Rutland herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1823-1847, 1844-04-04
THE HERALD.
The Wlc's Threat.
OFF MY HUSBAND WERE TO DO son
re A Domestic Incident

were TO net 30 il would kill me-"
~ would never stand j: IN the world," addedMrs
Pitts. 1T is..a dreadful situation for woman 10 be
pliced In MIR Lnrkin used to lie one Of the best
Of men. and took the best possible Of his fam.
lily. For yrars there WINS not happier woman
in town than his wife, but now it makes ouc's
heart ncbe to look Mt her. OH j, must be one Of
the most heart rending things in the world to have
drunken husband"
"Well, all I've got 10 say" spoke up Mrs
Peters with warmth, " lis, that l don't pity her
much"
"why, Mrs Peters! How can you talk
so7"
"WclI, Tdon't ANY woman who lives with
a drunken husband don't deserve pity. Why don't
she leave him2'
g That is easier said than done, Mrs Peters,
81 should think it great deal easier 10 leave
than TO live with drunken brute, and have her
life iormcn,ed out Of her. Ifmy husband were to
do So reckon he and lwouli part before twenty
four hours"
Now Mrs Peters husband was a most cx-
ccllcnt man and sober man wthall And his
wife ,cnderly attached 10 him IN regard TO his
ever becoming drunknrd. she had as little fear as
Of his running Of and leaving her. Still, when
she made the last remnrl. she looked towards HIM
Qor he was presently with a senrn and significant
expression on her countenance. This was no, real
she had supposed as bearing the relation towards
her Of drunken husband
You would would YOU Z" Mr. Peters replied
TO the warmey expressed resolution uttered by his
wife =
Yes, would ~ half laughinsIy and half seri
ouslv rototted Mrs. Peters.
"You don't know what you are talking about"
spoke Mrs. Grimes ~
"Tndeed then. do! consider any woman
III .:.i.
my part 1 have not spark ofsympathy for the
wives ofdrunkards-I mean those who live with
the men who beggar and abuse them Mere dis
Gus,ed brutcs the very sight of whom ought TO
turn womans stomach"
'Yon were never placed in such situation. and
therefore are not competent TO decide how far a
woman who continues TO live with drunken hus.
band is or is not TO blame. For my part, nm
inclined to think that, in most cases, TO live with
husband under these circumstances, is least Of
too evils
This was said by Mrs PITTS
Il think you are right there resumed Mrs Pc.
ters "A woman feels towards her own husband,
the father of her own children. and tho man who
in LIES spring time won her best and purest af.
fectons,' very differently from what she docs to-
wards another man. She knows all his qualities,
and remembers how trnderly lie has loved her
and how he would still love her but for her mad
inatuaon from which he feels it impossible to
break away. The hope that he will reform
never leaves her When she looks at her children,
even though abused md neglected, she cannot
but hope for their father And this hope keeps
her up
ANY woman IS fool who feeds herself up with
such finces There is only one true remedy and
tha. is separation. That's what ], II do. and every
woman Of sense ought to do. Don, tell me about
hope of reforming It's all nonsense You
wouldn't catch me breaking my heart after that
fashion, for any man. Not said Mrs Pc
tiers. s
The more Mrs GRIMES, and Mrs Pitts,
md others present argued their side ofthe question,
the more per,inaciously did she maintain the posi-
ton she assumed, until Mr. Peters could not help
feeling somewhat vexed and some little hurt He
being her husband and the only one who could
possibly hold the relation towards whom all her
all her indignation WINS drected-under the imagn
able possibility Of his becoming iippler.
After while the uject was dropped. and at the
close ofthe evening, the friends departed and wen,
TO their homes.
1t was perhaps two months from the period al
which this conversation occurred, that Mr. Peters
left his home carly 10 the evening, 10 attend a
political meeting. politics al The time running high
and hard cider flowing as freely as water. He
was in the habit of attending such meetings
times something stronger-but as he was sober
MAN, too, Of strong COOL sense and firm principle
the thought OF his ever parakng too freely never
crossed the mind Of his wife
Regular in his habits he was rarely out after
ten O'Clock, on any occasion. But this time, Ten
came, aud eleven, but he was sill away Thi:
was circumstance 50 unusal, that his wife could
no, help feeling degree OF uneasiness. She went
TO the door aud listened Tor him, after the clock
struck eleven, and stood there for some limo ox
roe,ing every momedt 10 hear the sound of his
footsteps 10 the distance But she waited in vain
and al last re-eaered the house with troubled
feeling.
Al las. the clock struck twelve, and almos, a,
the same tune she heard her husband a, the door
endeavoriug to open il with dead latch key. In
this he was not successful, from some cause, and
thinking that she might have turned the key, Mr..
peters went quietly aud opened the door for him
She found iha, she had no, locked II
A. she lifted the latch, me door was suddenl,
pusbed against her, and her husband came stag
gering in, As he passed h'', he struck again'