The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1883-06-20


divorce. This so put nae to shame that
I Iabandoned my plans, and in rage and
disappointment formed Q cellusien with
herslawyer to give her "a spretense Of
that which she professed to desire. Yet
I knew quite well that this was only 9
romantic and foolish freak that mean:
nothing. How often she has written
me that she did this enly in order to
get mets come to her; and that she did
not dream heIconld be divorced unless
/ came . to her when the action was
brought. Nor could she in fact. Buta
court was in session. and her lawyeE
who locked to me only fors his fee, en-
tered. the ease and in about the time it
takes TO write it the sham decree, was
announced to the world ), while i was
sailing away for ether lands.le ri Fs
Of course the, whole pitiful preceed-
ing5was nothing, but her lawyer, new
dead, got his fee from nae and never
betrayed the treAehery TO her5a And it
was PeEhapslquite ten years before she
by chance met some one who told her
the Il truth. She had married, but, at
once! left all and came TO me here. tfs.I
/ had been greatly fortunate. at best.
A few thousand dollars / had thrown up
as a wall between myself and work, but
| had grown So impatient of this moder-
ate position in life, and so wanted to
1af a rraaf forfupa ood raEurn e. tbo
West, that I deliberately stakedl all in
Wall street, and of course lost all. 1,
beaten and discouraged and broken in
health, had retreated to garret, and
was then again preparing to use my pen,
when one stormy night strange wo.
man crept up my stairs and told me in
wild whisper that my. wife, minnie
Myrtle y was in the city and must see
me- And how helpless / was TO help
her or any one now. I had seen her
form but once for nearly o; dozen years.
And such years. Let me not recite any
of the horrors they hold in this connec-
ton; and yet 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 new
er to return. My publishers, Roberts
Bros, of Boston, had sent her $50 a
month as regularly as the months came
all time. She was receiving that sum
and perhaps as much more directly from
myself, ,asI could spare it, all the time
was in Europe, and she received these
sums for years after her marriage. But
the posr, 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 plnched
and in debt. ...--- f....-.... -set
And now having hastily passed over
ali 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 to a little back room in
the top of a house, with bed in the
centre and doubtful 1re struggling in
the CRATE. The good, woman turned
away and left 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 on the bed
post, a long time silent. -..ys4 -alff
II have. come. to you as last" she
said, after awhile. egs bs..,4E
+. "You have come to drive me from
the country again. aU .sozfa1
81 have come to you to dielm she
said. And as, she turned SO that the
light was on her face saw that it was
so. And then we sat down and had 8
j long talk 1t was our last talk. was
not very kind. God knows / am sorry
nov. She wanted most of all to see
her little girl, whom I had taken from
hertand placed in the convent school ir
Canada three years before, and it,seem
ed to break her heart when 1 refused tC
u send for her to come. BY and by, hew
4 ever, when i promised her that sh'
should surely see her before she died
she became reconciled. She talked with
calm unconcern about her coming
4 death, reminded me of my promise and
j told me she had brought all her papers
some that we had written together be
d fore / had learned to spell. There wa
a valor, sweetness, too. and q dignity
large charity in all che saic and did
now in the twilight of life that won al
hearts to her entirely. My secrets
she kept till the grave closed over her
and she never complained of anythins
or of any one, but was patient, resigned
I and perfectly fearless and tranquil t.
8 the end. But the end was not so nea
after all When went back to see he
one day she had gene and left no wore
where she could be found. Thea be
gan to fear and doubt her promise; tn
i winter wore away and April came
Then they came to tell me, froa her
! that she was dying and must keep m,
promise. And 30 I arranged for he
child to come and went every day t
, assure her that che was coming and t
| take her some flowers aud whatever kin
messages and encouragement could
f. Wearily the days went by till ava
j up in May, the month in which she wa
| born. Then the child came and th
| good people, the gestle, isvfng peop1
) who kept with her and cared for hs
! and loved and pitfed her in these la
/ days, said !" was like religion to Sc
I them together and that the dying W,
I man in her iAAt days was very. ver
!. happy. And 50 Minnie Myrtle iie
i last May here in New York. When
: went up to look en- her dead face
I E 1. =