Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-09-03

mother went on,
"She's no housekeeper -"
"she's young, mother. She'll learn," he
said interrupting her. .,
"She had no right to marry until she knew
how to make eup1of tea !" The old lady
spoke with considerable asperity. 49,.
"Mother !' ..-. .....
ri say just what I mean. Not single
cup of tea have I yet tasted in your house,
that was ft to drink I don't know how
you can put up with such stuff. You wouldn't
have done it at my table, I'm very sure"
"Please, mother, don't talk so any more
about Ida I can't bear to hear it." ...'.
"You can't bear to hear the truth, Ed
ward. I speak for Ida's good and your own,
too. She's wife, now; not mere sweet
heart. And she's your housekeeper besides,
with something more to do and to care for,
than dress, music, party going and enjoy
ment. 1 must say, as I said a little while
ago, that I am disappointed in her. What
are girls thinking about nowadays, when
they get married." Surely, not Of their
husbands household comforts"
"If you please, mother, We will change
the subject" said the'young man, who was
exceedingly panied by the strong language
he had heard. He spoke so firmly that the
matter was dropped, and. not again alluded
to at the time. -. &C.,
We have, now, an explanation of the
change in the young husband estate Of mind.
There were some truths In what his mother
! had said, and this made it so much the har-
der to bear The first shadow had fallen,
that dimped the brightness of his new and
happy life. 80,
Still the defects in Ida--very small to his
eyes, even after they were pointed out by his
mother-wsre things of no moment. He
had not intended her for household drudge.
Was she not loving hearted, accomplished
and beautiful? What more could he ask :?
True, he had intended her for the presiding
genius of his home; and there were sober,
matter-of-fact things to be done in all homes.
But her devotion to these would come in
good time.
How Edward came to speak as he did a.
bout the tea and toast, was, almost on the
instant he had given utterance to his words,
mystery to himself, He started with the
start he gave his young wife, and trembled
for the effect of his unkindly uttered words.
He would have given much could he have
recalled them. But they were said beyond
any power Of unsaying.
The reference of his mother to the indif-
ferent tea with which she had been served
at his table, had not only mortified him, but
made some things distinct in his memory,
which before, were only seen dimly, and as
matters of Indifference. Where all was so
bright, why should be turn his eyes upon a
few fragments of clouds skirting the fair hor-
lion? He would not have done so if left to
himself. The clouds might have spread un-
til very much larger than mans hand, be-
fore their murky aspect would have drawn
his happy vision from the all-pervading hap
piness.
Ida's hand, which was raising a cup to her
lips, fell almost as suddenly as if palsied a
paleness overspread her countenance; her
lips had motion between a quiver and a
spasm. From her eyes, which seemed bound,
as by spell, to her husbands face, tears
rolled out and fell in large drops over her
cheeks.
Never before, since Edward had looked
upon that dear, young face, had he seen its
brightness so yelled. Never before, had a
word Of his been answered by anything but
smiles and love responses.
"I'm sorry, Edward" How the sad,
trenulous voice of Ida rebuked the young
husbands unkindness at shall not be 80
again"
And she kept her word. Suddenly he had
awakened her from bright, dreamy illusion.
She had been in kind of fairy land. The
hard, everyday working world, with its COM
mon working-day wants, by an unooked-for
shifting of scenery: had struck with an un-
lovely aspect upon her startled vision; the
jagged edges of the real woundng painfully
her soft ideal. But once awakened, she nev-
er slept again. 1t was the first shadow that
fell dimly and coldly upon her married heart,
the first, and to the Inexperienced, We
need not say the last
Burnt toast and bad tea To think that
common things like these should have power
to shadow young heart basking in the sun
light of love Ida had thought of her hus-
band as almost Indifferent tot the vulgar wants
his words made manifest She saw clearer
now. He was but flesh and blood like the
rest.
Very-very tenderly spoken were all the
words of Edward to his young wife, during
the shadowed evening that followed this first
dimming of their home-light. And Ida who
felt the kindness of his heart, tried to smile
and to seem as of old. But, somehow, she
could not force into existence the smiles she
wished to send out as tokens of forgiveness
Thoughts of the bad tea and burnt toast, the
"usual'-ah there lay the smart .--evening
entertainment she had provided; or, rather,
suffered to be provided by unskilfui hands
were her own any more sklful for her re-
turning husband haunted her all the while
cit shall not be so again !' Not idly ut
tered were these words. All the evening
she kept repeating them to herself, with a