Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1891-11-25

After this startling revelation. he

rushed from the house like one beside
himself, and came back to me no more
Till long years after-years of utter
loneliness and sorrow, in which l had
| worn the somber weeds of widowhOod
and mourned him as one that was dead
A few weeks later the store, the mer-
chandise, and the two-stOry front in
which lived, with its costly furniture
the horses and carriages, and personal
effects generally, were sold under the
sherlH's hammer 10 appease the credit
| or5, and 1 retired in grief and humility
TO the little cottage where you now see
me, attended by single servant-of-all
work; and here [ have since resided for
| period Of over thirty years. And in
this place, to which am so fondly
| attached by long associations, L have
passed tie darkest as well as the bright
| est and most peaceful hours of my ex-
istence.
six months after the mysterious dis
appearance Of Albert, Dick Dalton paid
me a visit Of coincidence and placed in
my hands letter purporting to have
come from the American Consul at
Havre, Sitting that Albert Hall, an
American seaman, had been murdered
ISOLATION, offered his own hand In mar
riage.
81 spurned him with contempt. !
could not bear to look upon the wretch
the villain who had wrought me SO
much mis- ,ry. He never insulted me
again, for l have never since set eve:
on him. Iheard, however, that he died
some years since, a miserable, dissolute
uncr crslhA
haunted by remOrse L know not; such
men rarely are.
For the next twelve years struggled
on In my lone widowhood, without
hope otner than heaven. 1 strove to
be good, and to bear my cross with
out complaining. L would have de-
voted my life to charity, but nv cir
cumstacces Were too poor to admit of
my giving much.
L visited the sick, and did all in my
power to alleviate the miseries of 9TH
ers, for 1t seemed in a measure to lift
the load from my own heart
to tighten the burden / was SC
patiently struggling to bear. And
so those twelve weary years were
passed.
"On a windy September evening,
just at sunset, L saw a stranger ap-
preaching. He inquired If 1 could
give him food and shelter for the night.
He looked feeble and old, and was
weighed down with heavy bun
die, pitied his forlorn condition,
and readily scceded to his simple re-
quest.
"He came in, very thankful seem.
ingly, and gave him some toast and
cup Of warm tea, after which / made
him comfortable bed on The lounge.
1 thought him very pleasant and
harmless old man, but astonishingly
inquisitive for stranger. He asked
multitude of questions respecting my
past life; II had been married, and II
1 still Lowell my husband sufficiently to
desire his return, surpoSing he should
como back as empLy-handed as he
went. My replies seemed to please him
more especially wnen assured HIM
that had never for moment ceased
to love my husband with the most de-
voted affection, and that crust with
him at the moment he left me would
have been preferable to the most
luxurious existence that could have
been offered by another. But AL.
bert was dead, L sighed, and ]
should never see him any more
The stranger smiled pleasantly. and
said:
Perhaps he may yet come back
to you. In my experience L have
known stranger things than that to
happen.
"fhe next morning 1 heard my
guest moving In the room below, be-
fore 1 was dressed. When | descended
he was gone, but in his stead there
stood another person with his back
towards me. He was genteelly dressed,
but seemingly twenty years younger
than my guest Of the preceding night,
but they were identically the same.
He faced toward me when he heard
the door open. MercIful Heaven!
could my eyes deceive me?- No, their
was no delusion. 1t was my own Al
bert, alive and well. He had been all
this time In Peru, and had amassed
competency. He had come to me In
disguise. partly not to give me too
great surprise, and partly to draw
from me, surreptitlously, a confession
of my present sentiments towards him.
lie found me unchanged"