Year: 1871

riedly arose, explaining to the children
that the girl had been impertinent and
l had discharged her. Luckily we all
knew how to wait upon ourselves, so we
soon had a comfortable breakfast.


If / only had been wise enough to
have taken my children into full conf
dence, explaining to them my meeting
in the grove with DIR. Armstrong and
the fact that he had communicated TO
me a secret and important matter,
would have saved us all much trouble.


a childs perception of right is gener-
ally safe; but while people are so un-
philosophical as to shut themselves out
from the genial counsels of these blessed
monitors they will make just such mis-
takes. All, mel The world has many
things to learn.


Unused TO the fatigue of housewOrk
as had recently become, I was nervous,
fretted and tired out when the last dish
was washed, the last floor swept and all
my children safely Off to school or busi-
ness.


dropped myself all weary and un-
strung into my easy chair to finish up
promised article for my publisher.
The most uphill drudgery l ever under
take to accomplish in my life is this
compulsory composition. After prodig-
ious labor, which exhausted brain and
body, finished my task and threw my
self back in the chair to rest. Again an
unaccountable lightness Illuminated the
apartment, and l sat there seeing things
of which / feel to-day that it is not meet
for me to speak. wondered if / were
sane. knew my mother would have
called me crazy.


a post boy entered, bringing letter.


AsIbroke the seal the limpid light rest
ed on my hands and settled upon the pa
per. L knew just where the letter came
from and the news it would contain, and
when l read, it seemed but a repetition
of what 1 had known before.


my Dear Jt,dith:-Do you remember
how and where first beheld you? What
an untamed, fiery, Yet odd and crudely
beautiful creature you were, with your
gazelle-like eyes, your grotesque dress,
your originality Of thought and your
glorious facel 1 had no thought that
day that you would become to me at
once my hope and my despair, my bless
ing and my curse, my joy and yet my
grief; but all of this you have long been
to me, and yet, after all these years,
love you with that fervor and purity
which would cause me-could / but be-
come worthy in your eyes once more
not to die for you, for that sacrifice
would avail you naught, but to lice for
you, which, in my estimation, is a much
more sensible way for a man to show his
regard.


"Your letter is so strange and remark
ablel Just exactly like you, however,
and just what might have expected,
yet it did not please me. There is not
one spark of tenderness in its pages, and
yet how could look for such an exhibi-
tion when l reflect that after all my con-
duct may yet be a mystery and you may
yet regard me as a convict, worthy of
the gibbet.


''Now, Judith, if do not meet you on
the plane of sentimentality it is not be-
cause my love is cold, but because
know you will not be wOOed like other
women, and must talk with you here
after on the plane Of common sense.
Through an unfortunate compilation
of circumstances l once did you a great
wrong, which explained to you months
afterwards i'm a letter that l caused to be
left under the boulder which made oul
seat in the dear bower by the Falls. DID
YOU get that letter, Judith mine? AS
fear you did not receive it l will tell you
all:


81 have a nephew, near relative Of 4
man who has been to you both frienC
and enemy. This nephew is a child o
shame, the unfortunate victim of adj
verse circumstances. He is publicly
: disowned by his father; his unhappy
mother died in an asylum, and in my
, young days he dogged my steps and de
/ pended upon me for money. He is very


nearly my own age and his resemblanc,
$ to me is, or rather was, so striking (ml
1 hair has been for many years a
: white as wool, while his is black an,
Y coarse that he was easily mistaken 70
= me when he chose to so represent him
: self


/ "On the evening of that never-to-be


forgotten day when you became m
e wife he came to me in great trepidatioT
o saying the officers of justice were upo
1 his track and he must have some MOI
V ey. 1 felt a constant fear that he woul
1 bring the family disgrace prominent
Il before the public by some reckless ac
e His father had often given him none!
# but he had grown obstinate, he salt
= and refused further remittances. So
h his last resort he came TO me. Said he
d. "'They've got up a discussion abol
/, YOU and old Reid's Wild Cat down
r the corner grocery. Two fellows hay
n offered to bet handsome sum that yC
n could go and marry her.


+ "'Well, what of it :? said I, indignan
? Iy, for YOU know that our elopement hs


been all arranged.


i? "sWell, told 'em I'd bet five hum
lie red dollars that, if you did marry he
lie you'd take her back to the old man