Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-12-11
"why, tben," answered Barlow,

riAge certificate and q letter from your
dead husband, which has remained up.
opened for fourteen yesrs--that is ever
sincs Mrs. Grantley disappeared from
Brooklyn shortly after receiving news Of
her husbands death. And now, madam, -
he continued, "if you will simply say to
me that you are Mrs. Grautley l will
deliver this package" drawing . large
envelope from his pocket.
81 am Mr.. Landstreet's daughter
Margaret, and was married to Lieutenant
Harry Grantley, who was killed at
fredericksburg" she replied.
Barlow handed her the package and
holding II unopened she asked, Sand
now, how are they all at homer
"All we'll" he answered, 'and eager
10 see you. And now" he continued, II
will leave you 10 yourself while to read
your letter. Shall l call back In an
hour f''
.Will you agree to say nothing Of this
discovery till after you return 7" she
asked with frightened look.
sob yes,--oertainly," replied Barlow,
putting aside his frat intention to tsls.
graph at once to old Tom, "I have found
her." As he walked toward his brothers.
house he turned over in his mind Mar.
garet's guarded admission that she was
Mr.. LAndstreet's daughter and had mar
ried Lieutenant Grantley while evading
an answer to his query as TO whether or
not she wAs Mrs. Grantlsy. Then her
surprise at learning that old Mr.. Grsntley
had acknowledged her as his sons wife
occurred to him and he exclaimed to him
self sold Mr.. GrAntley was right. Some
thing has happened to make her doubt
the validity Of her marriage, but the
certificate will satisfy her."
Meanwhile Margaret had looked her
self In her bed room to be secure against
even Toms interruption and opened the
package. She fret took the certificate
from the envelope. This satisfied the
others, suppose, she thought, but they
know nothing Of that horrid woman
whose voics heard. 1t ia strange, too,
shs thought that Harry's father never
knew anything of her. Slowly as she
thus sst buried In thought she cut open
the envelope containing Captain Grant
ley's .last letter to her. II was dated
Washington, December -, 1852, and
began with expressions OF endesrment
such as she would have expected but for
the incident at the hotel on the day he
left, but they produced but little effect
after all these years. She slmost won
dered how he dared write to her In that
strain after his perfdy toward her. The
last paragraph Of the portion written a.
Washington read thus:
"And now, my darliug, We are going
to the front. No man can tell what will
happen TO him there, and 30 | want to
say TO you that II the worst should
happen to me you must 20 to my father
In Detroit. Aunt Minnie told him all
about our romantic wedding as she calls
1t, aud Of course wrote him about II. I
bsve letter from him saying that he
wants to make your acquaintance and
promising to accept You as daughter II
anything happens to me. l shall write
him long letter as soon IS this Ia mailed.
Write him yourself and promise to learn
to love him, especially should anything
happen TO me. had not heard from him
before leaving Brooklyn or snould have
told you all this them"
Through all thts ran loyal husbands
thought and care for bis wife and desire
to have her meet his relatives utterly In
o,nsistent with the fact that the writer
had another wife. Margaret was puzzled.
The next sheet was dated, "0n the
March, Camp Nowhere" and read as
follows:
~ was very much provoked to find
that In the hurry OF leaving had carried
of our marriage certificate. I told you to
keep 1t in your own hands but you rould
give 1t to me because you had no pockets,
aud here | fad 1t IN my oveTooat. II
might have bseu lost as | used the coat
for pillo on my way down. promised
you, yOu may Remember, to tell you some
day story that would impress on your
miud the importance OF keeping your
marriage certificate safe, aud as have
some time on my hands daring the
present halt will tell 1t now, for the
affair alluded to led to funny scene
after l bade you gOo1.by. | told you
that l was ones for little while .
country magistrate. One day there came
to me couple to get married whose sp
psarAnoe astonished me. The man did
not look over twenty though he swore he
was over twenty -oue, and the woman
concerning whose age asked no q1es.
tions was clearly upwards Of thirty.fve
knew her as soon rs heard her name
She was widely known as the Widow
Higgins the keeper Of q email tavern
with large stables and much patronizsd
by couniry people gotng to market, 1t
being near enough to Detroit to let them
dtivs In in the morning. The widow but
| q little while before came into Office had
| figured iu au amusing assault and battery
case In which 1t appeared thSt she had
given her hostler, 3 strapping SRefe, q
tremendous thrashing. Yet this strong
armed termsgSnt, shrill voiced and COW
cred with cheap Jewelry, marched up to
my desk bringing with her the shespish
young fellow, who seemed to bu willing
victim. As II ~as not my business TO
| inquire into the wisdom OF the marriage
| performed tho ceremony and the two
went off. The lad was Jimmy Cross the
half simple son OF wsll-to do farmer
who promptly declared that thv woman
should never touch q osn. OF his money.
Youug Cross appeared happy however,
considering himself the landlord Of the
tavern aud imagining that his duties
consisted chiefly in eating and drinking
to exoesJ. Mrs. Cross sOoa got tired Of
this and proceeded to reduce her husband
to such absolute subjeotion that she wa,
able before long TO discharge her ho5tleT
and put young Gross in his place. This
was worse than working on the farm, and
her silly husband ran away, but bsfore
doing 30 he managed TO POSSESS himself
Of her marriage certificate. Mrs. Cross did
not find this out aud sometime afterwards
the office had formerly occupied togs,he,
with its records was burned. Just before
left home old man Cross died without .
will aud Jimmy inherited the farm. Mrs
| lrNa In, has ARu ant kt,ahaRA al
once revived and she claimed him as hei
own. Jimmy, backed by his hired man
pluoked up o0uNage to defy her and
boldly denied the marriage The womar
10 towering rage declared she could
prove It, and he dtfied her to do 20. A
search for the certificate showed her that
1t was gone and she did not even know
the names Of he two office loungers who
acted IS witnesses. She wrote me sbou
all this and got the letter white wai
stationed AT Bsgdad, but never answered
her, as rather pitisd poor Jimmy and
hated to put him back In her clutches.
suppose was wrong. You can imagine
then my surprise when Mrs. Ct0si
marched into the hotel at Brooklyn jus
after bAde you good-by and accused m,
|, Of trying to give her the clip. She de
mapded so ferosly and persistently tina
] should, before leaving, 60 bsfor'
some magistrate and make oath that
! had married her to Jimmy Gross that
went and did It. was afraid you woul'
hear the creature and run out to see VIII
was assaulting your husband, but sup
} pose, my dear, that you were crying 8
} |, despite my sword, should probAbl,
I have been doing at the thought Of partin
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