The Hillsborough recorder., 1857-05-20
THE Tw o WIVES.
BY HETTY HoLYoKE.


ing down his newspaper, seated himself on
the sofa beside his wife.
A hand slid into his own, thinner and less
delicate than when, long ago, it had first
met his; but the same confding, loving
hand.
! And out Of the fullness of her heart the
good wife spoke: !" have been thinking.
Charles, as l watched this bright freight
Pickering over our comfortable room, how
happily we live; how much we ought to do
for others, in return for the blessings that
are daily heaped upon our heads"
"Yes, Carrie, but these blessings are
earned by daily work; you women sit at
home by the comfortable fires, and little
think how your husbands and fathers are
toiling meantime to procure the shelter. and
fuel, and food for which you are so grateful
to Providence"
An arch smile lighted the still pretty face,
as the wife answered, "Ah, and you hus-
bands and fathers enter the orderly house,
and eat the wel-cooked punctual meals, and
play with the neat, well-dressed and we'll
disciplined children, and enjoy the evening
comfort and repose, without realizing how
your wife, with head and hand, and heart,
must have toiled to bring about all these
quiet results. l might easily give you
practical proofs Of what | have asserted j;
but delight in having you think Of home
as place for enjoyment and repose, a warm,
sunny harbor after the storms and chills Of
the world outside therefore, take my own
rest at the time you take yours. Is not this
better than to be always keeping before you,
by help Of little management, the convic-
tion that am a weary yictimf Our inte-
rests are mutual, and l feel that the knowl-
edge am resting, adds to your repose."
Mr.. Lighte's face glowed with pleasure at
his wife's candid, simple, confding words:
she sympathized with and understood him
she only in the great wide world How he
loved her. How good, and true, and gentle
she had always been!
Thus he thought, as they both sat dream
ing by the fireside.
i Mrs. Lighte awoke first from her reverie
she was not accustomed to waste time in
dreams Charles, while | think Of it, for
forgot this morning, the white sugar is all
out, they had been married great while,
and the transition from sentiment to house
hold wants was natural for her, we must
have another BARREL"
This brought Charles Lighte back to the
purpose for which he had thrown aside his
newspaper; Don't you think, Carrie, that
now we have so many children, and they
) all young, we might use brown sugar instead
Of white; :"
"What shall do for company and, be-
; sides, children have as sensitive palates as
we. recollect well, how, in my childhood,
disliked coarse, cheap food"
"And now your family are all epicures."
"What gluttons !"
"0h, no but il meat is an hour too old,
or bread a trifie done, or eggs in the least
: altered, or pudding is heavy, nothing will do
/. but YOU must procure substitute; the things
E are not really bad; many would eat on for
1 the sake Of economy"
"Is there no good result from my epicuri-
anism !"
"Yes; am willing to own that no man
in the city has more nutritious and palatable
food on his table than |; but, Carrie, the
times are hard, and we must begin to econo-
mise"
Nov understand: you have been talk
ing with Mr.. Murke; thought you meant
to dissolve your copartnership in the spring |;
that man will spoil you with his meanness."
a cannot afford to dissolve yet; my
family expenses are too heavy. And besides,
| am not sure but what you call meanness
in Murke, is, after all, commendable foresight.
DO you not remember what spendthrift he
: was in his first wife's day -
mo, Charles. | remember that when
we were lovers, we used to admire his ge-
!. nerous disinterested conduct. | do not
Il know q man in Boston whose position was
more truly enviable than his at the time Of
which We speak"
"What besieged BY high and low, for
help, never sure Of a moment at his own
command DO you call il enyiable to be at
y every ones beck and call: Was poor
le family burnt out, or somebody's fifth cousin
10 to be buried, or minister to be admonished
N Or supported, or a returning prodigal 10
,. make peace with his family, or a lunatic
le taken 10 the hospital, or city improvement
n, made. no one could accomplish the object %
y well as Murke.n
Il !" And his pleasure lay IN his duty how
his honest face would glow with delight a..
IN his boyish way, he walked up and down
our parlGr, relating the success Of some
benevolent scheme. What pity he could
not have died then; the rough exterior
would have fallen away from strong yet
gentle soul, as beautiful and radiant as any
angel that ever entered heaven"
/" But, Carrie, YOU little enthusiast. what
would have happened 10 his wife and chill.
dreni Had William Murke died ten year.
ago, they might have been in the poor. house
for he had not saved penny then; nov
they will inherit handsome fortunes"
"Oh. Charles. you cannot be IN earnest
the world has not so blinded you but yoe
must feel that the wealth in his purse Is 4
poor compensation for the wealth that Is iast
dying out Of his soul. Think what a cheer.
less home--think how his children arc nc,
elected, how ignorant they are allowed tC
remain Of all the courtcsies and amenities q
LITE. and what little s,srscruWs ~ appeal