The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1852-02-18

sunshine farer aud Of shorter cofitlu>
uance. Ii was by slow degrees she
learned, that she must submit to her hus.
band in everything. The spending an
evening in a neighbor's hnnse-even the
most trlfllng matters Of taste. must be as
much subjected to his control, as the
most important transactions of life.
Helen cheerfully acknowledged her hus-
bands supremacy. Her mother had
taught her, and the Bible taught her,
that authority belonged 10 him that it
was her duty, and would be for her hap
piness, to obey him in all things. Her
afeclionate heart prompted her 10 this
course but as she was human being,
she naturally had tastes and inclinaiions
of her own, and these were not always,
of course, IN exact accordance with
those of another. Sometimes, in case
of collision, she could not help feeling
tina, if she yielded on all important points,
Mr. Howard might occasionally yield in
trnes. /" IT." she argued with SIGH,
" g he finds il sn hard TO conform TO the
wishes rf another sometimes, why cam
not he realize hoy difficult it is for me
to do it aiDoys?" If lr.n half-formed
thought arose in her mind, that her n,.'-
band was selfish, she instantly banished
it. Oh, no." she would say y" he is
not selfish " Men are used TO author
ity, and are not aware what il costs the
subject. ! suppose, on this point, they
are all much alike" Perfect good ma
ture. and an unwillinguess to deiract
| anything from the perfection with which
she had invested Mr.. Howard led to
this conclusion. Had Heen's own
father entered her mind at that moment
she must have acknowledged, that be-
tween some men, there was a striking
contrast.
With this. however, Helen could have
got along very well. She had as little
obsiinacy as any of her species; aud il,
in the moment OF trial, her heart would
sometimes rebel, the feeling was soon
gone, and she yielded with grace and
cheerlulness. That which was much
harder 10 bear, was, that as Mr. Howard
grew older. it was more difficult to ap,
pease his cispleasure and sometimes.
Helen would have To ask forgiveness, for
some, perhaps, very trifling inadverten-
cy, two or three times, before the kiss
of cordial reconciliation would be grant
ed. Besides this, she painted for conf
mendation for her own heart, il flowed
spontaneously and however strong Mr..
Howard's objections might be to bestow-
ing praise on another, he never mani
tested any repugnance TO receiving il
himself Helen loved TO praise her hus-
band she love1 TO repeat TO HIM the
praise bestowed by oihers-it greatly in.
creased her own happiness. But when
her special, and sometimes labOrioxs eff
forts 10 do that which she thought would
give Mr.. Howard peculiar satisfaction,
would fail of calling forth one word Of
commentator, one look of grateful sat-
isfartlon-fail, even, Of attracting OBJ
seryation, her heart would sink with dis
appointment,-and to be quite happy, it
was indispensable that she should he pery
torgeJui.
But was Mr.. How ard the implacable
being his wife was willing to believe
hint On the contrary. he was as far
from it as other well-principled men.
| But he never Confessed fault TO human
auditors and oftentmes. when he had
given Helen just cause Of complaint. if
she manifested it-n"t by upbraiding
(of that her nature was incapable but
as an aflectionaie wife may, with all pro-
priety. express displeasrre towards her
husband. he resented it in high degree;
and many times did she, with sighs and
tears. sue for forgiveness, when he alone
was in fault. She was always prone To
believe herself to blame, ard peace she
must have, on any terms-or he wretch
ed
The power Of pleasing. or giving sat-
isfaction, seems TO he taken from us, Just
in proportion as we despair Of exercis-
ing il. Helen was almost hopeless of
securing her husbands appreciation. and
her heart was depressed by discourage.
ment She RENTED zone of her efforts
TO please-it had become habit OF her
mind but she was scarcely conscious
that her endeayors now arose less from
the hope Of receiving commentator,
than from desire to escape repToof and
censure.
For the first three years Of Ilelen's
married life, the sunshine had greatly
prepondera,ed over The clouds for the
last three, the clouds had gradually been
gaining the preponderance over the sun.
shine aud belure another closed, they
gathered over her head. TO be dispersed
again. only when the sun of her life was