The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-04-05
POOR LITTLE EMILY,
The History of a Prudent
Marriage.
BIZ MISS nruLooK.
CHAPTER VT

CHAPTER vi
Lady Bowerbank was, as she said, diving:
mat IS, thes seeds of death were frmIy
sown In her constitution, but they were
very slow of developing themselves. Per
saps the exceeding peace in which, ex-
sernaiiy. her daily life was passed partly
oaused TINS; but chiefly it was because, If
she had seen an end to happiness, so she
had to all its bitterest elements, it's tur.
moil, trial, restlessnessness, and pain.
She was not strong enough to suffer, and
now she had ceased to suffer any more.
she even seemed for q while to rally, and
to take an interest in things about her-tbs
tender farewell interest Of one soon de-
ell duties to her husband-at least those
which she was able to perform. But she
mad long sunk into thorough invalid
wife, most kindly watch, 4 and tended
though moro by his orders than by his per'
sonat care, while he went his own ways,
and fell back gradually into much of iis
0id bachelor" life, as it had been spent in
tne long interregnum between his first mar.
Kendall. Pooi ''9
"sir John is quite comfortable; he will
not miss me very much" Mrs. Knowle
ence heard her say, more meditatively than
oomplainingly. But that lady, who had go
Keen sense of wifely duty, even without
love, never took any notice Of the remark.
had learnt all attainable facts about tho
Stenhouses-how that they lived IL" Lon
don On MIR. Stenhouse's not too large sal
ary IN merchants Office, and he was re-
ported to be most kind husband to the
widow, and careful father to the three
fatherless children--after this the prudent
maiden said as little as possible to Lady
n m tla ,lNy- 4
Only once, when, after as long nm in.
teIyai as it was possible for civility TO ad-
asss:i atoms Es had sssssysd S& iSs con:
stis8s "a letter 10 Mrs. Kuowle. contain
ing the brief message his own and his
Wife's compliments. anu tnunAs .o S:sS S:ss JJccEn
and Lady Bowerbank"-Emily's eyes filled
with tears.
"He might have been little kinder
she said. -But he docs not know, and he
cannot forgive. He never will forgive me
Till die"
And meantime tho two, once lovers lived
on, and did their dtsty to the husband and
the wife unto whom Fate had united them.
Whether. bitter thoughts ever came
up and remembered the past, their young,
bright, innocent mutual love, and the
cruelty that snatched it from them and
turned 1t into curse; whether their hearts
ever burned within them against man, or
alas! against Providence, because in this
short, short mortal life they were not made
happy--they whose happiness would have
injured no one, aud who needed nothing
In the world to make them happy except o
little love-these were mysteries which
must remain forever undisclosed.
But month by month there was disclosed
the plain sad fact that Sir John Bower
banks second marriage was not likely to
be Of much longer duration than his first
one, which most people had altogether
forgotten; and much was the sympathy ex-
cited both for him and for tho sweet,
fragile creature who was fading away,
->pepcafplly and contentedly, 1t was evident,
but still 5iiifiis, no one quite knew how or
Why. All the LivefPS +a.octors, and more
than one London physician, were brought
to his wife by Sir John in undemonstrat-
i've but evident anxiety; but they could not
euro her-they could not even find out what
was the matter with her. Hereditary weak
ness, want Of stamina, deficiency of vital
force--they called her disease, or no dis
sase, by oil these fine names; butno human
being guessed the root OF 1t except Mrs.
knowle. 80
She, honest woman, as she sat knitting
beside her "Edward"-who was getting ON
old man now, stout, and little infirm with
rheumatism, and sometimes little cross
ut heart the same hearty, kindly "good-
NAM as eyer-would often say with a
sigh, aAh, poor Emily! if those two bad
only been left to fight the battle out To-
: sether as we did, my dear, how much bot
:. kor It would have been!"
At which Mr.. Knowle, who never senti-
mentalized in his life, just assented.
smiled at his "old woman, and perhaps a
little worry Of the subject, generally, went
10 sleep.
How the Stenhouses struggled on, for II
must have been a struggle at best, with
their small income and the three children
Mrs. Knowle could not easily learn; Johr
Stenhouso seemed determined to drop en-.
Iirely out Of the range of his old Liverpool
friends. To any letters--and Mrs. Knowl,
wrote him several--he always returned
answers, telling her nothing that she wish
'>>-ed to know, md inquiring OF nothing
which, she hardly knew why, she would
have liked him to inquire about
And there Is that poor thing dying, ant
he does not even know it'll" iamented sh
sometimes. To which her husband onl
answered with the common-sense ques
lion:
.And what would be the good Of it If h
Not on her side was Emily aware
Mrs. Knov!e took care to keep it from her
lest IL might disturb her peacefur dying
that his, struggle was the equally har
struggle of living, grinding poverty; del
icate, nervous, broken spirited wife; thre
hungry children to be fed, from dut,
without the natural fatherly love to sweete
II; and above ell, tho daily blank In the Iii
of strong. faithful, single hearted moi
who, having once taken il into his head. {
heart, TO love one woman, never can lear
to uniove her to the end Of his days. Sue
3. rare, and John Stsnhousc happened to
one Of them.
SO be locked bis secret mp In his breas
and, whether or mol his marriage was
happy ono, went on working steadily on
petisptly for his wife and for the childrel