The Butler weekly times., 1888-02-29

you IL lie coaso. ne mas ,usa so.a nrn
that there is no hope for him"
None whatever" answered. brief
ly.
He says that he will never cease -
love you; that he viii never lose sight
of you. and. if you should change your
mind
Il shall never change my mind"
He kept his worl. and left the nexs
morning before came down TO break
fast.
My father and returned TO New
York the following week. During the
winter met Lieutenant Storey. who
had graduated from West Point two
years before, aud had just returned
from tho frontier on leave of absenea
This was the winter of 1s60-6l. and tho
country was Wild with excitement over
| the impending trouble between tho
North and South which was then as
suming decisive character. Lieuten-
ant Storey's family were Southern
people. Their home WAS in CharisD-
ton, and their sympathies, as . mat
ter Of course were with the seeding
States. My father. on the contrary
was uncompromi.ing in his devotion
to the interests OF the North. In the
face OF such conflicting opinions II
was preordained that We should be-
como infatuated with each other after
a brief acquaintance. Robert Storey
! was an ideal lover. tall. dark. with
| -, &c, nO,x1A have
sisted. and my father learned. aftcr
careful inquiry. that his character. N
an officer and gentleman. was uniDs-
peachable. Father had prophetic
intuition of the breach which was To
be widened between the two sections
by the coming conflict, which others
thought would be brief and unimpor-
tant. He naturally opposed my mar
riage with aman whose services would
be enlisted in the Southern cause.
which would necessitate my removal
to Charleston, and eventually bring
about my entire separation from him.
I did not take this view of the situa-
tion, but argued that my husband
could resign. and. in any event. wc
could all three live quietly together in
New Z ork- This was finally agreed
upon, when. in the midst of the we'd
ding preparations father was sei1ed
with pneumonia, and died after few
hours illness. Aunt Priscilla
was in Europe, and l was
entirely alone except for tho
few friends upon whom l had NO
claim whatever. There was no reason
for delay. so I was quietly married i'm
medi ately after the funeral, the SD
dest of weddings. and went Sonih
with my husband, after all.
The war came and he was killed at
Shiloh. His family shared the poverty
and suffering that overwhelmed ths
South. My fathers affairs were hope
lessly complicated by the war, and
many of his investments proved value
less, SO that was without means to
come to their relief beyond serving
them and sympathizing with them n
: 1 was able. OF the grief and privation
we endured l will not write. Il il
7 enough to say that all my earthly
hope and happiness were buried for
ever in my husbands grave.
On Tuesday afternoon, in 1868
| March 2Sth. sat alone in the parloI
) sewing on some coarse cloth Ths
clock ticking monatonously ON thu
mantle. echoed through the empty
rooms The early Southern spring
was in the fullness of its beauty. Tha
J day had been oppre ssively sultry bui
J the wind had changed to the east and
the sky was suddenly overcast
looked up. and there. upon ths
threshold, regarding me with the old
n look l remembered so well, stood
. Reginald Brand. whom I had no'
heard OF, much less seen, for morl
than four years He wore the uniform
Of Union officer. He was slightly
pale, but otherwise appeared precise
ly as he looked when had last seq
- him.
y Ihad as TRANCE. indescribable feeling
is m ore horror than alarm, threw doyi
l. my sewing and rose to 60 toward him
d As did so he smiled family, and saii
II distinctly. pausing slightly betweaI
j. each word:
t. ..Free-at-last."
r Some mysterious impulse promptet
II me to look at the clock. It wa
le Just exactly a quarter to i've
4. When I turned my head agail
= appeared to be the victim
] of some horrible optical Illusion In
1t man melted away before my sight
form and outline vanishing into th
l. atmosphere like a dissoiving cloud.
knew, then, what had happened
+ but to convince myself that it was NO
reality, at least, what is called reality
I went out Of tho house and searches
everywhere, but the family were avs!
from home, and there was no othe
Is living presence about the premises bu