Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1889-10-25


unusual with people of our class. But
nothing was too good for my darling"
The Corporal broke off suddenly; his
last word, and he waited a moment to
regain his self-control, before he resumed
IN his ordinary tone:
"You must excuse me, sir, for dwell
ing on this part of my story. Try to
keep in mind that those years were the
only happy ones of my life, and you will
appreciate the struggle it is for me to
turn from them to the misery that fol-
| lowed.
1.-The ten years that changed Dorothy
from a pretty tomboy to a beautiful
young woman, were ten years of quiet
happiness and innocent pleasures, and at
| twenty Dorothy was as unconscious of
the nature of my love for her as she had
been at ten, and l, like weak fool,
hesitated to trouble our peaceful life by
declaring it.
Il deserved to lose my prize, and l
had my deserts. We had neighbor. a
Mr.. BreretOn, the owner of large plan
tation, and one of the proudest men |
ever saw. He would have considered it
the widest nonsense if anyone had fore
Swallowed a marriage between his son and
a Holiday. # ne had lived all the misery
| might have been prevented, but he died
two years before his son came of age, and
left him iii sole possession of his estate.
"Paul BreretOn was the handsomest
man I ever saw, after a rollicking, dare
devil fashion. Young as he was, there
were stories about him worthy an older
reprobate, and report said he already
showed signs of following in his fathers
footsteps, and becoming a confirmed
drunkard.
at was to this man that my little
Dorothy gave her heart. How it came
about | don't quite know; a few meet
ings at neighbOrs' houses, an occasional
dance, or boating party, and one morn
ing young Brereton demanded DOrthy's
hand of my father. NV cxpostulations
were utterly in vain, and only served to
estrange Dorothy from me. My father,
immensely 1attered by Brereton's prefer
ence, consented at once and in a month
they were married.
For awhile all went well; Dorothy
was very happy, apparently, and [ was
glad, yes, sir" repeated the Corporal
tiercely, Il was glad"
my heart was broken. but I was
never brute enough to envy her happi-
ness, and when her little son was born
went to see her for the first time since
her marriage. She seemed very glad to
have me come, and after that I went
frequently. Gradually | noticed a
change in her bright face, she grew nerv-
Gus and troubled during her husbands
frequent absences, and seemed almost
afraid of him when he returned. Paul
Brereton had gone back to his old hab-
its, and what with drink and gambling
and worse, he was going to the bad at
hand gallOp.
"He had never liked me very we'll,
which was natural enough when you re-
member how opposed his marriage, but
he never quarreled with me as he did
with some of the others, and from first
to last had some sort of influence with
him.
''For Dorothy's sake, I was patent,
trouble. [ have follomed him about
night after night. Sometimes I could
persuade him to 90 home, but oftener
would be obliged to wait until he was
too drunk to walk, and take him home
with me to let him sleep off his stupor
and make him decent before [ took him
back to Dorothy. But sometimes |
couldn't do even that, and would have
to stand by and see him 90 home in the
violent stage of drunkenness, cursing at
every one who came near him. Those
nights were the worst. [ used to stay
around the house and watch until it was
quiet. for fear he would do his wife some
harm. and more than once he struck her
Think of it, sir, he struck that little
delicate creature [ rushed in once,
got between and knocked him down, but
Dorothy begged me so never to come like
that again, for fear of making a talk
among the servants that I had to bear
it as well as I could after that, only I
made her promise to lock herself in
whenever she heard him come home in
tOXicated.
''Things went on from bad to worse.
Paul used to 90 to Savannah and stay
weeks at a time, gambling. until his
place was mortsaged up to the hilt, and
his slaves were all sold. Dorothy had
scarcely the necessaries of life, and then
her baby died suddenly one afternoon
with some childish disease. [ got there
just before it died, and wanted to 60 for
q doctor, but she just said quietly:
- No, John, it is too late now I
asked his father to go this morning, but
he was in hurry to 90 to Savannah, and