Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1843-09-22
BLOOMINGTON, IOWA, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER o. ls4s

preying upon your mind, and true love
will not brook reserve /; it feels under-val-
ued and, outraged, when even shspsorrows
of those it loves are concealed from it.
20. my friend, but to think what blow
| am to give all her future prospects-how
| am to strike her very soul to the earth,
by telling her that her husband is beggar
--that she is to forego all the elegancies
Of life-all the pleasures Of society-to
sink with me into indulgence and obscurity.'
saw grief was eloquent, and let it
have its flow. for sorrow relieves itself by
words. When his paroxysm had subsi-
ded and he had relapsed into moody SIS
lence, resumed the subject gently, and l
urged him to break his situation at once to
his wife. He shook his head mournfully,
but positively.
But how are you to keep it from her!
1t is necessary she should know it, that
you may take the Steps necessary to the
alteration of liying-nay,' observing
pang to pass across his countenancc,
| don't let that afflict you. l am sure you
have never placed your happiness in out
ward show-you have yet friends who
will not think the worse of you for being
less splendidly lodged; and surely it does
not require palace to be happy with Ma.
ry.'
L could be happy with her. cried he,
convulsivelv in a hovel = | could 90
down with her into poverty and the dus.
Il could could-God bless her God
bless her = cried he, bursting into trans
port Of grief and tenderness.
'And believe me, my FRIEND said l,
stepping up and grasping him warmly by
the hand, believe me, she can be the
same with you. Aye, more; it will call
forth all the latent energies and fervent
sympathies of her nature, for she will re-
joice to prove that she loves you for your.
self. There is in every woman's heart a
spark of heavenly fire which lies dormant
in the broad daylight of prosperity, but
which kindles up and seems to blaze in
the dark hour of adversely. No man
knows what the wife of his bosom IS no
man knows what ministering angel she
is. until he has gone with her through the
fiery trials of this world
There was something in the earnestness
Of my language that caught the excited i'm
agination of Leslie. knew the auditor |
had to deal with; and following up the i'm.
preston had made, finished off by per-
suading him to 60 home and unburden his
sad heart to his wife. | must confess,
notwithstanding all have said, l felt lit
tie solictude for the result. l could not
meet Leslie the next morning without tre-
pidation. He had made the disclosure.
sAnd how did she bear it Z
Like an angel. 1t seemed rather to be
a relief to her mind, for she threw her
arms around my neck and asked me if tina.
was all that had made me unhappy. But.
poor girl, added he, 'she cannot realize
the change we must undergo. She had
no idea Of poverty but in the abstract; she
has only read it in poetry, where it is al
lied to love. She feels as yet no privation
she suffers no loss of accustomed con-
veniences nor elegancies. When we come
particularly TO experience its sordid cares,
its paltry wants, its petty humiliations,
then will be the trial.
But said I, now that you have got
over the severest task, that of breaking 1t to
her, the sooner you let the world into the
secret the better. Have the courage to
appear poor, and you disarm poverty of
its sharpest sting On this point l found
Leslie perfectly prepared. He had no
false pride himself, and as to his wife she
was only anxious to conform to their alter
ed fortunes.
Some days afterwards he called upon
me in the evening. He had disposed Of
his dweIling-house, and taken small cot
tage in the country few miles from town.
He had busted himself all day in sending
out furniture. he new establishment re-
quired but few articles Of the simplest
kind. All the splendid furniture Of his late
residence had been sold except his wife's
piano. That, he said, was too closely as
ISOLATED with himself-it belonged to the
little story Of their love-for some of the
sweetest moments of their courtship were
those when he had leaned over that instru-
ment and listened to the melting tones OF
her voice. l could not but smile at this
instance of romantic gallantry in doating
husband.
He was now going to the cottage, where
his wife had been all day experimenting
its arrangement. My feelings had been
strongly interested in the progress of this
family story. and as it was fine evening,
l offering to accompany him.
He was wearied with the fatigues OF the