St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1904-01-09
remember shall always be your friend.
for love you with all my heart 20

good-by. l shall never forget his look
OF pain and sorrow as he took my hand
and said: 'Good-by,' and the real tears
In his honest eyes troubled me for many
a day.
We'll, married my New York lover
and went to the city to live. At first
l was happy, but as the weeks went
oy l found out that my husband had
many vices. learned with horror that
he was a gambler, and was also dis
honest. The stylish clothes which he
always wore were net obtained honest-
ly. He drank and gambled good deal.
He was always in debt and trouble
discovered with keen sorrow that the
winter he had spent in the country was
while he was avoiding the law. He had
many disreputable companions, and
often I was obliged to lista.i to fiendish
plots. was heartsick and discouraged
and knew not what to do. Twice dur
Ing the first year of my marriage he
struck me while under the influence Of
drink. In less than two years he de-
serted me- Deserted me for another
fair young girl whom he had won by
flattering speeches as he had won me.
He left me without a penny, and with
6 baby girl only few weeks old.
God alone knows what 1 went
through then. I was sad, broken
hearted woman, grown old in two short
years. l was weak and i'll, utterly poor
and so terribly wretched that prayed
earnestly for God to let me and my poor
baby die. But we did not die. A poor
woman who lived in the home with me
was kind to me and nursed my wee baby
for me. I could pay her nothing: she
knew that, but she helped me because
she was a woman and knew what
woman could suffer.
1.-TWO months after my husband de-
serted me I read of his death. He was
killed in a gambling saloon by a man
| whom he had robbed, and all the New
York papers published scandaIous ac-
counts of it.. How suffered then! But
| had he lived l should never have seen
! him. for he had cast me aside as easily
| as he would have cast aside a suit of
worn clothing
T. with no money or friends in New
York, knew could only starve or beg
in the streets, SO for my baby's sake I
| wrote and told my father everything,
| and he came to New York and brought
| me home, back to the Berkshire hills.
| How sorry I was that 1 had ever left
| the dear, peaceful old place.!
"The news of my husbands disgrace
full death had preceded me, and every
one in the village knew that he had
been a gambler and had shamefully de-
serted his wife. 1t was an awful blow
to my high spirits and pride, and to my
old father, too. for all the townspeople
had thought had married so well. Tho
neighbors were all kind and good to me,
and learned then that country-bred
people are not the kind to love you in
found l had many good friends at
home, and no one was more true and
loyal titan my old rejected lover.
"a year after I returned home my
father died and his old place was SOLD
for the mortgage. Again my baby anc
l were without home Then my old
lover came to me and. taking my hand,
! AC 0dAAu. AotO yOa, A1y 4oSolC,t luC
same as ever. F;e my wife and forget
all the trouble you have had. The baby
needs father, and my home is all
ready and waiting for you both. Will
you Gomez
1--WE were married soon after thai
and came to live in this farmhouse
fully appreciated then all my old low.
| ,,,op1ipocc ord poodrocr ~ hoo1%
I loved him dearly then and love him
dearly now. He has been kindness
itself to me all these years and has
made me a happy wife, He has made
me very happy here and done for us all
he could. He has been so affectionatn
to my own little baby girl that she han
/ never known that he was not her own
dear father, and now she is a growp
woman and has lovers of her own s,
'There, dear. do not cry; it was best
that you should know the story. Fa-
Their and I have known all along how
you have felt about your lovers and wa
want you to marry John.
"What is that you are whispering,
lassie? You have loved John the bes.
all the time, and that he is coming to-
night for his answer, and you are sure
/, now what. it will be? All, know you
will never be sorry for John is good
lad and true, and father is as fond
Of him as he would have been of his
2 Town, son. lsss .,,..
u For moment there was +. silence,
; then as a distant step was heard as If
some one were approaching. the moth
er arose from her arm chair and said:
ct has grown quite dark already, and
there is some one coming through the
orchard. Yes. dear, l know it is John
coming for his answer, and you may
run into the orchard and meet him and
ask him to come into the house to tea
i Listen-he is whistling Annie Laurie
How happy the dear boy is!"-Troy
Times.
"a |'f-.+