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  WIVES AND WIDOWS;

  OR,

  THE BROKEN LIFE.

  BY

  MRS. ANN S. STEPHENS.

AUTHOR OF "RUBY GRAY'S STRATEGY," "FASHION AND FAMINE," "THE CURSE OF
GOLD," "THE REJECTED WIFE," "THE OLD HOMESTEAD," "THE WIFE'S SECRET,"
"MABEL'S MISTAKE," "THE GOLD BRICK," "SILENT STRUGGLES," "MARY DERWENT,"
"DOUBLY FALSE," "THE HEIRESS," "THE SOLDIER'S ORPHANS," ETC., ETC.


  When falsehood genders in a human soul,
    Blossoms may hide the reptile in his creeping,
  But every pulse will stir at his control,
    Or feel the burden of his poisonous sleeping,
  Until the tight'ning circle of his coils
  Binds down the heart, which God alone assoils.

  In honest hearts the gentle truth reposes;
    As nightingales, with rapturous music filled,
  Nestle down, softly, in the clust'ring roses,
    While the sweet night and moonlit air is thrilled
  With perfect harmonies,--truth will arise
  And send its voice, upringing, to the skies.


PHILADELPHIA:
T. B. PETERSON & BROTHERS;
306 CHESTNUT STREET.




  TO

  MISS ELIZA S. ORMSBEE,

  OF

  PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND,

  THIS BOOK IS

  MOST AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED.

  ANN S. STEPHENS.

  ST. CLOUD HOTEL, NEW YORK,
  NOVEMBER, 1869.




CONTENTS.


