Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-11-29

1 P'~Nss '"Htpoy to beautiful
young woman, wcro ten years of quiet
happiness and innocent pleasures, and Mt
I twenty Dorothy was as unconscious Of
\ the nature Of my love for her ms she had
been ut ten, and I, like weak fool,
| hcsltatcd to trouble orr peaceful life by
\ declaring it.
] VI deserved to lose my prize, and l
1 i'ad my deserts. we had ncighbor. n
! Nr. Brercton, the owner OF large plan
'alion, AMI ono of the proulcst men |
over saw. He would have considered it
the widest nonsense if anyone had fore
| shadowcd marriage between his son and
Holiday. IL he had lived all the misery
! might have been prevented, but he died
Two years before his son came of age, and
tell nm III sole possession of his estate.
Paul Brcrcton was tho ham,isomcst
! man | ever saw, after rollicking, dare
devil fashion. Young as he wns, there
were stories about him worthy an Older
| rcprobatc, and report said he already
showed signs nj following in his fathers
footsteps, and becoming a confirmed
drunkard.
"lt was to this man that my little
Dorothy gave her heart. How il came
about don't quite know; few meet
'ngs ut ncighbors' houses, an occasional
dance, or boating party, and one morn
Ing yonng Brcrcton demanded Dorthy's
imnd oi my father. My cNposlulations
were utterly i'll vain, and only served to
cs'ransc Dorothy from me. My father,
immensely ilattercd by l5rrc,on's prefer
encc, consented nj once, and in month
they were married.
"For awhile nll went we'll; Dorothy
was very happy, apparently, and was
glad, yes, sir" repeated The CORPORAL
iorccly, 81 was glad"
"My heart was broken, but was
never brute enough to envy her happi-
ness, and when her little son was horn
| went to SEQ her for the first time since
her marriage. She seemed very glad 10
have me come, and after that | went
frequently. Gradually noticed n
change i'll her bright face, she grew nerv
ous and troubled during her husbands
frequent absences, and seemed almost
afraid Of him when he returned. Paul
l'rcrcton had gone bncl, TO his old hnb-
its, and what with drink and gambling
and worse, he was going to the bad al a
hand gallop.
"lle had never liked me very well.
winch was natural enough when you re-
member how opposed his marriage hut
ho never quarrclcd with me MS 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,
and did my best To keep him out Of
trouble. | have follomcd him about
night after night. Sometimes I could
persuade him [" go home, but oftcncr |
would be obliged TO wait until he was
loo drunk to walk, and tnkc him home
with me TO let him sleep Off his siupor
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 go home in the
violent stage Of drunkenness, cursinp at
| every one who came near him. Those
nights werc The worst. used TO STAY
around the house and watch until it was
quiet, Tor 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 I rushed in once,
got between and knocked him down, but
Dorothy begged me so never TO come like
that again, for fear of making n talk
among the servants, that had 10 bear
1t as well as | could after that, only
made her promise to lock herself in
whenever she heard him come home in
lOxicatcd.
"Things went on from bad 10 worse.
Paul used TO go to Savannah and stay
weeks at time, gambling, until his
place wns mortgagcd mp to the hilt, and
his slaves were all sold Dorothy had
scarcely the ncccssarics Of lille, and then
her baby died suddenly one afternoon
with some childish disease. got there
JUST before it died, and wanted TO go for
doctor, but she just said, quietly:
No, John, it is too late now. 7
asked his father TO go this morning, but
he was in hurry to go to Savannah, and
told me it was all nonsense; that the boy
was well enough
''rhc child died few minutes after
saw it first, and all could do was TO
send Dorothy's 'mammy,' whom l had
bought when Paul sold her, to her young
mistress, and then put my fastest horse
into light wagon and drove as quickly
as possible to the station. I was de-
tcrmincd that Paul should not annoy his
wife that night at least.
''I arrived as The train pulled into the
station, and giving my rci1s TO lad to
hold, jumped out and went to look for
'rercton. lie was not in any of the
passenger cars, and was.iust making up
Il L.. 49,
him, when saw two of The brakcmen
carrying Il man out Of the freight car
Gone glance showed me Paul Brcrc-
ton. He was talking, raying and swear
Ing Mt one moments The next Whispering
TO himself and staring about with fright
ened eyes, his hands moving necessarily
the while. did moi need doctor to
tell what was the matter with him, and
my heart sank when I thought OF Do
r0thy watching by her dead boy
"Thc men handed Paul over 10 me as
matter of course; people had come to