Stephen H. Branch's Alligator, Vol. 1 no. 09, June 19, 1858
History
Stephen H. Branch's Alligator, Vol. 1 no. 09, June 19, 1858
New York (N.Y.) -- Politics and government
lunge for Tommy’s feet, and grabbed one, and held it, and tickled it
tremendously, which proved to be Raymond’s, who darted up from his
pillow, and exclaimed: “Sir: What under Heaven are you doing with my
feet? I demand you to let them alone. I despise your impertinence,”
and, without waiting for my explanation or apology, he violently buried
himself in the clothes, and off he went into a profound and noisy
slumber. I seized Tom by his ear and hair and arm, and dragged him from
the bed, and he unconsciously pulled all the bed clothes with him,
as he was yet about half asleep. It always took about half an hour to
thoroughly arouse Tom from his morning orisons. But when I told Tom
I had got him a situation, he awoke mighty quick. Raymond was so mad
to find himself stripped of all the bed clothes, that he threatened
to tell Parson Brown, the host, but Tom told him if he did, that he
would give him the worst thrashing he ever had, which made Raymond
tremble. Although Tom was much shorter and weighed infinitely less than
Raymond, yet he could strike a powerful blow, and Raymond knew it.
Tom and Raymond slept together two nights after that, without saying
a word to each other, but Sunday morning came, and as Raymond was a
stiff Presbyterian, and attended Dr. Potts’ Church, he extended the
hand of forgiveness and friendship to little Tommy, who accepted his
apology, and they were sweeter friends than ever. I now get mournful
intelligence from New Orleans and Providence. I receive news of the
death of my dear brother Albert at New Orleans, and my father writes me
that my wife’s father told him that he was about to induce his daughter
to apply for a divorce from me. My father told him that I had been in
delicate health for several years, which had kept me very poor,—that
he was obliged, from humanity, to send me money occasionally, and that
under these melancholy circumstances, and in view of all that had
transpired in previous years, if he chose to induce his daughter to
apply for a divorce, he could not help it, and that probably neither
himself nor myself would oppose it. My father-in-law then said that
there was no alternative, and his daughter would apply for a divorce
immediately, and my father and father-in-law bade each other a cold
farewell, and never recognised each other afterwards. The divorce soon
followed, to which I made not the shadow of resistance. What rendered
the divorce extremely painful was the almost daily visits of my wife
to my father’s house ever since my disastrous crisis in 1837, when
I was confined in the Providence jail. And even after the divorce,
my faithful and unfortunate wife continued her visits to my father’s
for a long period, without the knowledge of her father and mother,
and wept, and wailed, (as my step mother has often told me,) like the
disconsolate and ever-weeping Niobe. My father-in-law owned several
ships, and not long after the divorce, the carrying trade was suddenly
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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