The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-05-20

whole record Of life, 30 far o. tru.h a.~
purity 90. But she was not happy ne'e'
impatient OF the dull monotony oil .hc "a
hausted mining camp, and longing ior 'no
sea and the old home that almost o,ei-
hung the sounding waters, she LOOK no'
two children and returned to her mo.pt,.
while 1 sold the little home we bad pu,'
and kept together, the new orchard anu .nS
lanes OF roses We had planted togetnei, anu
remained there in the camp, promising W
follow her, yet full OF ambition now 10 pe
elected to place on the supreme benI" y,
the State, and remained and worker Oh
10 that end ceaselessly. Ia.
She had been absent from me qui'e
year when the convention was ca'ieu anu
went to Portland seeking the non'lna.ion
for the place I desired. But the poo', III
patient lady, lmpulsiye always ana ansI3
that should have kept so long away, nso
forwarded papers from her none, nun
dreds Of miles remote, 10 lawyer uei.,
praying for divorce. 1nIs 30 pun ne "
shame that abandoned my plans, anu, ~
rage and disappointment, formed co'ius s,'",
with her lawyerto give her O pretsncco, sn"
which she protested to desire. lev nns%
quite well that this was oniy a rop'a ,,",,
and foolish freak that meant nothlng: LOW
only In order 10 Get me TO come to her, ana
thai She did not dream she could be Ill
vorced unless I came TO her when inc nc
ton was brought. Nor could she IN iact'
Rut court was in session, and her, lawyer,
who looked to me only for bis fee, entered
the case. and In about the time IL takes
IN write il the sham decree was announced
70 the world, while j was sailing away LOT
other lands.
OF course. the whole pitiful proceeding
was rs nothing, but her lawyer, now dead,
oot his fee from me and never betrayed the
trcachery 70 her. And it was perhaps
mite fen wears before she by chance met
some one who told her the truth. She had
married, but at once LETT all and came TO me
here.
had not been greatly fortunate at best.
A few thousand dollars ! had thrown up rs
wall between myself and work. but l had
crown so impatient Of this moderate posi-
ton in life and | so wanted to get great
fortune and return 10 the West that l de
liberately staked all in Wall street and OF
course lost all i, beaten and discouraged
and broken in health, had retreated TO
garrett and was then again prepar-
ing TO use my pen, when one stormy
night a strange woman crept up my stairs
and told me in n wild whisper that my
wife, minnie Myrtle" was in the city
and must see Inc. And how helpless /
was TO help her or any one now. | bad
seen her form but once for nearly dozen
years. And such years Let ne not re-
cite any OF the horrors they hold in this
connection. and yet | heard from her all
| he time, and while she wrote against me
aud lecturod about me, and did all that
made my life 30 miserable, she did not
really mean my ruin; but, thinking me
strong and prosperous and happy, she eX-
hausted her wit and sarcasm on me and
| laughed that she might not weep. But In
time she drove me nearly mad, and ! left
the country. and proposed never to return.
Nv publishers, Roberts Brothers, OF Bos-
ton, had sent her so month as regularly
as the months came all the time. She was
receiving that sum, and perhaps as much
more directly from myself, rs ] could spare
| il. all the time | was in Europe, and she
received these suns for years after her mar
riage. But the poor. spoiled child OF Port
Oxford never quite got over her childish
| love for wasteiul follles and dress and show
and travel, and 20 was forever pinched and
| in debt.
Aid now. having hastily passed over all
| those terrible years, we come TO the closing
chapter OF this singular life. | followed
the good woman who came to me that
stormy night in silence till we came at last
70 little back room IN the top Of n house,
with bed in the centre and doubtful
fire struggling in the CRATE. The good
woman turned away and LETT us in the room
together. The place was almost dark. She
did not give me her hand, but stood before
me with one hand holding TO the bedpost,
long time silent.
81 have come to you at last" she said,
after awhile.
"You have come to drive me from the
country again."
81 have come to you 10 die !" she said.
| And as she turned 20 that the light was on
her face | saw that it was so. And then
we sat down and had a long talk. Ii was
our. last talk. was not very kind.
God knows l am sorry now. She
wanted most OF all to see her little
girl, whom j had taken from her and
placed in the convent school in Cana
da three years before, and ii seemed
to break her heart when | refused 10 send
for her to come. BY and by, however,
when promised her that she should surely
see her before she died, she became recon-
ciled. She talked with cain unconcen
about her coming death, reminded me OF
my promise, and told me she had brought
me all her papers-some that we had writ
ten together before | had learned to spell.
There was valor, sweetness, too, and
a dignity, a large charity, i'm all she said
and did, now in the twilight OF life. that
won all hearts TO her entirely. Ny secrets
Ii. I..,,,t ftlI ta olncn1 10.
she never complained OF anything OF OF
any one, but was petient, resigned, and
perfectly fearless and tranquil to the end.
But the end was not so near, after alt.
When / went back TO see her one day she
had gone, and lelt no word where she
could be found. Then began to fear and
doubt her promise. The winter wore away
and April came. Then they came TO tell
me, from her, that she was dying, and
must keep my promise. And so arranged
for her child TO come, and went every day
to assure her that she was coming and TO
take her some flowers and whatever kind
messages and encouragement could.
| YEARLY the DAYS went by TIL away up in
May, the month in which she was born.
Then the child came, and the good people,
the gentle, loving people, who kept with
her and cared for and loved and pitied her
in these last days, said it was like religion
10 see them together, and that the dying
woman in her last DAYS was very, very
happy. And so Minnie Myrtle died last
Nav here in New York. When
went up to look on her dead face
Ia strange fancy Of hers-she had
had set all about the foot OF the bed,
where she could see them. all the flowers |
had sent her, the withered ones and all.
There was quite half trunk full Of papers
which she had brought and intrusted to
things. great Thoughts and good and new