Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-01-20

! eLtereu the qufet SuDurDan church, only O
few strange loiterers were there. We were
dressed in our ordinary costume, and no one
who had met US would have suspected our
When he passed the ring over my finger
| his hand was like ice, so were his lips, that
mony, and saw no joy in the livid face: that
stOne.s
We walked back from the church to my
lodgings, where we were to be domiciled for
| the present. He scarcely spoke the whole
way. He left me at the door, saying that he
was obliged to go somewhere, but that he
| would return in time for dinner, which was
arranged for three o'clock. l'rA
l ran upstairs to my bedroom, my heart
ready to burst with modification, and had a
good cry. My friend did all she could to
console me, and to put cheerful face upon
matters, and after while rallied a little,
and went downstairs and sat down to the
piano and played and sang to pass away the
time. tt3t@ ..
Three o'clock came and passed and still he
did not return. Then his friend, who had
remained with us, said he would 60 in search
of him.
In about half an hour he came back, bring
ing Arnold with with him. He afterward
told me that he had found him playing
| cards, and recklessly treating everybody who
entered the room at a tavern used by the
actors. l always possessed great deal of
self-contrOl, and kept myself quite tran
quill. tJ
1t had been arranged that we should sup
at my friends lodgings, and thther, after
the performance, for we played that night,
we went. There were only four of us-the
four present at the ceremony, Arnold was
dull and sullen, and at times seemed scarcely
conscious Of where he was, for, when adj
dressed, he would start and look vacantly
about him, like one suddenly aroused from
a doZe. . l.i-.a F q
1t was two o'clock in the morning before
we turned our faces homeward. Silently he
pursued his way; and was too proud to
speak: But. oh, the agony. the shame, the
humiliation endured that night! When
we arrived at our lodgings, the fire was out.
1t was a very chilly night, and he com
planned of being cold, and said he should
rekindle it. While he went away seeking
some wood in the kitchen ran upstairs to
my room, and went to bed.
At last my aching, swollen eyes closed,
and I fell asleep.
When awoke, the cold gray dawn Of the
Spring morning was just stealing across the
and sat bolt upright, with sense of ineffa-
BILE horror. Had been dreaming? / could
not remember. Yet there was upon me all
the terror which is left by some CHASTITY
nightmare. q"
1 leaned out of bed, huddled dressing
gown, and with bare feet hurried down the
stairs. 1t was an impulse, nothing more,
for had no thought in what was doing. !
opened the parlOr door and looked in. All
was dark and silent.
"He has gone to sleep upon the sofa,"
was my reflection. My woman's pride
prompted me to return to my chamber, but
some other feeling held me rooted to the
spot. The chinks Of the shutters were PEN
ciled with faint lines of light; crossed the
room, unbarred and threw them open, and
looked up at the sky. The waning moon
was high in the heavens, over which a faint
roseate flush was just stealing, and wild
chorus of birds in the trees close by alone
broke the deep stiffness Of the early morn
ing.
stood gazing upon the picture for some
seconds, mot because / felt its beauty, but be-
cause / dared not turn my head.
When, after a time, 1 summoned up reso-
LUTON to do so, it was slowly, and by de-
grees. First my eyes fell upon the Sofa
that was empty; then they travelled toward
the hearth. The fire had burned into a
great hollow, gray and brown within, black
above. I could see only a portion of the
of it. There was something in the chair,
something lolling sideways; and there was
a coat-sleeve with a hand dangling across
one arm. / could feel my hair bristle anil
my heart stand still as crept up to it, anil
saw huddled heap of clothing, in which
was half buried livid, hair-strewn face.
1t was my husband-dead. a.
NOTE.-This story is not only founded
upon facts, but the events happened al
most exactly as they are related here.-Tem-
pie Bar.