Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1857-12-26

who had heard unpleasant words, but
did not fully understand their mean
ing.
+" It would cost US less to board and
you would be freed from household
cares"
am not trou led by them.'
" 1t is question of economy" said
Williams.
eff that is all. the question may as
well sleep" replied his wife, almost IN
differently Sc for 1t costs quite as much
to live in first class hotel or boarding
house as in your own home"
Williams had no more to say. A
deep sigh Auttercd from his lips his
gaze drew itself from the countenance
Of his wife, and thought went from his
home, to wonder among the seething
breakers towards which his vessel was
driving, hoping to find some narrow
passage through which he might steer
in safety to a smooth haven. lie felt
colder towards his wife after that; and
she was conscious of his GOODNESS with
out imagining the cause.
No change in the style or cost Of liv-
ing took place. That heavy burden he
had to carry, in addition to his other
heavy burdens, required all his strength.
During the two years that elapsed
before his feet were on firm ground
again he appeared to have lost all in
terest in his home, his wife, his children.
Mrs. Williams frequently said, lightly
speaking to her friends or acquaintan-
ces, that she had no husband now; Mr..
Williams had united himself to bust
ness in second marriage. If she
spoke thus in his presence, he would
part his lips in forced smile, or per-
haps, say, loosely, that she had better
have him before the courts for biga-
my.
Fashion, show, pleasure, filed up all
the time Of Mrs. Williams which was
not devoted to material duties and
household cares ; and business was the
Moloch at which Mr.. Williams sacri-
feed all social and home affections.
At forty, with a family of interesting
children springing up around them,
they were but coldly tolerant of each
other. Never having seen from the
begging Of her married life any good
reason for economy or self-denial, Mrs.
Williams had failed to practice these
virtues, but had suffered the opposite
vice Of extravaganza and self-indul-
gence to grow rankly as offensive weeds.
Her demands on her husbands purse
had, therefore, always been large, and
they steadily increased, until he was
learning to hold the strings more tight
ly, and to question and object whenev-
er she made what he thought large re-
QUESTIONS. Thus alterations were con-
stantly engendered, and at times there
was strife between them. Rouchness
on his part and petulence on hers Of
ten-came in to help the work Of es-
arrangement.
Twenty years of a false life, twenty
years in which two married partners,
warm and loving at the first went on
steadily growing cold towards each 9TH
er through the interposition Of sordid
and worldly things-twenty years Of
home intercourse but rarely frightened
by loves warm sunshine breaking the
leaden clouds Of care and folly-what
sad history is here! And is it
not the history Of thousands of our
over business men, and their thought
less, unsympathizing wives, who seek
outside Of hearts and homes what they
can never fnd-that tranquility Of soul
after which all aspire, but to which so
few attain. Alas, that it is SO!
All, that we could write, from hence
forth, a better record Of Leonard Will
liams and his wife. That we could tell
you, how, growing at last weary of
their vain existence they turned back,
athirst for the pure y;ksrs whose sywt,
ness had once refreshed them, finding
again the fountain Of eternal youth.
But it was not so. Habits of tho't
and feeling were hardened into that
second nature which is rarely broken
up. If, occasionally, the restless heart
returned along its life journey, seeking
for some of the lost flowers and vanished
fragrance, their sweetness was perceiv-
ed only as the dim light of dream
not real enough to inspire an effort to
seek restoration. And so they moved
in GOODNESS Of twilight. Age fonnd him
q sordid, irritable, unhappy man-and
she nervous, restless, vain, disap-
pointed woman.
There are such, reader, all around.
you. But keep your heart warm. Do
not suffer it to grow cold towards your
wife or husband. Shut out the vain
thoughts Of the world. The home-lov-
ers arewarmest, the home lights bright
est and they will grow warmer and
brighter with years, II you feed them
with the pure oil Of unsel6sh afec-
tons.
DISTANCE OF THE STARS. -'' The
distance that separates us from the
nearest stars is, according to NJ. Ara
go, about FOG, 200 times che distance
Of the sun from the earth, more than
206, coo times 05, 100000 Of miles,
Alpha, in the constellation of Centaur,
is The star nearest the earth; it's light
lakes more than three years to roach
10, so that, were the star annihilated,
We should still see it for. three years
after its destruction. If the sun we're
transported to the place Of this, the
aaarest star the vast circular disc