Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-09-17
MISCELLANEOUS.
BLIG HTED II Els.
ny MARY LEHMAN GILLIEs.

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Of working clothes, which though coarse
were clean, and could not disguise a fine
form. His countenance was mild, grave,
and open; his voice deep and touching, pos
sessing those inflexions which belong TO
strong feeling and a certain degree Of cult
walton. The woman beside HIM was a little
compact creature, with a pretty face, and
piercing black eyes; particularly neat in her
attire, and quick in her by which
she was every now and then in advance of
her companion, whose steady equal pace
knew no deviation.
These people were husband and wife, and
were returning home together in discourse
more earnest than agreeable-one of those
events which, in the fluctuations of trade,
from time TO time occur-a reduction of wa
ges-had tried the temper of the one, and
touched the feelings of the other. George
and Martha Robinson had been six years
married. Their union had been a rare COM
bination of love and prudence; her early
thrifiness had enabled her to bring many
substantial comforts to their home, and
George, il less provident, had obtained a
character for integrity aud skill which secu-
red him a preference among employees
They had one child, nearly three years old,
and to superficial observation presented a do
nestle compact of peculiar comfort and en-
joyment. But we must lift the veil. The
source of happiness lies not with externals,
1t needs no mOralist to tell us how Inadequate
is wealth to its production-how little the
glitter OF the diamond enlivens the breast on
which 1t glows. In the home of George
Robinson, these moral gems, order and clean
illness, had a setting /; they were so predom-
lnant as TO be apparent at a glance, and a
s%lrlcter observation would have disclosed an
admirable system of economy and habits of
industry. These were Martha's great requi-
sites, and 1t is scarcely possible to overrate
them; but she deteriorated their value, often
nulllied their power, by moral defciencies,-
deficiencies Of those qualities which, though
taking rank among the minor essentials of
character, are daily items in the account of
lie that sway the balance TO enjoyment or
misery. She wanted gentleness of spirit.
kindliness of temper, and amenity of manner.
In the days Of her petted childhood, in the
brief courtship which had preceded her ear
" marriage, her pertness had been regarded
as wit, her youth and prettiness giving a
passport to much that was reprehensible and
repulsive. 1t was thought that her exuber-
ance OF spirit and acidity Of humor would be-
come subdued and softened by the SOLDERING
cares and soothing duties of domestic life
Such did not prove to be the case. The dis
position TO perceive deformity rather than
beauty to censuTe sooner than praise to
find out the faulty instead of the fair side of
everything, and to extract bitters rather than
sweets, which had once been exercised in a
wide circle of family, friends, and neighbcrs,
gained strength in the concentration it expe-
rienced after her manner of viewing it, into
a mountain grievance, nor when passed away
was it forgotten. No moment was calm in
which her caprice might not raise a storm or
revive one no entreaties to let 'bypones be
bygones" would avail, and often had George
Robinson occasion TO exclaim with Solomon
-'Better is a dry morsel and quietness
herewith, than a house full of sacrifices and
shife."
On learning the abridgment which their
means had experienced, she had instantly
launched into a flow of words which tortured
her husbands mind and urged him to utter
the adiuration just quoted, but she continued
her painful and fruitless expatiation till thew
reached home. With a slow and sad step,
George entered had the inner man possess
ed resignation to the present and hope for
the future, which a complacent companion
might have easily infused, how might he
have shut the door of his dwelling upon the
angry world and realized a little Goshen of
his own, for the scene was all neatness,
brightness and sweetness; but without the
moral charms of cheerful, tender ~lovingness,
it was but the naked t~rellace wanting the
flowers it was fitted to sustain.
The fire had been carefully made up; a
gentle stir, and it threw about the room a
blaze which glanced upon the well kept fur
niture, the quiet carpet, the curtained win
dows, while the open door of the adjoining
apartment gave a glimpse of the bed with its
nice hangings, the child's cot with its white
coverlet; turn his eyes where he might, the
ordef essential to comfort was apparent, but
ala not dlssipate the desolate feelings plant
ed in his heart. He sat down by the fire.
leaned his elbow on his knee and his head
on his hand. His attitude expressed Thoughts
iul melancholy; Martha looked at him, felt
a conviction that he was unhappy, and was
not insensible to a sympathetic regret; had
she gone to his side, put her arm about him,
and said-"Dear George, look up, this will
pass away and %sOon," he was the very man
to have responded to such cheer, to have
seen sunshine behind the cloud but it was
her unhappy habit to rouse him with a
sung Gentleness OF manner she was apt to
characterize as affecialion; expressions of
tenderness and attachment as hypocrisy, and
thus Infatuated herself to the reverse,
~ don't see," she exclaimed with a harsh.
'ohe' 'lhe use OF your sitting moping there
putting your dirty feet on the fender
you'd take better care had you the keeping of
it bright"
With that she united her bonnet strings
with a twitch and turned into the next room.
The sharp sound OF shaking the dust from
her shawl ere it was folded ; the abrupt push
given to the box in which her bonnet was
replaced were all unnecessary discords, spoi.
ing the moral harmony of her best habits
she returned to the pretty parlor tying on a
hair smoothly braided, her cap, an effort of
inexpensive ingenuity, all freshness. and
thus, the very type of niceness, she threw
a snowy cloth upon the table, on which She
made arrangements for supper worthy of a