Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1858-07-13

of being thought stuck up like poor cousir
Lily 80
"What do-you mean"
"Why YOU know they always dine at six tt
suit the Doctors arrangements. One day Lily
called about some, society matter on a Ia
DIV Who lives nota hundred miles from her street
about FIVE o'clock in the afternoon. The lady
herself came to the door and Lily was about en-
teripg, when the thought she perceived the
smell of roast meat in tho hall, and said very
politely: ."But perhaps it is your dinner
hour2"
"No indeed!" replied madam, with iudigna-
ton, ''We don't dine at this time of day, we are
not so stuck upl''
"Poof Lilyl' exclaimed Mr.. Ashton, laughing
'what did she say?"
"Oh She did her errand, and retired, Of
course. There was nothing to be said"
Mr.. Ashton turned to go into the study, and
as he did so, his foo. caught in the carpet, and
he was pearlythrown down. ChrsseY started
in alarm, but he recovered himself, and said
pettishly enough
81 do wish you would have that carpet nailed
down. have stumbled over it twenty times
in the course of week do believe"
81 thought Amy had fastened it" returned
his wife with perfect mildness. 81 am sure
saw her at work there. The door must pull it
out of place, think"
"Oh! of course, there is some excellent reason
for its being out of order. 1t seems to me that
with all your ingenuity, you might find some
way of making it more secure"
He rurned into his study, shutting the door
after him with rather unnecessary force, and
Mrs. Ashton returned to the fire and arranged
her work basket for the day, with something of
q cloud on her fair face. Sh- was not left long
undisturbed, for Mr.. Ashton's voice was soon
heard calling her in impatient tones. She sigh
ed, but arose and entered the next room, where
she found her husband standing before his bu-
reau partly dressed, and with shirts, cravats
and handkerchiefs, scattered about him like a
kind of snow, while his face bore an expression
of melancholy reproach at once painful and
slightly ludicrous.
@What is the lnatters"
ooh the old story Not button where it
ought to be, not shirt ready to wear l do
not mean to be unreasonable" he continued in
an agitated voice, as he tumbled over the things
to the manifest discomposure of the clean linen
"but really Chrissey, think that you might
see that my clothes are in order. l am sure
would do more than that for you; but here am
DELAYED and put to the greatest inconvenience,
because you cannot sew on those buttons
should really think that little Of the time you
spend in writing to George and Henry might as
we'll be bestowed on me-"
This address was delivered in a tone and man.
ner of mournful distress, which might have been
justified perhaps if Mrs. Ashton had picked his
pocket as he was going to church.
"What is the matter with this shirt ?" asked
Cbrissey, quietly examining one of the discard
ed garments. ''It seems to have all the buttons
in their puces and this one too is quite perfect
and here is another My dear husband, how
many shirts do you usually wear at time9"
"Oh! it is all very well for you to smile, my
love. but do assure you found several with
no means at all of fastening the wristbands
we had breakfast late, and low shall be detain-
ed half an hour, when ought to be away.
know YOU mean well, but if you had served a
Years apprenticeship with my mother before
you were married, it might have been all the
better for yoar housekeeping"
SIT might have prevented it altogether, u
thought Chrissey; but the thought was repress-
ed in q moment. She picked up and replaced
the scattered apparel, folded the snowy cravats,
warmed his shoes, and saw the beautiful little
Communion service, presented by lady OF the
parish, and consecrated to such sufferers as Mag
gy Carpenter, was in readiness Before he left
the house, Mr.. Ashton had forgotten both his
fretfulness and its cause. He kissed his wife,
thanked her for her trouble, proposed that she
should send for Lily to spend the day with her,
and strobe away with his usual elastic step and
pleasant face. w
Ohrissey watched him from the door till he
. turned into the next street, and then went back
to the fireside to her own reflections.
This fretfulness and tendency to be greatly
disturbed at little matters was almost her hus-
bands only fault. He was self.sacriicing to the
last degree, faithful and indefatigable, as an a.
postle almost, in his professional labors, liberal
TO fault, and in his administration of parish
matters, wise and concliating to all. He could
bear injuries, with the greatest patience and was
never known to harbor resentment.
But with all these good qualities, MIR. Ashton
had one fault--a fault which threatened to dis
turb and finally to destroy the comfort OF his
married life. If his wife by extravaganza or
bad management had wasted his income and In
yolvel himself in difficulties it is probable that
;. he would never have spoken an unklnd word To
her; but the fact of button being missing, or
S book removed from its place, would produce q
: lamentation half indignant and half pathetic
: which rang in Chrissey's ears, and made her
t heart ache long after Clement had forgotten il
$ altogether. Strange as it may seem, MIR. Ash
4 ton had never thought of this habit OF which
:. indeed, he was perfectly conscious, as fault
d He thought indeed, that was pity he should be
P so sensitive, and sometimes said that he wished
y he had not such love for order and symmetry
for then he should not be so often annoyed BY
Q the habits of other people. He said to himself
q that it was one of his peculiar trlals-tiat ever
Chrissey, perfect as she was, did not come up tC
his ideas in this respect, but that his Pecuiial
IL 70
It came trials to other people, he did not imagine
e He had indeed remarked, in spite of himself
y that Ohristiana's face was not as cheerful nor
J. her spirits as light as when they were first mar
: ried and he regretted that the cares OF house
d keenine should weigh SO heavily upon her; bu
:, nothing was farther from his thoughts than tha
+ ANYTHING in himself could have produced the
Q change. Mr. Ashton exhausted with his day.
J. work turned towards home with his mind an(
= heart full of all that he had seen and felt. LII
e said very little during dinner, but when the ia
ble cloth was removed, and he sat down in hi
Q dressing gown and slippers before the fire, he re
r lated to his wife all the events of the day, des
# cribinp. with all the earnest enthusiasm OF hi:
| aernest natnre. the patience and holy reslgna
: tion he had witnessed, and ended by saying
| "Certainly religion has power to sustain ant
s console under ali trials and under every mis-
ooHeoiS'
9 fortune"
Except the loss of button" replied Chrsse!
: seriously. "That is q misfortune which neithe
philosophy nor religion can enable one to sus
!, tain"
f The reverend Mr.. Ashton started as though
d pistol had been discharged at his ear.
d "Why what do you mean, Ohrissey?"
: "Just what | say" returned Chrissey with tn
b some soberness. yourself for instance; yol
t can endure with the greatest resignation the los
d of friends and misfortune | never saw you rut
4 fled by rudeness or abuse from others, or SHOW
). any iinpatience under severe pain; but the los
d of button from your shirts, or nail from tn