Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1852-12-11
COLU M B U S:
wednesday Morning, Dec. 9, 1852.
The First Cross Word.

"You seem happy, Annette, always. I have
lever been in a family where the husband and
wife seemed more 500
"Well done, Kate" said Mrs. Huntington,
aughing, "you have used the word seem only
twice in that short sentence. And now you have
begging way about you, as if you were really
in earnest to hear something about married life,
before taking that fatal step. 1t is we'll Henry is
pot here to see the look of sadness in the eye of his
bride elect. He might fancy her heart was full of
misgivings instead of wedding fnery"
Don't laugh at me, Annette talk with me as
you used to do. love Henry, you know, and
yet have many misgvings about married life.
see so few who are really happy in this relation
mean happy as 1 should wish to be- You seem
to come near to it than any one else. Don't you
ever"
Quarrel no, not often, now. We had our
breaking in. believe it must come to all, soon
er or later"
"Do tell me about it, will you Annette?''
eyes, if you are very DESTROYS of it. You may
learn something from it. 1 was a romantic girl,
as you we'll know, Kate. Some few friends had,
whom loved dearly but these friendships did
not quite satisfy my heart Something more it
craved. l hardly knew what, until l loved MY
husband. When first married. used to
ask myself-now, do find in this life all which 1
expected to find Am l as happy | thought
should be =? My heart always responded, yes,
or more so. With us, the romance of married
= life, if | may call it so, held on a long time. For
my part, l conscious of pleasurablc excite
mcnt of feeling when we were together. | enjoy
ed riding and walking alone with him. The bright
est hours of the day were those in which we sat
down together, to talk or read. For long time
| felt gentle restraint in his presence. l liked
TO be bccomngly dressed, and to feel in tune
When dull, made effort to be social and cheer
4tu il he present. had great fear of get
Mtng into the way Of setting down stupidity with my
husband, or of having nothing to talk about but
ithe children and the butchers bill. | made bu-
sincss of remembering every pleasant thing which
read, or heard, or thought, to tell him. and
when all these subjects exhausted, we had
leach of us hobby VIC could ride SO that we were
@ncyer silent for want of something to say Thus
We lived for year or two. was very' happy
Z thnk people were often surprised to con-
tinue to enjoy each others society with so much
! ze>t
But there was this about it. AS yet had
nothing to try me- We were boarding | had nc
care, and his tenderness snd interest was sover-
cgn panacea for the little ills and roughnesses
which must fall to us in our best estate. This
could not last forever. He became more and more
occupied in his business, and | at length had 4
house and baby to look after. Then, for the
first time our mutual forbearance was put to the
test Hitherto we had been devoted to each 9th
er now the real cares of life pressed upon US Sc
as often really to absorb energies. was the
first to feel the change. 1t seemed to me as i
something was overshadowing us. Sometimes
would get sentimental, and think he did not love
me as he once did. AS look back now, an
convinced that here was my first acrong step. In
diligence in these moods weakened my resolution
1t was an injustice to him of which l ought not t.
have been guilty. 1t left me, too, with a wounded
feeling, as if l had been wronged, which began t.
affect my spirits.
81 had for some time carried about this litt
sore spot in my heart. l kept the matter all t.
myself for was in part ashamed and in part to-
proud to speak of it. Here was another wrona
step. There is no security of happiness in mar
ried life, but in the most perfect confidence.
"There came a season of damp chilly weather
One morning got up very irritable. had takel
cold my head ached, and my baby had been wor
risome during the night. In my kitchen 1 had
cross ignorant servant girl and on this particu
lar morning she had done her very worst for break
fast The beef-steak was burned to a cinder, tn
eggs were like bullets, the bread was half baked
and the coffee, which was our main stay, was ex
ecrable. My husband was very patient, with a
this, until he came to the coffee, and said in ha
Vexed tone,
'''I do wish we could ever have any good col
fees,Annette, why cannot you make it as mothe
does?'
"This was drop too much for me, and boi
ed over.
"'You never think any thing on our table fit t
be eaten said l, and almost started at the SCUM
of my own voice, you had better live at home,
you are not satisfied, or else'provide me with d.
cent servants. cannot do everything-take cal
of my baby all night and get the breakfast too.
eel did not know before that / was SO Ue,
unreasonable said he in tone of injured feeling
''He sat a few moments, then rose, left his Ill
tasted breakfast, put on his hat and went off,
When l heard the door shut behind him all n
temper left me. l went into my room, locke
myself in, sat down and cried like child. In
was the first cross Word had ever spoken to
husband 1t seemed to me as if some sudden
lamity had befaIlen us l worked myself up
such pitch of feeling, that l walked about u
room wringing my hands.
$40, it is all over with us, thought /; y
shall never be happy together again in this worlc
This thought made me unspeakably miserable.
felt as if black pail had fallen around me, and
the future there was only darkness. In my mi
cry sought to comfort myself by blaming hin
He need not have spoken SO to me, at any rate
said l, out loud he might have seen how fel
was too much for any one to bear. It real
was not bit kind in him. It is plain enough
does not care for my comfort as he once did,
Then to be always telling me what nice thin
MS mother cooks, when be knows am trying
90 my very best to learn to please him. It's REL