Herald of the times, and Rhode Islander. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1846-1849, 1848-02-24
From GOd'yS IodYS BOok
Guess WhOit is!
BY II. S. ARTHuR.

to the earth and half starved by the rich and
great in order that they may become richer
and greater. 1t isn't 50 there, llZzy Don't
YOU remember what John Mcclure wrote
home, SIX months after he crossed the ocean ~
! Yes, ! remember all that, Thomas but
John Mcclure was never very truthful body
AT home, and " always thought that if We
knew everything, We would find that he wrote
with his magnifying glasses on. John, you
know, was very apt to see things through
magniiying glasses"
/" But the testimony doesn't come alone
from John. We hear II every day and from
every quarter, that America is a perfect par
adlsc for the poor, compared to England" ."
" don't know how that can be-, Thomas,
They say that it is full ofwild beasts, poisonous
serpcnts and savage Indians, and that the pco-
Pile are in constant fear of their lives. I'm
sure England is better place than that, even
five do have to work hard and git but little
for it"
L" All that used to be, Lizy, replied Thomas
"But they've killed the Wild dbeasts and serpcnts,
and tanned the savage Indians. And there are
great cities there, the same as IN England
But Lizzy could not be nvnccd.-From
her earliest childhood she had never had but
one idea of America, and that was as a great
wilderness filled with Indians and wild beasts.
OF the former. she had heard tales that made
her blood curdlc in her VEINS, II was IN vain,
therefore, for Thomas Ward TO argue with
his wife about going 10 America. She was
not to be convinced that waste, bowling Wild
crncss, was at all comparable with happy old
England even ifthc poor were ''ground down >
As dozen previous discussion on the subject
had ended SO ended this. Thomas Ward was
of the same mind as before, and 50 was his
wife, The one wished to 60, and the other
wished to stay.
Ward had only been married short time.
but the period, short as IT was, proved long
enough to bring sad disappointment of his
worldly hopes He had been employed ." a
gentleman S gardener for many years, and had
been able, by strict economy, to lay up little
money But soon after his marriage, through
some slight misunderstanding, he lost his place
and had not since been able to obtain anything
more than transient employment, the return
from which had, so far, proved Inadequate IL
the maintenance of himself and wife, requiring
him To draw steadily upon tha not very large
fund that was deposited IN the Savings Bank
! About once "A fortnight Thomas would be-
come completely discouraged, and then he
invariably introduced his iayortc project Of
going to America T.; but Llzzy always met him
when in this mood, with decided negative,
so far as she was concerned, and sometimes
went so far as to say, when he grew rather
warm on the subject It's no use to talk
about it, Thomas ! shall never go 10 America
that's decided
This. instead of being settler, rs Idzzy
supposed it would be. only proved sllenccr.
Thomas would instantly waive all present re-
ference TO the subject. But the less he talked,
the more he thought about the land of plenty
beyond the ocean end the oitrucr lazzy SAID
she would never 60 TO America, the more
earnest became his desire to 90, and the more
fully formed his resolution to curgric while
he possessed the ability to do 80. lie did not
like Llzzy's mode of slIcnclng HIM when he
talked about his iayorltc theme. lie had Ger
tain primitive notions about wife submission
ofherself to her husband, and 1t not only lretted
him but made han feel little resolution on
the subject Of going 10 America when Lazy
declared herself determined not to 90.
One day Ward came home with brows knit
more closely than usual, and a lirmcr and more
decided expression upon his tghtly-cIoscd bps.
:. What 5 the matter now Thomas - asked
his wife
The "now" indicated that Thomas had
something TO trouble him, more or less, near
ly all the time.
"The matter is, that I'm going to America
returned Ward, in an angry tone of voice.
d" If you don't wish to go, you Will only have
to stay where YOU are. But I've made up
my mind to sail in the next ship
Ward had never spoken To his young wife
in such harsh, angry, rebuklng tone of voice
since they were married But the import of
what he said was worse than his manner of
saving it. Going to Amerca-and gong
whether she chose to 90 with him or remain
behind What was tins less than dcscrton
But lizzy has pride and frmncss as well as
acute scnsblitics The latter she controlled
by means of the former, apd with unexpected
coolncss. replied" Wen, Thomas, IT You
wish to leave me, ! have nothing to say. As
to that savage country, ! say now only what
have said before cannot 60.
Very well am not going to stay here
and starve."
1--WE havn't starved vet, Thomas spoke
up Tizzy.
&" No, thanks to my prudence IN saving every
dollar could spare while bachelor But
we re in a far way for It now.-l.very week
we are going bchnd-hand and IT we stay here
much longer We shall neither have the means
ofliving nor getting away I've finished my
job, and cannot get another stroke to do.
- Something will turn up, Thomas don't
be impatient"
Impatient - cjaculatcd Ward.
d" Yes. impatient. Thomas cooy saId his
wife i" You are in a very strange way. Only
wait little while and all will come right
" Lizzv," said Thomas Ward, suddenly
growing calm, and speaking slowly and with
marked emphasis" lNcdccidcd upon gong
to America. If you Will 90 with me, as a
loving and obcdlcut wife should, shall be
glad of your company but # YOU prefer 10
remain here, shah ay no commands upon
YOU. VIII YOU or Will YOU not 90 : Say at a
word. y
Lazy had a species Of independence about
her, as we'll as a good share oi pride. The
word obedience" as applied to wife, had
never accorded much with her taste, and the
use of II made on the present occasion by her
husband, was particularly offensive To her.
30 she replied. without pauslng to rcilcct-"I
have already told you that ! am not going To
America
"Ncry well, Iazzy,' replied Thomas, IN a