover. George had, perhaps, always
been fond of her; he was, at any rate,
now ardently in love with her. Re-
membering, as Agnes did, poor Glen
denning's jealousy of the young man in
London, it was with some mental dis
quietude and outward struggle that she
allowed herself to yield to the feeling
that she could love again, and love her
Cousin George. However, his court
ship was 60 far successful that she had
promised to marry him when she had
passed the fifth anniversary of her hus-
bands death. This date, which was to
divide her old allegiance from her new,
was the goth of August, 1856. The day
passed quietly in the pleasant country
house. George Dana was to come in
the evening, and Agnes rose when she
heard the train whistling at the bend,
and said she would walk across the
fields to meet her lover. Every one
smiled, and no one offered to accompany
her. The family, consisting of the
father and mother of Agnes, her three
sisters and four of her married sisters
children, all sat on the piazza waiting
for Agnes and George to return to tea.
Suddenly, Mary Holt exclaimed: !" If
Hugh Glendenning were alive, should
say that was he;' and she pointed to a
man who passed the house at distance
of some rods, and who now at her ex-
clamation lifted his hat and bowed.
| The sight of this man created the
most powerful sensation in the group,
and Mr.. Holt sprang to his feet and
went down to the gate; but he had van
ished. The likeness to Hugh Glenden-
ming had been startling, not only his
| face, but his attitude and gesture and
his gait, seemed to have declared that it
was Hugh Giendenning himself. In
another moment George Dana came
running up, calling for help. He had,
he said, while crossing the fields to meet
Agnes, seen Eer in conversation with a
man who looked like Hugh Glenden.
ming, and who strobe away on his sp.
proach, and when he himself reached
her she had swooned away and was
lying on the ground.
The trouble which now overwhelmed
Agnes and her family was one of those
cruel enigmatical troubles which take
PAIL freshness out of life. Agnes, when
restored to consciousness, declared that
while she was crossing the fields hel
husband had suddenly started out from
behind tree, caught her arm, held hel
tightly clutched, and said to her in 6
horrible tone, {" Do not dare to marry
that mani" and that she remembered
no more until she opened her eyes ant
saw her mother bending over her A
| frightful bruise on the tender flesh o.
her arm corroborated her story. The
family, too, had all seen man who, i
not Hugh Glendenning, was his abso
1 fute likeness. George Dana was tn,
only one who combated the truth O
n these ideas. He declared it to be wholly
impossible that Glendenning should b,
alive; he himself had questioned tn,
captain and officers on board the steame
after the suicide five years before
Everything pointed conclusively to tn,
J belief that the unhappy man had beel
drowned. The steamer had beel
searched over and over; on the fata
day of the disappearance they had no
even sighted vessel or a boat; thu
there could have been no rescue iron
, the sea. He was dead, George declared
with irresistible decision. When con
fronted with the fact that they had al
seen Hugh or his ghost, he declared i
to be chance resemblance-that Agne
was dispirited and nervous, and whes
, the man touched her her disordered i'm
: agina1ion supplied the words she be
lieved him to have spoken.
, George, however, being broken
hearted at the failure of his engage
: ment, was not to be trusted as ceun
| selor in such crisis. The marriag
: was given up. Advertisements wer
! put in the principal papers for a year
: imploring Hugh Glendenning, if alive
: to communicate with his wife. an,
family; but not word was heard from
him. Agnes naturally suffered tn
! cruelest form of snfering-suspens
and dread, and helpless and hopeles
misery. Her past was embittered