Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-09-18
MORNING LEADER.
THE TWO WIVES.
~ HETTY HOLYoEE.
Concluded.
C0neiuded

/ expenses, and 1t irghtens me TO find my own
triple the amount Of his; we must retrench."
'In what way l am am ready"
''ln a hundred ways. our house is too large,
our fires are too bright, our table is too luxu-
riOus, our children dress too well, we have too
much company, our pew at church is too ex-
| pensiye; the Murkes have pew close by the
door, they hear quite well, and pay only half
the tax that is required for ours; they close
twO-thirds Of their house and thus are rid of the
expense Of heating it,"
wait minute their water pipes have fro
zen and flooded three times this winter; the ex-
pense Of repairing cost more than several tons
of coal"
That was only an accident Murke covers
his fire with ashes, and the coal burns half as
long again in consequence"
''Hes, and their sitting room Is like Green
land"
Cool rooms make children hardy"
"Oh father" broke in little voice. "don't
heat our room with ashes and water-don't -
Coming home from school the other day, l
should have cried with cold, but kept thinking
Of our good bright fire."
Yes OuispOke another, "and last week /
called Willie Murke in here TO warm his hands,
he looked 50 cold as he was running by; and
he started as if he never saw u ParlOr before,
AAAu 1ohG4 il VIC aANAls hGpA OAA NlsAlAl AAA-
locked, and lived in the front room, and had
silver spoons on the table and other plates for
pudding. He said he wished be had mother
like mine. Why you can see sparkles Of ice
on the inside OF Mr. Murke's hall door all win
t,r long"
"Hush, children, don't interrupt when your
mother and / are talking. The butcher calls
here, Carrie, twice a week, and Aiurke says
they use salted and dried meat, which they pro-
cure at Wholesale and pickle themselves"
Do you like pork very much 9" whispered
Lizzie Lighte, pulling her mothers sleeve
"And Mrs. Murke doesn't use butter norpoIk
for frying griddle cakes; little dry salt, they
assured me, will answer every purpose"
q know one thing, I'm glad mother does
not have griddles creased with salt" ventured
Lizzie.
4" Then these potatoes, small and poor as they
are cost over a cent apiece. Mrs. Murke sub
stitutes Indian corn dumplings"
"BOiled in watsr,.I suppose, and unpalatablel
Give me another piece Of chicken, Charles, if
you please" was Mrs. Lighte's only reply
" What do they make instead OF sweet pota-
toes T. added Lizzie, who was very fond Of the
latter delieacy.
Mrs. Lghte looked smilingly for her husbands
answer.
" They do not eat such Injuries, my child.
Mr.. Murke is saving against he grows old"
" Why, father, Wen take care Of YOU when
you are old and mean to have a home lust
like ours, sweet potatoes and ALL, said the
child; "yet the Murkes do have some luxuries,
for when the cake gets burnt, Mary often brings
the crust TO school for her luncheon she said
her mother told her that they d make her breath
sweet, but solid cake was poisonous; shouldn't
think she would give poison to her company"
=. HI. l. a.. IL
man known as Mrs. Murke, came one last time
to the home of Charles Lighte.
There was TO be a funeral on the morrow; the
sofa by the freside was empty, and dust was
gathering over the wo=kbOx that stood on the
centertable; group Of children were huddled
together, crying, as If their hearts would break
Alter the long life work, she had folded her
hands at last, and the corpse lay waiting for
burial; Carrie, the provident mother, the faith
iul wife, the good, gentle, sympathizing friend.
and as Charles stood watching her with sorrow
too deep for tears, Mrs. Murke came to offer
consolation. She said
Yes, she was a good and q kind neighbor
to me. / shall never forget her early influence
over my husband but Mr.. Lighte, we must not
waste time in grief; and every sorrow has its
compeDsations. You have now one less to sup
port in these hard times Your wife had a great
ILany children, and was ambitious for them,
and liked to keep up good appearance in the
world. She was an excellent woman, but YOU
may find another who will do as well as She,
and save your money besides"
''Ah,' broke forth the husband, too grieved
for anger. q" she spent for Us, she watched and
planned, and wasted all heT strength for our
welfare this house is full Cf the works Of her
hands Ny heart is full of recollections Of her
patient love and industry, / have too often
panied the gentle heart that is sleeping here,
by repeating your advice. Yesterday my part
nershiP with your husband dissolved; to-day,
Mrs. Murke, l beg leave TO dissolve my ae-
quaintanee with yourself"
And they burned her, that good Carrie
"WitL the fruits Of her hands" she had "pllnt-
ed a vineyard" and when she was dead her
husband and children dwelt therein
The Murkes added gold to gold, and loaded
their souls with that '.thick clay They built
a fine house, and gave q great formal party
every year; then covered the furniture and
packed away the silver, locked the parlOrs, and
lived in 4 few small back rooms
Mr. Murke's daughters married early, TO es-
cape the ungenial home, accepted the first
adyenturers that offered themselves, and one
BY one came back TO him, with wasted health
and ruined hopes, and family Of children His
sons rushed away into dishonesty and extrava-
gance, and were 4 disgrace and sOrrow to the
parents hearts.
Doing out with many a sigh, the scanty pit
tance which they considered needful for the
wants OF their children and grandchildren, Mr..
and Mrs. Murke live alone in their house, pour
over newspapers, and needs discuss stocks,
bonds and notes, and feel poor; as well as they
NAV, who have lost their souls for the sake Of
gold which perisheih.
Mr.. Lighte, with sufficient property for al his
wants, divided his time between many house
holds, all copies of the dear one be can never
forget; and in each Of which he is eagerly well
coined and cared for with vatchful love. His
children continually develope before his eyes
the traits which he has now learned to appreciate
in his buried wife. They have taken the place
in society for which their mother fitted them
have married into good families and surrounded
with refined friends, and make themselves at
tractiye by whatever, among the comforts and
elegancies Of life, may be within their reach.
As Charles Lighte, an old man now, sits thus
at the ireside of his children, and and watches
his daughters, ornaments TO society, blessings
10 their homes, comforts to the destitute: and
enterpnzes-tears, not Of loneliness but Of graf
itude, fill his eyes, and he thinks how his good
wife, "being dead, yet speaketh."
Yea, "Let her own works praise her"
Reader, would not disparage the excellent |
and nesdful virtue Of economy but only sug-
gest, by this sketch, drawn from actual life, that
there are kinds of waste which lead to wealth, /
and kinds Of accumulation which lead to mis- |
cradle waste.