The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1857-07-09

full attentions of q physician. don't
think the doctor has been out of my
house for two weeks at time for six
years, and am sure he has received
more than fifteen hundred dollars of my
money in that time The fact is, what
with doctors bills, nurses, medicine, and
the hundred nameless expenses sick
wife entails upon man, my fortunes have
been marred. They Reep me poor"
Wilkins spoke in a fretful voice. 1t
was plain that he had grown impatient
under the trials to which the bad health
of his wife had exposed him.
I called at his store again toward even
ing, and went home with him. Had l
met Mrs. Wilkins on the street, would
not have recognized in her the happy
tr.de, who. ten years before, blushing in
beauty, | had seen giving her hand in a
life partnership. with such loving conf
dence in the future, to the husband of her
choice. Her countenance was wasted,
all her beautifully rounded outlines were
gene; her eyes deeply sunken, were
languid to indift renee her hair, once
richly luxuriant, had falleu of, until
sc rce half off remained, and that look, d
dry and crisp, with here and there a pre-
mature line of grey. She stopped slight
( ly, and her motions were Hfeless,
A faint smile parted her lips as I grasp
ed her hand, with all the warmth of a
friendly interest. But it faded almost as
soon as it was born. | tried to talk with
her in cheerful strain, and did succeed
in awakening brief interest in the olden
time. But the present was too painfully
real thing it would not let he r thoughts
indulge in pleasant fancies. / could not
help asking about herself and her chill
dren ; and this turned the current of her
feelings into its wonted channel !; and /
listened to her heart histories and expert
ences in sickness, until my own feelings
were deeply shadowed. I pitied her
What somber, suffering life had been
hers Into what world of misery, in
stead of happiness, had marriage trans
lated her +!
As she talked, observed her husband
carefully. Itwas plain he had but little
/ sympathy with his wife's state of feeling.
He was sufferer with her, though in a
lighter degree; and, as hit suferings
originated in hers, there was certain
lack of kindly patience toward his com.
panion. Several times he interrupted
her trying TO draw the conversation into
another channel and once or twice he
threw in deprecating sentences, as if she
were exagerating the unhappy story o.
her life.
learned that Mrs. Wilkins rarely, il
!. ever went out of her own house. Hel
duties were very arduous, and her abil
ity, from i'll health, small. Every day
t she worked to bodily exhaustion, ant
usually in pain. There was no recrea
: tion of any kind, bodily or mental. 1t wa
q a living death. No wonder she was
n dropping, wretched. nervous woman.
. Oh the next day | called to see M
;. friend at his store, my mind made up t,
have IL plain talk with him. I referred
to his wife, expressing in regard to he
. earnest sympathy.
"Poor Mary !" he replied, "her case i
;. hopeless. and mine too, I fear"
y "While there's life there's hope"
said, using the physicians half despairin
;, axiom.
III He regarded me little curiously.
. "How often 10 you take her out rid
! ing % enquired.
Hh snook his head. "Can't affor
y carriage hire; much as I can do to pa
the doctor. No, no, neither of us hav
time or money to spend for riding out"
"Change and fresh air you will fin
better and cheaper medicines than docte
stuff. Do you take her to the sea shol
once a year? :? or to the springs, or TO tt
meuntains?"
ii You are jesting." he replied with tt
ID air of one who felt that an undue libert
'r had been taken
re "Far from it my FRIEND" I answere
ee seriously. "I feel too warm an intere
q in you to jest on subject like this
~ "The sea shore, the springs, the meu
tains are summer luxuries beyond Il
n reach of our ability: :" he spoke sadly.
n "Do not name them as luxuries
ht your case. # the enervated votary
as pleasure and fashion needs them for re
ch reation, and to impart a new zest to Il
'st years succeeding round Of gay existenc
how much more essential are they (
!" the sick, the nervous, the exhausted to
dy er in life's field of earnest labor fe,
af- my friend, that you have not thoug
,e, wisely ofyour wife's true position Il
" in some ssnse, you are to blame for /
nd present i'll health and state Of mental d
ng preston.
nd "How ?" Wilkins looked surprise