The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1895-08-15

dnu MIS-. IRVINE were SEM up. Inc
name was not familiar, either to Mr..
COrlis OF his daughter.
"Ervine?" said the father, "Ervine?
/ 10 not recognize the name."
Mr.. Corlis soon after entered the
apartment, followed by his daughter,
and the strangers rose to pay their re-
spects.
"Mr. Ervine,' said the merchant,
Il am happy to meet you; but, really,
l do not recollect@"
No." said the stranger, 81 never had
the pleasure of meeting you before.
This is my wife, however" he added,
presenting the modestly atttired lady
who accompanied him. "She says you
will probably rccollect her."
The lady advanced, offered her hand
to Mr.. Corlis and his daughter, and
said:
surely, Mr.. Corlis, you have not
forgotten me-"
"Maywood" exclaimed father and
daughter together.
You are right" said the lady, calm
ly.
But how is this 2" asked the mer-
chant. "When did this change occur?
A woman!"
"Sit down, my dear sir" said the
lady, land l will at once unravel what
must have seemed a most mysterious
proceeding, in your estimation; but
which, under the circumstances, could
no be otherwise.
Nearly twenty years ago, in Roch-
ester, l married a man of whom l
knew too little, and who proved him
self utterly unworthy of the conf
dence and love of her whom he gross
ly deceived, before and after our
union. His habits were dissOlute; he
soon became a confirmed inebriate;
u prospectively happy home be-
came a scene of continuously riotous
dissipation; his little property with
my own, was squandered. and before
five years had passed, w were home
less, penniless, friendless.
when l could no longer bear up I'M
der the cruel treatment to which l
was subjected, l made a final appeal
to him. In his drunken wrath he
s~hockingly abused me, and, In des-
pair, l fed from the scene of my ear
ly miseries. l adopted my maiden
name of haywood, procured the let
ters of recommendation which you
have seen, and, having acquired a
knowledge of books and accounts in
earlier years, assumed the habiliments
of the ruder sex, believing that l
could thus better earn a substance.
II came here, entered your employ,
saved a few hundred dollars, and you
remember the terrible occurrence
which Immediately preceded my dis
a~rpearance?"
"The accident at the stution?"
Yes: we were h%urlying about
among the wounded, as you recollect,
when my eye suddenly fell upon one
Of the dying sufferers"
Yes. yes: | remember"
THAT man was my husband"
There were tears in the eyes Of the
little cOterie who listened to this sin
gular tale of woe.
81 recognized him, and he half pro-
nounced the name of Mary, my baptis-
nal name, as l hurried about amid the
excited crowd on that fearful occasion.
Stunned and bewildered by the trying
position in which l thus suddenly
found myself placed, and fearful of
the results of the exposure, l knew not
what to do, or scarcely what 1 did.
"Hc did not survive the accident,
however; and, two hours afterward,
i'll homely female attire, / claimed his
unfortunate remains. None recOg-
niZed me in my plain apparel, and
surely none could suspect that the
vailed and plainly attired woman who
followed the corpse to it's last resting
place was in fact the b%ookkeeper of
the well-knOwn Mr.. Corlis.
81 left Rome forthwith. Through
your kindness and liberality l had
been able to lay by a considerable sum
of money, and l departed for the west
and, once more among total strangers,
l continued the resumption of the
habiliments and habits of my sex.
With the means at my command
continued to live quietly and respecta-
bly,, until some two years ago | met
this gentleman, who offered me his
hand. l an now Mrs. Ervine, and
this is my husband, sir"
AS may be imagined. a happy re.
union succeeded this denOuement OF
the longtime mystery which had
shrouded the sudden disappearance oil
Mr.. Corlis' book-keeper. And the read
er may be assured that Mr.. and Mrs
Ervine were not only very welcome ii
the rich merchants family, but tina
the newly welded pair became the
future fast friends of "Maywood's'
former employer end his extended so
cial circle.