ontent with disgracing his name,
had soon developed her old and never-satisfied greed for money and any
sort of power that might be wielded mercilessly; and it was evident that
she had money, for she immediately began dressing with much elegance and
travelling about the country extensively. The probability was that she
had still retained the money stolen from Bland, and had also, during her
years of economy, carefully added to it until she had secured a large
sum, as she had occasion to use a good deal of money in a certain
transaction, which quite thoroughly illustrated her unprincipled and
revengeful character.

When Hosford had removed from Indiana to Wisconsin, he had purchased a
larger and a finer farm, and had been obliged to give a mortgage upon it
for several thousand dollars, to be used in making necessary
improvements. This had been paid off with the exception of about three
thousand dollars, which amount, as soon as Mrs. Hosford had begun making
it lively for her husband, and had left him for the purpose of wedding
Spiritualism and all that the term implies, she immediately produced and
bought up the mortgage, placing it in ex-Senator Carpenter's hands for
foreclosure; but poor Hosford, struggling under his heavy load of
desertion, disgrace and persecution, managed to raise the money and take
it up, thus preventing the villainous woman from turning him out of his
own home, which she had deserted and desecrated.

This had proven too much for even the patient Hosford to endure, and he
had set about getting a divorce. But this was a harder thing to do than
he had anticipated. Although he was in possession of nearly as much
information as Bangs had secured, it was impossible to obtain definite
evidence against her. Her terrible temper, her unscrupulousness, her
unbounded and almost devilish shrewdness, and the swift and sudden
principle of revenge that seemed only equalled by her greed for money,
compelled thorough awe and fear among those from whom Hosford had
expected assistance, and the result was he did not get it, and he was
obliged to let the suit for divorce go by default. After this every
petty annoyance that could occur to the woman's mind was visited on him.
She would write him threatening letters; forward him express packages of
a nature to both humiliate him and cause him fear; run him in debt at
every place where she could force, or "confidence," merchants into
trusting her; hire a carriage and secu