Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1885-06-06

a yearly letter from Ellice. | gained from
these that things were going along the old
Way, auti thai Iny E'Si,iaugiiIeT had Dcen
placed In BOARDING school preparatory 10
being sent 10 the seminary at Mt HOlyOke,
from which her mother had been 'hnished.'
Upon my return home | called upon the
widow, as In duty bound. Old GTadgrind
was in the parlOr when j called
CHATTING WITH THE WIDOW.
You know Grad, of course. No? Well, l
thought every one in the city knew him. he
is the wealthiest, most blase and thoroughly
unprincipled old libertine in the city. Has
oceans of money IN real estate and one thlng
another. and keeps up amagnlhcent oacheloI
establishment out in west 81. Louis aDout
which some very queer stories are an0at
Fullof truth, some of them, as know per-
sonally. I'm an old bach. of course, and l
am no saint, but Grad is deliberate old
villain in his debaucherieS, and man who
has no standing among decent people, Tor all
his money and old descent My stay was
short and my treatment frozen g0od man
Iiers. | ascertained, however that Ellice
would be at home i'm few days and after a
short stay would leave for Mt. HOlyOke.
"Shortly after as / was seated in my
office one CAV, the door flew open and she
burst in and was in my arms in moment.
How well remember her as she looked that
day, tall, slender lass, Vi lOIlll dS eldCCiui
as willow wand and with
FACE LIKE A PANsY.
She was as glad to see me as her, and we
talked fol an hour like chums, and finally L
mentioned her near departure for Mt. HOl-
yoke Her face fell instantly and she
walked away to the window.
Don't let's talk of that to-day she
"'But surely you don't object to going,
"She turned, and after looking at me
steadily for a moment, burst into MT OF vlO-
lent crying. Now, crying always did knock
me out, and l told her if she would only
stop would never mention Mt. Holyoke
again. She dried her eyes and after awhile
went home apparently as happy as ever.
She was with me good deal after that be-
fore she went away, and of all the unac-
countable pieces of girlhOod | ever met she
was the worst. She would be as merry as a
lark one hour and as despOndent as death
the next. When she left for school she
nearly broke her heart crying. She came
nome at the end of the first year, but the
| second vacation she spent with relatives al
Medford. At the end of the third year she
wrote me she would not come home unit
she graduated, and in one of the
MOST PATHETIC LETTERS
Il ever Ttdu, IIllDlOItu W COIlt anu SCt
her. had some business in Boston and
went | found her at MedfOrd with her re
lations.
"She was at this time nearly seventeen
wears old and had grown into magnificent
woman. A yonng fellow named Atherton,
of New York, had been dancing attendance
to her for six months, and was In Medford
at the time. Ellice, / could see, liked him,
but discouraged his attentions in every way
possible. 1 found. upon inquiry, that he
was of irreprOachable family and character
and possessed of considerable wealth OF
his own. One day came upon Elllce un.
expectedly i'm the drawing room and found
her crying as if her heart would break. ]
besOught her, as l had often done before, tC
ell me her trouble. She, after time, con
ented upon one condition. Bringing out q
Bible she said that if | could conscientious
ly take an oath which she would repeat, snt
would tell nae. was so anxious about hel
that consented. As nearly as L can re
member she said, and repeated with my
hand on the Bible: Il
SWEAR BY MY HONOR,
nv God, the memory of my dead mother
and all that hold dear, that l will take M
action in the matter about to be revealed tC
me, without Ellices consent Then in Z
broken voice, with many sObs and bushes,
she told me the whole sad. disgraceful stor,
that was blighting her life; L can nevel
forget the pathOs of it, but can not repeat
it as she told it. Briefly, her mother haC
never gotten any money from her friends IL
| the East, but had mOrtgaged first her house
then her furniture, and everything else e
Gradgrind. and after no more money cOulo
| be procured from him forged his indOrse
ment to two checks of two thousand dollar:
the checks and told Mrs. tillebridge tha
she could either go to the penitentiary Of
agree that when her daughter was eighteeI
wears old she could travel for two year!
quietly with Grad in Europe, and If he like
| her well enOu h he would marry her. II not
he would send her home. Ellice, who wa.
only fifteen, was told the situation, ant
Through working upon her fears for he
mother. and / know not what other
INFAMOUS CAJoLERY,
was induced to sign her name and swear Z
/ some awful oath to fulfill this agreement
| Think of a young girl with every instinc
/ of refined nature growing to wOmanhOO'
| with a contract of that kind hanging owe
her. And now young Atherton, whom sh'
dearly loved, had asked her to marry him
l very quickly solved the difficulty. L wa
Ellice's legal guardian until she was eigf
teen, as YOU know, and upon great deal o
persuasion, and my solemn promise to sc
that no harm came to her mother, .sh
agreed to marry Harry Atherton that aftel
noon and allow me to come back to 5
Louis and settle. God but didn't want
get back and make that settlement! Cav
away the bride, and they were the best logs
ing couple YOU ever saw, and took the nj
train for st. Louis. had an interview W {
Mrs. Lillebridge, and the least said abot
that the better. / saw Grad at his harel
the next day. He attempted to bluste
when i told him that / knew all the fact
and
KNOCKED HIM
through glass door and came away. SCI
an attorney to tell him that if he did m
call at my office and settle the matter ;
once that would have him arrested tn;
might and i'm the penitentiary within wee
He came, and he was the most abJect wrett
YOU ever saw. He transferred me the mo
cages and forged notes and all due oil
, | he held against Mrs. Lillebridge and | Il
J him off. transferred all those morgag'
I in Mrs. Ellice Atherton's name, and ha'
g the other papers awaiting their return fro
I Europe The horses, and furniture we
e sold, and the house is now closed up. MI
!, Ellice Lillebridge is i'm Medford with h
: relatives, and has been pensioned by n
{ son-in-iaw. She is broken down wOma
e and has, in my estimation, been crazy ev
since Fred's death. =,
ssThere, sir, with the exception OF q
{ names, that story is as true as gospel, and
J, think that there are more things In heav.
and earth than were ever dreamed OF in u
$ philosophy, Horatio.' eh, old boy?'
di GOOD PRECEPTS.