The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1858-06-12

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seen another mans wife about it he
would have hurried to help Der, and even
now cross Us he felt, concience smotc
him too roughly, and drawing on his
boots again, h. hurried to the other
room.
go in now Rose, and rest yourself.
I'll fnish," exclaimed he, as he waded
through the snow from the sink hole.
"im most through" she said faint
y-
8 And most froxc, too" he Dried, as he
touched her hand in taking the pail
and his heart getting wide awake he drew
her into the kitchen, seated her in her
rocker, and closing the door between
them finished carrying of the water, and
then put away everything neatly. When
he returned he found his wife stirring
up bowl Of buckwheat cakes.
"You seem determined to keep busy
till midnight" said he. "What else
will you find to do"
Nothing" said she, "only to grind
coffee, aud lay the table, pound the steak
and wash the potatoes.
"And SO you call that nothing? Here
give me the mill" A most energetic
grinding did the coffee have that night,
and the steak too was nearly pounded to
strings. But Mrs. Lee quitely laid the
table and prepared the vegetables her.
self.
"You look almost tired to DEATH"
said he as the work finally was all finisht d
up, and they drew chairs to the stove
"You shouldn't undertake to do SO much
when you don't feel we'll. There's no
need of it,"
"Ah," thought Mrs. Lee, ''if you had
only thought SO this morning." But
alas for her I'm the morning he was
always SO fresh and vigorous, himself,
being in perfect health, and sleeping in
cot bed away from his wife and fretting
baby, that he never thought that she
could feel feeble and weary, and unequal
to days task.
81 must have my nights rost," he
said when the little one proving very
restless at night he sought separate
couch. ~ must have my nights rest
because earn the bread" But it never
occurred to him that his wife needed
good nights rest that she might have
strength to knead the bread.
On the following morning Mr.. Lee rose
as was his custom, at daylight, built the
fire, put on the kettle, and then hurried
away to open the shop. He allowed his
wife an hour to get breakfast in, and make
her own aud children's toilet; and no mat
ter how hard the baby cried, or how cross
or wayward George or little Rose were,
he would hear no apology if it was not all
in readiness wheni he returned. ellis
mother had said, time aud time again,
that any housekeeper who was at all spry
might get breakfast fit to set before a
king in an hour" and this sentence he
dinned into his wife's ears every time
there was failure, forgetting to add that
his worthy mother never had three chill
dren to cling to her heels, and wash and
dress while she prepared meal. 4.
He was fated this morning to get a
glimpse into yomans minor trials. The
kolse seemed strangely quiet when he
re-entered, and when he opened the kitch-
en- door, instead Of being RECALLED with
the aroma of distilling coffee, and odors
Of boiling potatoes and pulling cakes, he
found the stove almost cold, and no one
present but his eldest born, who was
perched on high stool by the table dab
bling with spoon into molasses can.
"Where is mother" said he hastily aud
earnestly, satisfied that something was
| wrong.
40, my dear ma sick" lisped Rose !;
''she fell on the foor all white, and she
cant get up. You 90 help her.
He ran to the bed room, and there sure
enough lay Mrs. Lee on the carpet, in .
fainting tit.
Now Lee at heart was a good husband;
he loved his wife very dearly; she was
his morning star, his vesper light. Away
from home he was always boastiug of her
rare qualities, and exquisite household ar
rangemenss, calling her very jewel Of .
woman, and when everything went right
he was tender, gentle and affectionate.
But he was, like too many husbands, ex-
acting in the extreme. lie never made
allowances. Because everything went
right the FIRST year he was married, he
thought everything ought always to 60
right. He did not or would not realize
that maternity, especially when so rapid
as in this case, makes sad havoc Of wo-
mans strength and nerves, and that du-
ties increase with the birth Of every
child. Because his wife had done all the
work at first, he thought she might do it
always, and ascribed to laxincss what was
in fact the result of breaking constitu-
tion. Still, mad any one called him bad
husband, he would have resented the
term with all the eloquence Of his tongue
and the vigor of his fists. Did he not
provide good house, furnish it well, and
supply wardrobe and pantry abundantlyy
All! but wife has higher, holier wants
wants which husband can supplywith-
out putting his hand into his. .purse--soul-
wants, which soul-gifts can alone satisfy.
All the love that lay sleeping in his
hearts purest depths leaped up in fresh
and beautiful life at the moment, as he
saw the pale face before him, aud as ten
derly as though she were the bird of an
hour he lifted her to bed, and strovo to
bring back color to her white lips, and
| light to her sightless eyes. And swecEr
than any music that had ever thrilled
his ear were her first low, faint words.
All anxiety, all affection now, he inquired
what he should do first. She had been
sick, she said, all night, and when she
heard him rise, tried to call him, but was
too weak to make him hear. She had ris-
en- to try to prepare tor herself little
tea. but sank ON the floor at once in un.