  CHAPTER                                                         PAGE

      I. LEAVING MY HOME                                            25

     II. MY NEW HOME                                                31

    III. A NEW LIFE                                                 35

     IV. THREATENED WITH SEPARATION                                 40

      V. AFTER THE WEDDING                                          48

     VI. TELLING HOW LOTTIE INTRODUCED HERSELF                      53

    VII. OUT IN THE WORLD                                           59

   VIII. OUR GUEST                                                  63

     IX. FANCIES AND PREMONITIONS                                   70

      X. NEW VISITORS                                               76

     XI. THE BASKET OF FRUIT                                        81

    XII. BREAKFAST WITH OUR GUEST                                   86

   XIII. JESSIE LEE AND HER MOTHER                                  88

    XIV. INTRUSIVE KINDNESS                                         92

     XV. THE TRAIL OF THE SERPENT                                   97

    XVI. AFTER DREAMING                                            101

   XVII. LOTTIE EXPRESSES HER OPINION OF THE
           WIDOW                                                   106

  XVIII. THE UNWELCOME PROPOSAL                                    109

    XIX. OUT UPON THE RIDGE                                        112

     XX. ADROIT CROSS-QUESTIONING                                  118

    XXI. THE EVENING AFTER BOSWORTH'S PROPOSAL                     121

   XXII. SOWING SEED FOR ANOTHER DAY                               125

  XXIII. AN OUTBREAK OF JEALOUSY                                   130

   XXIV. THE OLD PENNSYLVANIA MANSION                              135

    XXV. THE MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER                                139

   XXVI. SICK-BED FANCIES                                          143

  XXVII. THE FIRST SOUND SLEEP                                     147

 XXVIII. THE INTERVIEW IN THE WOODS                                150

   XXIX. TROUBLES GATHER ABOUT OUR JESSIE                          155

    XXX. MRS. DENNISON GATHERS WILD FLOWERS                        159

   XXXI. LOTTIE'S ADVICE                                           165

  XXXII. MRS. LEE DREAMS OF PASSION-FLOWERS                        169

 XXXIII. COMPANY FROM TOWN                                         173

  XXXIV. OUR VISIT TO THE OLD MANSION                              177

   XXXV. YOUNG BOSWORTH'S SICK-ROOM                                181

  XXXVI. LOTTIE'S REPORT                                           184

 XXXVII. MY FIRST QUARREL WITH MR. LEE                             188

XXXVIII. MR. LAWRENCE MAKES A CALL                                 192

  XXXIX. LOTTIE AS A LETTER-WRITER                                 197

     XL. YOUNG BOSWORTH RECEIVES A LETTER                          200

    XLI. OUT IN THE STORM                                          206

   XLII. JESSIE GETS TIRED OF HER GUEST                            208

  XLIII. A CONSULTATION WITH LOTTIE                                211

   XLIV. THE MIDNIGHT DISCOVERY                                    216

    XLV. BAFFLED AND DEFEATED                                      221

   XLVI. LOTTIE OWNS HERSELF BEATEN                                225

  XLVII. MR. LEE SENDS IN THE ACCOUNT OF HIS GUARDIANSHIP          227

 XLVIII. COMING OUT OF A DANGEROUS ILLNESS                         231

   XLIX. LOTTIE SEEMS TREACHEROUS                                  237

      L. CONFIDENTIAL CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE WIDOW AND
           MRS. LEE                                                240

     LI. THE FATHER AND DAUGHTER                                   247

    LII. THE FATAL LETTER                                          252

   LIII. DEATH IN THE TOWER-CHAMBER                                257

    LIV. MRS. LEE'S FUNERAL                                        261

     LV. OLD MRS. BOSWORTH'S VISIT                                 265

    LVI. LOTTIE'S REVELATIONS                                      268

   LVII. MRS. DENNISON URGES LAWRENCE TO PROPOSE                   272

  LVIII. AFTER THE PROPOSAL                                        277

    LIX. A HEART-STORM ABATING                                     282

     LX. THE TWO LETTERS                                           286

    LXI. THE DEPARTING GUEST                                       290

   LXII. WHOLLY DESERTED                                           297

  LXIII. OLD-FASHIONED POLITENESS                                  302

   LXIV. NEWS FROM ABROAD                                          306

    LXV. LOTTIE LEAVES A LETTER AND A BOOK                         313

   LXVI. MRS. DENNISON'S JOURNAL                                   316

  LXVII. OUR FIRST VISITOR                                         323

 LXVIII. THE WATERFALL                                             329

   LXIX. THE THREATENED DEPARTURE                                  338

    LXX. THE MIDNIGHT WALK                                         348

   LXXI. AWAY FROM HOME                                            355

  LXXII. OUT IN THE WORLD AGAIN                                    358

 LXXIII. FIRST WIDOWHOOD                                           362

  LXXIV. LOTTIE'S LETTER                                           385

   LXXV. LOTTIE IN PARIS                                           392

  LXXVI. THE CASKET OF DIAMONDS                                    395

 LXXVII. ALL TOGETHER AGAIN                                        404




WIVES AND WIDOWS.




CHAPTER I.

LEAVING MY HOME.


At ten years of age I was the unconscious mistress of a heavy stone
farm-house and extensive lands in the interior of Pennsylvania, with
railroad-bonds and bank-stock enough to secure me a moderate
independence. I shall never, never forget the loneliness of that old
house the day my mother was carried out of it and laid down by her
husband in the churchyard behind the village. The most intense suffering
of life often comes in childhood. My mother was dead; I could almost
feel her last cold kisses on my lip as I sat down in that desolate
parlor, waiting for the guardian who was expected to take me from my
dear old home to his. The window opened into a field of white clover,
where some cows and lambs were pasturing drowsily, as I had seen them a
hundred times; but now their very tranquillity grieved me. It seemed
strange that they would stand there so content, with the white clover
dropping from their mouths, and I going away forever. My mother's
canary-bird, which hung in the window, began to sing joyously over my
head, as if no funeral had passed from that room, leaving its shadows
behind, and, more grievous still, as if it did not care that I might
never sit and listen to it again.

One of the neighbors had kindly volunteered to take charge of the gloomy
old