Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-10-02

| Lee took up the heavy basket and went ont
into the keen, cold night air and hung ont the
| clothes. The snow was up to her knees the
garments frozen ere they touched the line. the
whlstllng wind swept them about so wildly that
sue cGuld scarcely pin them, the frost glued her
eSelLus ana Oenumoed her fingers and when
the hireling task was over she sank down move
dead than alive beside the glowing hearth.
der feet, hands and ,cheeks stung with agony.
while sharp, stabbing pains in her side warned
her Of trouble to come
"Oh, II | were only through" groaned She
and then she thought she would let the calicoes
| lie, and the mOppIng go till tomorrow; but
when after awhile she became so"ewbat
warmed, arguing that every day brought its
| own appointed task, she rose wrung out and
| starehed the calicoes and hung them on a
clothes horse behind the stove. Then she took
the mop and pail, and the painted floor was
| soon free from speck or stain She was in st
wringing out the cloth with which she had
washed tho hearth, when her husband entered.
''GraclOus. aint you done yet? What on
earth allS you to be so long about everything
to-day And now I've got to si. here on this
wet floor" And again he jorked chair to the
| fire.
Mrs: Lee did not speak. She could usually
restrain her feelings, but she was so worn and
wearled now that she felt if she strove to an
swer there would como a food of tears She
quietly turned in the sink room and commenced
cmptylng the tubs into pals that she might the
castor throw ont tho water
Mr.. Lee did not sit very easy in his chair.
lie had spent the whole evening in pleasant chat
at friend sitting room, and in spite of all he
could do, something kept swelling under his left
ribs, and away down in his heart Le felt re-
preached for not staying at home and assisting
MS VIE And there she was now, q delicate
woman, carrying out suds on this cold night.
and ne Comfortably seated before a blazing fire
If he had seen another mans wife about it. be
would have hurried to help her, and even now.
cross as ne felt, conscience smote him too
roughly, and drawing on his boots again, he
hurried to the other room
Go In now, Rose, and rest yourself-I'll
hnlsh, exclaimed be, she waded through
the snow from the sink hole
= In most through" she said family.
And most froze, too" cried he, as he
touched her hand in taking the pals and his
heart getting now wide awake, he drew her
into the kitchen, seated her in her rocker and
closing the door between them finished carving
ON The water and put every thing away neatly
When he returned he found his wife in the pan
try stirring up bowl of buckwheat batter.
- lou seem determined to keen busv till
midnight" said he. What else will YOU find
to do -
:, Nothing" said she, only to grind the
coffee, lay the table, pound the steak and wash
the potatoes
and So you call that nothing? Here. give
Lae tne lnil And most energetic grinding
did the coffee have that night, and the steak.
too, was nearly pounded to strings But Mrs
Lee quietly laid the table and prepared the
vegetables herself
You look tired almost TO death said he q.
the work finally all finished up, they drew their
chairs to the stove. ''TOu shouldn' undertake
TO do 50 much when you DOM feel well There's
no need of it,
All" thought Mrs Lee 81 if you had only
said so this morning. But alas for her, In
the morning he was always 60 fresh and vigor-
Gus himself, being in perfect health and sleep
Ing IN Cot bed, away from his wife and fret
tlng oaDy, that he never thought she could feel
feeble and weary, and unequal to the days
task.
must have my night 6 rest, " he said, when
the last little one, proving to be very worrisome
at night, he sought separate couch . must
have my nights rest, because earn the bread
But II never occurred to him that his wife
needed good nights rest. that she might have
strength TO knead the bread ShOrt-sighted
man!
On the following morning, Alr. Lee rose, as
was hls custom, at daylight; built the fire, put
on the Kettle, and then hurried away 10 open
the shop. lie always allowed his wife an hour
TO get breakfast in, and make her own and chill
dren toilet. and 10 matter how hard the baby
cried, or how cross or wayward Gc0rge and
hose were, be would hear no apology if all was
n0tln readiness when he returned. Ellis mother
had said time and again, that any hOusekecper
who was at all spry, might got u breakfast fit
to set before king in all hour" and this .en-
fence he dlnned into hi. wifc's ears every time
there was a failure, forgetting to add that his
worthy mother never had three childron to
cling to her heels and wash and dress whiIo
she prepared "a meal. =
He was fated this morning TO get a ylimpso
f.a "a 81.
strangely quiet when he re-entered, and when
he opened the kitchen door, instead Of being
RECALLED with the aroma of distiling coffee, and
the odOrs Of brOiling steak browning potatoes
ard putting cakes he found the stove almost
cold and no ono present but his oldest born,
who was percheA i'll a high chair by the table,
dabbling with her spoon into the moIa asses can,
.' Where is mother said he, hastily and
earnestly, satisfied that something was wrong.
= U, my dear ma sick, spect, lisped Rose.
> she fell oh the floor all white, and she can't
get up. You go help hor."-
he ran to the bedroom and sure enough
there lay Mrs Lee on the carpet in fsinting
mt. Now Mr- Lee atheart was good husband:
he loved mis- wife very dearly; she was his morn
ing star, and his vesper light Away from
home he was always bOasting of her rare yir-
tues and her exquisite household management,
calling her very jewel Of q woman, and when
everything went right, he was tender gentle
anu dhcctlohate But he was ike too many
husbands, exacting in the extreme lie never
made allowances. Because everything went
right the first year he was married, be thought
everything ought always to go right He did
not, or would not realize that maternity, espe-
e.ally when So rapid as in this case, makes sad
havoc in woman's strength and nerves. and
that duties increase with the birth of each lit
tie one Because his wife had done all her
work at first, he thought she might do it al
ways, and ascribed To lazinees what was in fact
tho result OF a breaking constitution. Still had
any one called him bad husband, he would
have resented the term with all the eloquencs
of bis tongue and the vigor of his ists bid he
not provide good house, furnish 1t we'll, and
supply woodshed, wardrobe and pantry abund-
anuy All, yes but wife has higher, holier
wants-wants which husband can supply
without putting his hand into his purse-soul
wants which soul gifts alone can satisfy.
TO BIZ CONTINUED