Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1843-10-05
STANTON VIRGINIA THURSDAY, oCr0RER . Is4a

was doubtful whether they would know how
to act without it,
But sorrow. like all other things i'm thi
sublunary world. must have an end. The chill
dren were growing disorderly, and were losms
that tidy appearance that had always charac
terizcd them. Nothing in the shoemaker.
snug domlcil went right The good house.
wives IN the village of B, were busy in max
ing second match for poor Mr.. Sampson
and, like prudent women, .hey all pitched up
on one OF the very antipodes of poor Mrs
Sampson, who was dead and gone. Susan
G'wen was mild, good-natured, and ''smar,,''
and all eyes were turned upon her as the fu-
ture Mrs, Sampson. She was just the right
age, Lao :, title property, and all declared he
could neyet do better; and MIR. Sampson, like
n reasonable man, believed what every BODY
said, and married her.
This time, at least, the neighbors had no
reason to complain. The second Mrs. Samp-
son was mirror of patience, the neighbors
who happened in about meal time could find
no fault of the bread and butter, the last arti
Gle being thick enough TO satisfy the most CAP
tous; and as iorPic or cake, all declared hers
were no smother n-aw" pieces. The shoe
maker must and would be happy. Months
passed away, and, if the predictions of the
neighbors, were TO be verified, Mr.. SIMPSONS
appearance was somewhat equivocal for a
happy man. 1t was certain that he grew thin,
did not whistle, or laugh, or hum half so Of
ten as he used TO do. His step was lstess,
and he seemed To have lost much of that stur
dy activity which had formerly distinguished
him.
The neighbors were completely at stand
Mrs. Sampson was strictly scrutinzed but
nothing could be detected. She was patience
Personlied. Meanwhile the children, accus-
toned To the severe discipline of their mother.
no sooner found themselves subjected to the
milder sway of Il S,epmother, whose rigM to
control them was, to say the least, doubtful.
since public opinion has made it such, now
burst Tree from all restraint, and revelled i'm
the glorious privilege of doing whatever they
had mind to do.
Poor Mrs. Sampson talked, and coaXctl, and
wept; and in one or two instances even had
the temerlty to put n "motherless child' down
cellar all TO no purpose. They were as I'M
manageable as parcel of wild colts broken
Tree from the pasture, and antic with the first
CONSCIOUSNESS ofireedom. Mr. Sampson could
not manage them, that was out of the cues
tlon; he had never thought of doing it while
ther mother was alive, and how could he
now that she was dead and gone? Among
the trials awarded 10 the Patriarch Job, il is
wen perhaps that his sex precluded the posi-
nhity oi his PASSING the ordeal of a mother
ln-law's lot. So thought the second Mrs.
Sampson. She had tried every thing, and now
her patience was completely exhausted. One
day, just as her husband was coming in TO
dinner. driven to desperation by the accumu-
lated din OF so many ungovernable children.
she suddenly armed herself with handful of
hemlock tops, and laid them about her on ev-
cry side. at the same time ordering every child
to seat about the quickest. AT this moment
her husband entered, and, far from flinching.
she resolntely told him what she had done
and what she meant to do in future ere she
would endure such an intolerabe din Mr..
sampson was at once in fine spirits. His wife
had never looked half so handsome before.
L he Children were whist as mice i'm q
cheese Mrs. Sampson absolutely kept her
word, and, though the neighbors pi,ied the
children and talked mournlully of the sorrows
oil poor Mr.. Sampson, from that time he be-
gan to gain in flesh and spirits, and became
the sturdy good natured sort of a man | had
formerly known him. The recurrence of the
old stimulus in the activity of a wife's tongue
mad restored the bu6yancy to his spirits and
health TO his bones.
Such being the fact, thought it best to
write his history, in the hope that persons
witnessing similar case would suspend their
symPathies and reflect that, after all, the hus-
band OF scolding wife may be as happy as
that OF good natured one, and the spirited
tones OF her voice in scoding may be quite
as agreeable TO such husbands ear as the
most dulcet notes of the other in thrilling a
fashionable air.