The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1850-03-20

home Of her father, a small farmer, where
her mother, a painstaking woman had
brought up Susan and several brothers and
for their station, remarkably well.
Her fathers heart was one ever flowing
with the milk of human kindness; and thus
aided by the cheerful spirits of their cher
ished children, moral sunshine had ever
lighted up that lovely home, and given it |
a thousand claims upon her love and men,
ory. AT moments, Susan would look back
on the brief time that had been employed
to WOO her from it, as dream. the whis-
pered words. Of love--the promises of de-
votion--of endeavors for her happiness
the mighty city in which she was to dwell
(which now appeared to her a maize Of
mud and stone, i'll exchanged for the dasi.
ed fields, with their sweetbreath and bright
atmosphere )-had all tended to an unde-
finable disappointment; yet, in the inno-
cent ignorance Of her heart, she could
scarcely have stated of what she had to
complain. She loved her husband; she
was proud of his superior abilities; and
made no mean estimate of his high moral
character. undebased in the slightest de-
gree by the gross vices which, secluded as
was her life, she could not but perceive
marked many around her, subjecting their
wives TO brutality and prvation. Com
pared with such offences, she persuaded
herself that Philips neglect was very
light and venial fault, and blamed herself
for feeling it so much. But Susan was one
of those flowers of humanity that would
have amply repaid cultivation, and that
needed the sunshine of sympathetic kind
ness the air of the social atmosphere, to
keep them in health and life. Daily food
was scarcely more necessary to her physi-
cal nature than the interchange of thought
and kindliness was to her spiritual nature:
all this her husbands habits, and the m-.
sociable plans Of life in England, especial
ly in London, denied her. 1t is true. ex-
ceptmorally, she was uncultivated, but she
hadtalent and temperament that would soon
have repaid little kindly care. Too tim
id, too ignorant to plead her own cause,
or urge her own claims to him who had
precluded appeal to all others, she uncom-
plainingly lived on without change, without
stimulus, or excitement; shut up within the
| four walls of her humble home, walking
unrelieyed the dull unvarying round of her
domestic duties, with her spirit full of ca
pabilities unexplored and unexpanded.-
She grew nervous and hectic, her appetite
and spirits failed, her frame wasted; while,
quiet and unrepining, almost herself un-
conscious of her malady or its cause, cop-
sumption was rapidly developed. She
was deemed delicate; medical advice was
sought, and medicine and care essayed,
while none guessed the quick current of
feeling that flowed beneath the quiet bear
ing OF that subdued decaying woman; it
wore the channel through which it made
its secret way, but seemed to brighten the
spirit it was soon to extingush.
Susan, after time, felt that she was
passing through the valley of the shadow
of DEATH This conviction did not depress
hcl energies-it awakened them. She
had communed with her own meek heart,
lifted it to her mighty Maker, and RENE m
bered with consolation that it is said,
''those also serve who only stand and wait"
She struggled on from day to day in the
performance of her duties, amid many pri-
vations, the worst Of all privation, that OF
all mental development and social cheer;
yet had she conscious account of her
own heart, and her sincere and unassisted
endeavor had no doubt register amid the
higher achievements Of more favored
minds. With the certainty that she was
not long for this scene, she redoubled her
exerlions to put her little household in or
der. She repaired and made clothes for
her child, and. as she laid them away. en-
balmed them with her tears. In the same
manner her needle toied for her husband,
and the savings which her frugality effec-
ted were employed to purchase him sun
dry little comforts. ah ial
u" These will keep him warm when | am
cold, /" she thought: che will little think that
while he forgot me, for better company It's
true, my only happiness was to remember
( him, and that shall scarcely be more SOL
itary in the grave to which | am going,
than have been in the home to which he
brought me-" ~ g
Sometimes a little ink.bottle was taken
, from the mantel-shelf, and a sheet Of pa
per from her little table-drawer, and then,
with effort. few lines were traced, and the
paper hidden carefully away, as if she
had committed crime. One night she
had made more endeavor of this kind than
usual, and the struggling unassisted spiri
Of intelligence was burning in her brigh
hazel eye, and glowing on her beautiful
cheek, when she was startled by an unu
sual noise. The paper was hurried int
the drawer, the ink restored to the shelf
and taking the candle, she went out to the
landing place. She beheld her husband
assisted by two men, slowly ascending the
, stairs He had met with an accident; hat
broken his arm--it had been set-he hat
I tainted during the operation--and. witt
the phastliness Of aspect incident to sucl