The Trials of the Soldiers Wife | Page 4

to go into these
particulars.
Some seven years previous to her marriage, and while yet a child, Mrs.
Wentworth, with her father, the only surviving relative she had, spent
the summer at Saratoga Springs in the State of New York, and there
met Mr. Awtry, who was then a handsome and dashing young man.
Struck by her beauty, and various accomplishments, he lost no time in
making her acquaintance, and before her departure from the Springs,
offered her his hand. To his utter astonishment, the proposal was

rejected, with the statement that she was already engaged to a
gentleman of New Orleans. This refusal would have satisfied any other
person, but Horace Awtry was not a man to yield so easily; he,
therefore, followed her to New Orleans on her return, and endeavored,
by every means in his power, to supplant Alfred Wentworth in the
affections of Eva Seymour--Mrs. Wentworth's maiden name--and in the
confidence of her father. Failing in this, and having the mortification of
seeing them married, he set to work and succeeded in ruining Mr.
Seymour in business, which accounts for the moderate circumstances in
which we find Mrs. Wentworth and her husband at the commencement
of this book. Worn out by his failure in business and loss of fortune, Mr.
Seymour died shortly after his daughter's marriage, without knowing
who caused his misfortunes, and Horace Awtry returned to the North.
After being absent for several years, he came back to New Orleans
some months before the departure of Mrs. Wentworth's husband, but
never called upon her until after he had left, when she was surprised at
the visit narrated in the foregoing chapter.
This gentleman was seated in the portico of the St. Charles Hotel a few
mornings after his visit to Mrs. Wentworth, and by his movements of
impatience was evidently awaiting the arrival of some one. At last a
young man ran down the steps leading from the apartments, and he rose
hurriedly to meet him.
"You are the very man I have been waiting to see," said Horace Awtry;
"you must excuse my apparent neglect in not calling on you before."
"Certainly, my dear fellow," replied the gentleman. "I am certain your
reasons are good for not attending to your arrangement punctually--by
the way," he continued, "who the deuce was that lady I saw you
escorting to church last Sunday?"
"An acquaintance of mine that I had not seen for years, until a few days
ago chance threw me in her path and I paid her a visit."
"Ha, ha, ha," laughed his companion. "I understand; but who is she, and
her name? She is very pretty," he continued, gravely.

"Hush, Charlie!" replied Horace; "come to my room in the St. Louis
Hotel, and I will tell you all about it."
"Wait a moment, my friend, and let me get some breakfast," he replied.
"Pooh!" said Horace, "we can have breakfast at Galpin's after I have
conversed with you at my room; or," he continued, "I will order a
breakfast and champagne to be brought up to my room."
"As you like," said the other, taking a couple of cigars from his pocket
and offering one to his companion.
After lighting their cigars, the two men left the hotel, and purchasing
the New York Herald and News from the news-dealer below,
proceeded to the St. Louis Hotel, where Horace ordered a breakfast and
champagne for himself and guest.
Throwing himself on one of the richly-covered couches that
ornamented the apartment, Charles Bell--for that was the name of the
gentleman--requested his friend to inform him who the lady was that he
escorted to church.
"Well, my dear friend," said Horace, "as you appear so desirous to
know I will tell you. I met that lady some seven years ago at Saratoga
Springs. If she is now beautiful she was ten times so then, and I
endeavored to gain her affections. She was, however, engaged to
another young man of this city, and on my offering her my hand in
marriage, declined it on that ground. I followed her here with the
intention of supplanting her lover in her affections, but it was of no
avail; they were married, and the only satisfaction I could find was to
ruin her father, which I did, and he died shortly after without a dollar to
his name."
"So she is married?" interrupted his companion.
"Yes, and has two children," replied Horace.
"Where is her husband?"

"He left for Virginia some time ago, where I sincerely trust he will get
a bullet through his heart," was the very charitable rejoinder.
"What! do you desire to marry his widow?" asked his friend.
"No, indeed," he replied; "but you see they are not in very good
circumstances, and if he were once dead