Kanawha Valley star. [volume] (Charleston, Va. [W. Va.]) 1856-1861, 1858-09-28
too selfish and narrow thoughted to feel
the Influence Of honorable principle.

! slle ihhuence OF honorable principe.
4 An lextrayagant loveof dress aud orna
i1ment characterized her from the begin
ming, and she would hearken to none D
her husbands gently offered remonstran
ces. Nearly halfof his income shs spen
during the first yearzof their marriage, il
dress and jewelry.
The demand for d two hundred dollar
breast-pin, coming upon young Blakely,
as i did, alta time when he had Just made
the unpleasant discovery Of his deficit in
his incorne compared with his expenses,
LOT seyefal hundred dollars, dlydisheart.
Iened him. But he was not brave enough
70 meet the exigeney and therefore, weak
/ " yielded to demand that should have
been met by unfinching refusal tsi
+ The first of January found Bakely
short of funds by considerably more than
the price to be paid for the diamond pin.
Canfeld's bill came in, and must De set
tied. would not do for himl to hold
back IN the matter Of payment. for the
IJeWellsE was an acquaintance of more
/ than ore Of the directors Of the bank, and
Questions might be asked, and infarences
drawn prejudicial to his Standing, 10 an
Eevll hPur. under distress Of mind and
stroHg temptation, the young man made
q false entry, which enabled himFto ex-
tract two hundred dollars from the funds
i Of the bank
That was only the beginning Of ! series
LOT defalcations, which ran. through many
years. before the exposure came which
always follows such course of crime w.
Ill was easier.now to supply the extrava-
CANT demands Of his wife, whose annual
wardrobe, and bills for jewelry, for which
she had that passion which is character
i lstic ofsweak minds, almost reached the
full amount of his salary
I But%Ihe end came at last. One NOR
ming seven years from the dayIof. their
| inaliage. MT, and Mrs. Blakely were
Eabont leaving for the opera, when Their
bell was iFung violently. Mr.. Blakely
started and turned pale with d sudden
Epresendmeat ofeyil IL
/ { What is the matter?" asked his wife,
lwho say the singular change in hisRcoun4
teaancs &c i
! MI! Blakely did not answer, buIE stood
listening towards thedoor. MeuisYoices
We're n6w heard, and the tread of heavy
| feet alohg the passage. There as.a.start
and. a hurried movement by Blakely
WHO are they? What is the meaning
Eof this asked Mrs. Blakely III alarm.
AT thatmoment two men entered theropm.
I" You are arrested, !" said one ofthem,
!" ona charge of defalcation. = n Az
Mrs Blakely shrieked, bull Her hus-
band sood still and statue like, His face
Of an ,ashen hue. IlEEf
'fGeorgel. George This is false !! .
exclainised Mrs. Blakely, recovering her.
self, You could not stopp to crime =
81 II II true" he answered III a Low, sad,
despairing voice Then laying one OF
his fingers on the diamond pin thar gilt
tered on her bosom, lie added, speaking
to her ear alone
You gained that.at Che price ofvour
husbands dishonor You demanded it.
| rennorstrated. and said / could not af-
ford 80 costly an ornament. YouErepeat-
ed yourdemand, and I, weak foil THAT I
was, permitted the contraction OF 4 debt
that could only be concealed BY dishonest
means. thought, when ! married you,
that I had obtained wife whose virtues
might help me upwards Oh the way to-
Heaven but you have proved only IA
tempting fend. dragging me daily nearer
and nearer the brink Of destruction. over
which Tnow fallto hopeless ruin ! have
robbed Che bank, but. it was for Won | =
Then turning 10 the officers, he said,
in calm voice. i. III
a arnat your service. Z u
Z The words Of her husband had stunned
Mrs. Blasely. Ere she recovered herself
he was gone. She never saw.him after
wards. That night he passed'to his aes.
count before a higher tribunal than an
earthly one, and she was left in poverty
and disgrace.
Tic STORY is one ofHereryf day lffe.-
George Blakely IS the Representative Of a
fclass. Not all Of them rob banks, or de-
Sftaud their employers. But all,of Them
10 support idle, extrayagant wives in cost
IL eshtblishments--costly in comparison
with their means spend more than their
earnings Or profits, and fail III the end to
pay their just obligations. f
A modern young lady, fashionably ed
ucased and with modern notions Of style,
fashion and domestic equipments, lissalto-.
gether too costlya article for a yoang
man Of small means or. 4 moderate salary.
Diamond pins, rich silks and laceB, nose
wood furniture, six, seven, eight Or nine
hundred dollar houses. opera, balls. fash.
ionable parties, Saratoga and Newport,
and success in business. are altogether
out OF ne 4uestion. Ifyoung men would
unite the latter and matFimony, they must
look intoanother circle for wives. Agirl
who IS independent enough to earn her
own living as teacher Or with heEneedle,
is wife worth i score ofsuch butterflies
OF fashion and rising young man. who
has only His industry forrest upon for sue.
cess IN LID, is 4 fool to marry any ather.
Useful Industry is always honorable. and
differenceof sex makes 10 difgerenceIin.
this particular.
CHARf-T is the winter angel Of that
world. and a,sout the only one that stayed
behind ID keep Hope company, when
they moved on that sa1 firstof May, from
the Edenb to Heaven.