Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1855-04-12

time he kept his situation to himself, and
went about with haggard countenance, and a
breaking heart. His life was but 4 protracted
agony; and what rendered it more insupporta-
bic was the necessity of keeping up a smile in
the presence of his wife; for he could not
bring himself to overwhelm her with the news.
She saw, however, with the quick eyes of af-
fection, that all was not well with him. She
marked his altered looks and stiAed sighs, and
was not to be deceived by his sickly and vapid
attempts at cheerfulness. She tasked all her
Sprightly powers and tender blanishments to
win him back to happiness but she only drove
the arrow deeper into his soul The more he
saw cause to love her, the more torturing was
the thought that he was soon to make her
wretched. A little while, thought he, and
the smile will vanish from that cheek-thc
song will die away from those lips-the lustre
of those eyes will be quenched with sorrow
and the happy heart which now beats lightly
in that bosom, will be weighed down like
mine, by the cares aid miscries of the world.
At length he came to me one day, and re-
lated his whole situation in a tone of the deep
est despair. When | heard him thro' | in
quired, "Does your wife know all this % At
the question he burst into an agony of tears.
.'For Gods sake ~ cried he, elf You have any
pity on me, don't mention my wife ; it is the
thought of her that drives me almost to mad
ness ~
"And why not?" said l. "She must know
it sooner or later; you cannot keep it long from
her, and the intelligence may break upon her
in more startling manner, than if impaired
by yourself; for the accents of those we love
soften the harshest tdings. Besides, you are
depriving yourself of the comforts of her SYM
pathy and not merely that, but also endan-
gering the only bond that can keep hearts to-
gether-an unreserved community of thought
and feeling. She will soon perceive that some
thing is secretly preying upon your mind and
true love will not brook reserve it feels un-
| dervalued and outraged, when even the sor-
rows of those it loves are concealed from it. "
ooh; but, my friend to think what blow
am to give to all her future prospects-how
am to strike her very soul to the earth, by
telling her that her husband is begger. that
she is to forego all the cegancies of life-all
the pleasures of society-to shrink with ME in
to indulgence and obscurity! To tell her that
l have dragged her down from the sphere in
which she might have continued to move in
constant brightness-the light Oh every eye
the admiration of every heart. How can she
bear poverty? she has been brought up in all
the re6nements of opulence. How can she
bear neglect she has been the idol of society
Oh it will break her heart-it will break her
heart -"
saw his grief was eloquent, and let it
have its flow; for sorrow relieves itself by
words When his paroxysm had subsidized,
and he had relapsed into moody silence, Ire
sumed the subject gently, and urged him to
break his situation at once to his wife. He
shook his head mournfully, but positively.
"But how are you to keep it from her? 1t
is necessary she should know it, that you may
take the steps proper to the alteration of your
circumstances You must change your style
of living nay" observing a pang to
pass across his countenance, don't let that af
fict you. l am sure you have never placed
your happiness in outward show-you have
yet friends, warm friends, who will not think
the worse of you for being less splendidly lodg-
ed: and surely it does not require palace to
be happy with Mary -"
81 could be happy with her" cried he, con-
vulsively, ''in hovel Il could go down with
her into poverty and the dust II could
could-God bless her God bless her!' cri-
ed he, bursting into transport Of grief and
tenderness.
"Believe me, my friend" said I, stepping
up, and grasping him warmly by the hand,
''she can be the same with you. Ay more !:
it will be a source of pride and triumph to her
it will call forth all the latent energies and
fervcnt sympathies of her nature; for she will
rejoice to prove that she loves you for yourself.
There is in every true woman's heart spark
of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the
broad daylight of prosperity; but which kin
dies up, and beams and blazes in that dark
hour of adversely. No man knows what the
wife of his bosom is-no man knows what
ministering angel she is-until he has gone
with her through the frcry trials of thisworld. "
There was something in the earnestness of
my manner, and the 6gurative style of my Ian
guage, that caught the excited imagination OF
Leslie. l knew the auditor I had to deal with;
and following up the impression had made,
I finished my persuading him to so home and
unburden his sad heart to his wife.
1 must confess, Notwithstanding all had
said, felt some littlesolicitude for the result.
Who can calculate on the fortitude of one
whose whole life has been around Of pleasures!
Her gay spirits might revoltat the dark down
ward path of low humility suddenly pointed
out before her, and might cling to the sunny
regions in which they had hitherto reveled.
Besides, ruin in fashionable life is aceompani-
ed by so many CALLING notifications, inwhich
in other ranks it is a stranger. In short, [
could not meet Leslie the next morning with
out trepidation. He had made the disclosure.
"And how did she bear it ?"
"Like an angel. 1t seemed to be rather
relief to her mind, for she threw her arms
round my neck, and asked if this was all that
had lately made me unhappy. But poor cir"
added he, "she cannot realize the change we
must undergo. She feels as yet no privation
she suffers no loss of accustomed conveniences
nor elcgancies. When VIC come practically
to experience its sordid cares, it's paltry wants,