The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-05-25


With some difficulty read as follows:
"My DEAREST PERCY: Your entreaies and
my own heart will not longer allow me TO re-
main silent My beloved, / am so miserable
The o olandestine letters OF yours which
receive az, my only comfort In the wo Id,
feed on them-live on them They are the
only lr ghtness which Eliminates my dark
way. NY life is almost insupportable You
know that do not love NV husband. that
never Lowell him. You, on y, know the VIII ole
a my of circumstances under which mar-
RED him Well. he Is my husband, and try
To be good wife, but this existence Is like
some dreadful nigh mare dream, Percy. It
does not seem as II IL C uld be me who lives
and lraathes and answers TO NV name am
SO desolate and oppre sed-so despairing! l
have the feeling, sometimes, that am un-
de spell, that my fac llties are paraly7ing
and that l shall lose my mind in this dull,
void living Only when your letters come /
am al We. / feel that you love me and live
| and feel, and am exQu.sitely hal Ply and mser-
alb O. DO IN together.
MY husband-as long as ] perform my
| daily dut es he is contente1 He knows moth
ING OF my feelings He cons .ders me ma
] chine for his comfort Sometimes | loathe
lin. Usua ly am Indifferent to him.
But to night it seems almost as If dared
escape to YOU lreedCm IN, love, happiness
may they still be mine? Before long will
grant YOU an in eView / will promise you
| no hing more than that now. Percy, my
| only love, God bless and keep you until we
meet
@One word more Pray be cautious If my
! hu band should discover this correspond
| ence l Cauno5 answer for the consequences.
! Though he has never il.-treated me, know
him TO b. hard man But let me hear
iromyou soon. Yours
The name was illegible, for the sheet
was much discolored and Ilotted by the
rain. But it was Lucie's fine, delicate
ohirography, and / felt as if thunder
| bolt had broken around me.
After moment blank bewilderment
and strange, bewildering pain, put
the sheet in my pocket and quietly con-
| tinued my way. Such q flood OF emo
ton was stirred within that summoned
u superficial calmness from an instinct
of se.f-preservation.
L was conscious of one predominant
| feeling as | went to the city-hatred
| against my wife for her duplicity. L
must have looked wretchedly when i
reached the Office, hut my partner was
too much excited to notice it.
Knowles" he exclaimed, "there was
a terrible fire in Philadelphia last night,
and orr branch house is burned TO the
ground. Here is dispatch from
Weiss. He wants You to come ON i'm
mediately."
In two hours l was on my way to
Philadelphia.
There was much to do to restore our
interests, and lent myself to the work
with all my energies. 1t was the best
thing that could have happened to
me. 1t gave me no time to think of
Lucie
wrote her once, telling her very
briefly that l should not be at home for
month. 1t was six weeks before /
again arrived at Daphne Dell. The
maid was washing the hall.
"How do you do, Dorcas? How is
Mrs. Knowles?'
"Very comfortable. think she is
sleeping now, sir.
Somewhat bewildered by this reply,
| went into the sitting-room. No sign
of Lucie or of her work. l mounted
to the chamber and quietly opened the
door.
The room was darkened. Lucie was
sitting up in the white bed nursing the
infant. Sweetly and calmly she ex-
tended her hand to me. i went to hel-
| put my arms about her l kissed her.
l could not help it, for / felt that the
child upon her bosom was my own.
The nurse came in, took the infant
from her, and babe her lie down to rest.
She was very weak. [ cannot ex-
press my contending feelings as /
watched her fragile face upon the pill
| low.
Slowly she gained strength. 1t was
midsummer before she was about the
house again. The little one had been
prematurely born, but it throve, and
the mothers health was finally restored.
was reioiced at this. / should have
been per iectly happy but for the letter.
The memory of it was like an ugly
devil that Knocked me.
One day as Lucy sat tending her
child in a low chair by the window
laid the sheet before her. / had fixed
my eyes upon her face, and saw a slow
surprise dawn upon it.
"Where did you find this, Will? l
lost it months ago"
Under the orchard wall. What does
it mean, Lucie ?"
"Well," with a slight blush, "you
have found me out It's leaf from
story was writing"
"And Percy ="
"Was the hero. The sheet must have
blown out of the window that rainy
night last spring. You see, dear, /
don't like to tell you, because thought
you wouldn't fancy having a literary
wife, but 1 had been accustomed to
writing stories, sometimes, and when l
knew baby was coming / thought /
would earn the money myself for the
embroidered flannel and cambria
dresses. 1 knew you needed every
cent in your business. L had TO re-
write this letter for my romance" she
continued, land / didn't get it quite the
same" examining the sheet.
| l looked at her sweet face for mo-
ment, and then fell down on my knees
beside her. confessed all. Slow
amazement dawned in her countenance.
At length her soft eyes filled with tears.
She drew my face down to her bosom
where the little baby was slumbering.
Another lover?" she murmured.
"Why, Will, nobody but you ever loved
me in all my lifel"
Then, again, / knew that she was