Year: 1871

- ~--AAsJ VI EeoEla, LIMOS, and,
as u mas never been put in print, /
SEND Il 70 you In 1852, a man by the
name OF John Talbert, married a
young lady by the name of Rebeeca
Farmer. Soon after the celebration
Of the nuptial ceremonies, Talbert
enlisted IN tife-cavalry regiment,
and went 10 the front. He came
home on furlough IN 1868, and return
ed 70 his regiment in a few weeks.
In one OF the battles in Mississippi
he became missing, and the body OF
q person supposed to be Talbert, was
found and buried. His friends were
informed Of his death, and mourned
for MIN for many days. When the
regiment returned, with flying
eoiors, his place was vacant, and his
wife looked at the horsemen as thew
marched proudly up the streets Of the
city, but looked in vain for the form
she would most loved to have seen.


Ialbert had been a good citizen. and


had long paid his devotion to fbe Iady


whom he had married. Feeling L
MS duty to Join the army. he had
married her before he enlisted. thai
ne might have the right to protect
her when he returned. He was a
good soldier, always doing his dutv
falthfully, and when the battle RACED
was in his place unfiinching and da-
termined. When bis supposed body
was found, not one Of his former com
rades but mOurned that he had been
taken from their number.


The war closed, and Talbert was al
most forgotten. Not much longer
than year ago his widow took Off
the weeds OF mourning, and gave her
hand to a carpenter in Peoria. by the
name OF Simpson. She had borne a
child to Taibert in his absence and
all her love for fts father had eenfsrad
in this image Of the departed 5ne


About three months after Sinnson
and Mrs Talbert were married fire
young carpenter fell from the seafFoId-
ing OF large building he was at work
upon, and his brains were dashed out
upon the ground. Rebecca Farmer
was lor the second time a widow, and
the ha0ihments Of mourning were
again donned- Loving hands buried
her dead from hersight, and the world
moved on as before, utterly regardless
OF the twice stricken one.


Ihe child Of Talbert had grown
into a lovely girl of seven summers,
and was the only love and hOpeOf her
mother Two weeks since, the little
one suddenly sickened and died, and
the mother supposed herself bereft of
all that knew or loved her.


But now comes the grand deuou-
ment- While the corpse Of the child
lay in her mothers house, awaiting
burial on the morrow, a stranger cali
ed at the poor Womanis door. A
neighbor lady, who had charge OF the
mourning house, admitted him, and
he asked to see Mrs. Simpson. The
lady came down, and found in the
stranger her lOng-lOst husband, John
Talbert-he for whom she had mourn
ed as dead.


He explained his long absence in
this wise. After the battle in which
he was supposed to have been killed.
be found himself q prisoner in the
hands Of the rebels. He was hurried
from one post to another, until he was
taken to AndcrsOnviIle. In that
prison pen he lsuguished for months,
until he forgot to count the passing
time; until the intense longing for
home completely broke his heart.


When he was liberated. he saws.
everything was blank to him. He
wandered to New York city, and
lived there for more than a year, and
then passed to the great West, where
ne lived until a year ago. He reeOv-
cred his health OF body and mind, but
for several years could not bring him
self to thihk nf returning TO his home.
he said there was an intense yearnfng
to see his wife and child, but BY some
curious, morbid feeling, he suppressed
the prompting Of his heart, and re-
mained away from the beings he loved,
brOodlng over his curious, self-im-
posed condition. A few months since
he was taken with an irresistible
longing to return to Illinois and the
scenes Of his former happiness, but
he desired to do so without being
recognized. He came back. much
changed and altered in appearance.
visited Peoria, and found his wife
married to another man.


There was fresh agony of mind. and
pOignaney was added to the thought
that If he returned when his impris-
onment ended, or even after his fac
ulties had been fully restored, ne
would have found his wife still
mourning for him, and could have
gladdened her heart by showing her
that he was still alive. Now there
was nothing for him to do but to 20
away, as EnOch Arden had done. and
leave Phillip Ray to his happiness.
He could not tear himself COMPLETELY
from the spot, however. He bad seen
his child and its mother on the streets.
and he felt like going forward and
claiming his own. So he removed
himself about n hundred miles from
his old home; for to have remained
in Peoria, where he had been pretty
well known, would have betrayed
him, finally. The news Of the death
OF Simpson did not reach him.
Though he received a paper regularly Z
frem Peoria, this, 10 him, most inn
pOrtant item OF news failed to meet I
his eye. But the other day he did
see q notice Of the death of his child,
and in less than five hours he was be-
side its coffin. Not till then did he
learn of the death Of Simpson. But
when his wife the girl he had loved I.
and thought he had lost by one Of the !
strangest Of the works Of PrOvidence, I
fell into his arms, he realized that he .
had still something TO live for. The
wife received the husband again in .
place Of the child she had lost, and I
the neighbOrs rejOiced at her good .
fortune, Notwithstanding a few of
them felt some indignation that he
had remained away 50 long after his .
Imprisonment had ended.