Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-09-25

on MS Huhut uhuRnteIy mourning uNef
her with foods Of tears and sobbing like
child at one moment and denounoing
her with terrible oaths IS orssture of
shame In the next, This he kept up day
aud night till Mrs. Landstreet, alarmed
for his reason, under the advice OF a
physidiau slipped some laudanum into
tho whisky the frantic man was drinking
from time TO time, and thus threw him
into q profound slumbsr. When he
swoks Landstreet deliberately Supplied
himself with drink second time and
when he got about again he was strangely
quiet for few days and then he quietly
said, "Mother, you can do what you
please about this thing, but don't ye,
nor no one else, ever name that girl to
me again. She ain't worth enough to
even justify me In killin' the dog she's
run off with"
The injunction was not strictly kept,
but every mention Of Maggie's name
threw the old man into so insane fury
ending In another deliberate and inten-
tional ft Of drunkenness, thing TO
which he WAS utterly unAocustomed, that
long before the family 10 first introduced
to cur readers all allusions to the missing
girl had been dropped, and except In the
mothers heart which pined for tidings
Of her lost ohild'e tate, there seemed to
be no memory In the house that such a
person as Margaret Lsndstreet ever
existed. ..5lt.gas,s a.
-.sIn the neiehbofhood there was at ons
time story that Margaret had married
her soldier over at Iron City in Squire
Registers office and that old Tom had
ii hax ax.A l. h,1a1 nit n
double.barTeled shot gun, and II was
only put down as another evidence Of the
old mans insane hatred o. his political
opponents. What truth there was In
this story OF marriage no one ever
knew. II WAS not known whether or not
old Tom had even heard Of It, and as
Squire Register had gone south and
entered the Confederate army before Bob
Landstreet got home on furlough and
undertook to make some inquiry, nothing
was known Of the matter by the family,
though they Of oourse avoided contradict
ing the story. They feared however that
1t was net true, for had such been the
case they argued that Margaret would at
least have written one letter TO her
mother, whereas she had utterly dissp-
peared from the moment OF her flight and
no sign Of her continued existence had
ever come back to any one OF them.
We have discovered the missing
woman, bearing part OF her maiden name
with that of her father dropped and her
son also bearing that Of Leland, so II
would appear that the worst fears were
true, and yet, the floating rumor Of her
marriage was not unfounded. On the
evening before the company marched
from Bsgdad, Margaret Lsndetreet had
stolen away from home and driven to
Iron City with Young Grantley where
they had been duly married by 'Equire
Rsgistef, whose sudden flight south when
suspected Of some connection with q
oontraband trade with the rebels carried
| on down the Chesapeake had paved the
way for Squire Vandeyer's appointment
to office. In his eager haste, however,
to destroy all evidence OF his quinine
operations Register had burned the
records OF his office before leaving, and
hence, though his talk before his flight
had set the Tumor OF the marriage atljat,
there was no longer any evidence OF It to
be found. At the time OF the marriage
Margaret had OF course received certifi-
cate and her young husband had warned
her to take good care Of it saying that,
though but twenty five, he had been q
| justice OF the peace himself In the west
and knew the value of such q paper,
adding that he would tell her = story to
illustrate this some day. He alsc
promised his bride that he would get a
furlough while the regiment was coming
together at Wilmington and he begged
hsr to come to him before he marched
south, possibly to death. She promised
without hesitation, and In response to o
letter fled TO Wilmington where her
husband Joined her on ths train taking
her to Brooklyn, there to await the
arrival Of the regiment which had been
ordered to go south by sea. Grsntley
had an aunt staying In Brooklyn, aud
she regarded II as q great achievement
for her nephew TO have Carried off the
cold rebels" daughter and made quite
a pet OF the young wife. The young
couple stayed az the same hotel where
they met this amt, and though Grautley's
turlouph had expired bo was kept in
New York several weeks awaiting trans-
poItsticn for the regiment.
Margaret's heart Of course often
wandered longipgly toward her home
and abe wrote a long letter to her mother
telling all abont her marriage and flight
which she gave to Graptley to mail, but
she was too deeply and constantly
conscious of the short time during which
she wouid have her Young husband with
her TO indulge in regrets for the past.
| finally came the day for parting, orders
to hurry the regiment to the front by
rail havirg arrived. The girl wife olunQ
piteously to her young husband, while
he tried to sOothe her With en0aRrmentf
and promises to soon be back. Suoh
pRrtinRs were too common in those sad
days to merit special description aud
such promises were too often broken by
bloody death to leave them much
power to soothe. AT last they tore them
selves apart, Margaret sinking down Il
the floor beside chair to which SHE
olung ss though 1t had been some liviDG
thing while she buried her face in hel
arms IS sob after sob broke from her
She was startled q minute or 30 later Il
hear her husbands voice raised in angry
alteration to which in was clear that |
woman was the other party. Th'
womaD's voice was harsh and shrill anC
broken by sobs arising from excitemen
rather than grief.
| Il HOh bho olicU ohu Noh
care II the woman In there you call you
wife does hear me. mean to hav
Justice"
: Margaret still half stupefed with grie
heard her husbands voice making som
low reply.
Again shrilly came the woman's voice
,, "WelI, you give me the certificate Of M
marriage, that's all ask Of you,"
Another murmered response from tn
man which was audible to Margaret onl
as he raised his voice In closing to 50
az tell you haven't it."
swell, you won't deny that 20
married me suppose 7" fercely dt
4 mRnded the woman.
!, "No, certainly not," answered th
lieutenant in tones loud enough to resc
Margaret distinctly and almost petrif
her with horror.
"Then l want You to certify to 1t
9 oath before you leave town." eaid th
! woman, sand then I've got no more
ask Of you" "You don't seem inclined
0 do me as great wrong as thought yo
8 meant" she added, as the two moved Q
:, together.
Margaret seemed like one petrifet
Q She could neither move nor speak. Tt
. sentences rang in her ear and feeme
q | .v.ittay In wnrda of fira nn her hear