Not surprisingly, the coroner committed Ellen to the state hospital after her attack on Cora and Charles. Despite his pleas, Charles could to nothing to mitigate her sentence, though he tried to arrange for private care. On admission, she was a raging lunatic, sedated into submission and kept that way. When Charles was allowed to visit, she never responded to him. Her life was essentially over. She never rallied and succumbed to tuberculosis in less than two years. Though he was relieved the matter was taken out of his hands, Charles truly grieved the loss of the beautiful woman he’d married.
He was able to bring the girls back home with Josie’s and Cora’s help. They thrived in the loving environment. Geneva was greatly saddened by Ellen’s death, but remained active in Ellen’s children’s lives, sharing the Mother’s love her daughter had never been able to give them. Ginny, of course, never knew her mother, but the boys and Charley had all suffered from Ellen’s treatment till they felt nothing but relief. Their lives settled down to a new, happy normal.
Charles never remarried, but over the years, settled into a comfortable arrangement with the widow of an old friend. Neither wanted to unsettle their children or leave their family homes, so they embarked on a discreet friendship that lasted till his death thirty years later. It was much more loving and rewarding than the time he spent with Ellen. His second love was kind, gentle, and unselfish, a true blessing after the stormy Ellen.
Charley was a sturdy, happy child,in her element when Geneva took her to visit the farm. Ginny adored her, making every step she made. For a long time after Ellen’s departure, Charley suffered from nightmares and startled easily. Charles felt a special affection for her, since she’d suffered at her mother’s hand, indulging her love overalls and farm life, till she reached school age and had to conform. Even then, she wore her overalls at home. Ginny was the image of her mother, though of Charles’s gentle temperament. Soon the boys were off to college, leaving the little girls at home with their father. It was a good life.
Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
I have just caught up with Charley’s tale by Linda Bethea… it was an amazing family saga and you can catch up with the whole 36 episodes in Linda’s Menu.. click on categories and head down to Charley’s tale.
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Thanks so much.
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Pleasure Linda.. I am a bit behind at the moment.. hugs xx
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Me too, I am with my dad ghter and family nNew Jersey. She is pony so I am Grandma in charge of the house.
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I am sure it all works swimmingly… hugs xxxx
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I don’t know about swimmingly. Have you chased a two year old lately?
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I hear that it does wonders for your waistline if not your stress levels.. ..enjoy.. xxxx
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I haven’t noticed any ribs showing yet!
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Mine are buried so deep not sure I will ever see again!
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If I ever wake up and weigh 120 lbs. look out! I’ll go to town naked.
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Was that the end?
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Working on nex Part now. Volume 2 from Charley’s viewpoint.
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Very cool
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I love your stories, Linda, they always feel so personal, and it is as if we know the characters ourselves.
Looking forward to the next one 🙂
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Thanks for letting me know.
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The story was just Wow!
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Thank you, Robert!
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I really enjoyed the ride…wonderful story.
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Thank you. Another starts tomorrow.
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I’ll keep an eye out…
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Thanks.
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My pleasure.
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When did you start this story? April was it?
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https://nutsrok.wordpress.com/2017/04/11/charleys-tale/ Link to first one back in April.
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I found it and was re reading bits of it. Ya done real good.
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Thank you.
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Quite an abrupt ending. Real slick the way you got rid of Ellen. If only my life could have been so simple!
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We all get some bumps…some more than others.
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A remarkable tale. Reminded me of my own mother, who is peaceful with the Angels finally.
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I am sorry for your troubles and hers. Society is not good to the mentally ill or their families.
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Another fascinating read Linda. So well done. Bravo.
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Thank you.
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I was glad to read about Charles’ grief. Ellen’s mental illness didn’t rob her life of that.
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They really loved each other. They were both robbed.
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That’s a perfect statement for your story.
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It is so sad when the kids start to thrive after a parent is out of the way. In the end, I am glad for everyone else that normality could settle in when even the reason has left a deep scar. So sad.
I recalled again why this all started. Was it really Charles’ surgery on Charly which triggered that in Ellen?
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It is sad when children benefit from a parent’s absence.
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A tragedy of itself!
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As usual a great story. You are a master storyteller Linda. Look forward to your next tale. xo
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Starting another tomorrow. Thanks.
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I really enjoyed this Linda. Thank you x
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Thanks for encouraging me.
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You are most welcome 😂
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Not a surprising ending. Best for all I expect. Ellen essentially ‘lost’ her life at the time of her first admission. Sad for her but at least the family was able to regroup and have a good life after her death.
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It was such a loss.
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A great ending for the story, Linda. It wrapped everything up. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Thank you.
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Thank you for all the pleasure I have had reading this fantastic story, it has been brilliant and I will miss searching for it everyday 😟 it’s been a great read 🌹
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New one starts tomorrow!
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Brilliant 😊
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Starting another tomorrow.
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