Milford chronicle., 1883-05-18

OF course, the whole pitiful proceed
ing was as nothing, but her lawyer, now
dead, got his fee from me and neyer be.
trayed the treachery to her And it was
perhaps quite ten years before she by
chance met some one who told her the
truth. She had married, but at once
left all and came to me.
had not been greatly fortunate at
best. A few Thousand dollars I had
thrown up as a wall between myself and
work, but had grown so impatient of
this moderate position in life and I so
wanted to get great fortune and return
to the West that deliberately staked all
in Wall street and of course lost all. I,
beaten and discouraged and broken in
health, had retreated to a garret and
was then again preparing to use my pen,
when one stormy night strange woman
crept up my stairs and told me in wild
whisper that my wife, "Minnie Myrtle, 3"
was in the city and must see me. And
how helpless l was to help her or any
one now. had seen her form but once
for nearly a dozen years. And such
years! Let me not recite any of the hor-
rors they hold in this connection; and
yet l heard from her all the time, and
while she wrote against me and lectured
about me and did all that made my life
so miserable, she did not really mean
my ruin; but thinking me strong and
prosperous and happy she exhausted
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.
Ny publishers, Roberts Bros, of Bos-
ton, had sent her $50 a month as reg1-
larry as the months came all the time.
She was receiving that sum and perhaps
rs much more directly from myself, as
could spare it, all the time I was in
Europe, and she received these sums for |
years after her marriage. But the poor,
spoiled child of Port Oxford never quite
got over her childish love for wasteful
follies and dress and show and travel, and
so was forever pinched and in debt.
And now having hastily passed over
all ose terrible years, we come to the
closing chapter of this singular life. I
followed that good woman who came to
me that stormy night in silence till we
came Mt last to a little back room in the
top of house, with bed in the centre
md a doubtful fire struggling in the
CRATE The good woman turned away :
md left US in the room together. The
)lace was almost dark She did not
yive me her hand, but stood before me
With one hand holding on the bed-post,
long time silent.
81 have come to you at last, she
aid, after awhile.
"You have come to drive me from the
ountry again. \
81 have come to you to die!" she said. v
md as she turned so that the light was D
II her face I saw it was so. And then Il
re sat down aud had long talk. 1t was "
III last talk. was not very kind. God t
nows I am sorry now. She wanted p
lost of all to see her little girl, whom I p
nd taken from her and placed in the g
1nvent school at Canada three years Il
efore, and it seemed to break her heart I
hen refused to send for her to come.
" and by, however, when I promised
er that she should surely see her before o.
ne died, she became reconciled. She b
liked with calm unconcern about er al
1ming death, reminded me Of my prom 10
e and told me she had brought me all cl
ar papers; some that we had written IL
,gether before I had learned to spell, g
here was a valor, sweetness, too, and m
dignity, a large charity in all she said W
ID did now in the twilight Of life that ca
on all hearts to her entirely. Ny Sc
cts she kept till the grave closed over HI
er, and she never complained of any
ling or any one, but was patient, re- m
gned and perfectly fearless and tran
Ill to the end But the end was not so
ear after all. When I went back to m
e her one day she had gone and left no SO
ord where she could be found. Then nc
began to fear and doubt her promise;
e winter wore away and April came.
len they came to tell me, from her,
at she was dying and must keep my IN
omise. And so I arranged for her ha
lid to come and 1 went every day to Oh
sure her that she was coming and to al
ze her some flowers and whatever 'h
nd messages and encouragement
uld.
YEARLY the days went by till away up ma
May, the month in which she was we
IN. Then the child came and the r
cd people, the gentle, loving people as
10 kept with her and cared for her in Oh
ese last days, said it was like religion m
see them together, and that the dying
man in her last days was very, very Tn
ppy. And so Minnie Myrtle died last
Nv here in New York. When / went An
to look on her dead face-a strange
ICY Of hers-she had had set all about
: foot OF the bed, where she could
them, all the flowers I had sent her, wr
withered ones and ALL There was moi
ite half trunk full of papers which VIII
j had brought and intrusted to me. wo
ne of them suggesting wonderful hin
ngs, great thoughts and good and new; hir
much that she wrote-and maybe sto
S is not just praise-was better than ba'
= writing of mine. I bought little die