The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1858-05-06
H PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.



The old farmhouse wore a quiet, pleasant look. as
the setting sun gilded its mall windows, over which
the luxuriant grape vines were carefully trained. In
the open door sat the farmer, with a little morocco
covered book In his hand, on which his attention had
been liked for the Last hour. He was o man of
method and order-old Richard Hea,h-and aside
from his regular account books, which he always
Kept with scrupulous care, he always set down in
TINS little book, in the simplest manner possible, all
his expenses (no very complicated account, by the
way,) and all he had received during the year, in
the metal. as he said. not by the way of trade.
The last account he had just reckoned up, and the
from the pleasant expression Of his face as he turned
to his wife and addressed her by her pretty, old
fashioned name.
"Millicent,' said he, .sthis has been a lucky year.
How little we thought when we moved to this place,
twenty-five years ago, that we should ever get five
hundred dollars a year ont of the rocky, barren
fsrm-"
eft does pay for a good deal Of hard work. said
shs. "to see how different things look from what
they did then"
Now, I am going to figure up how much we have
spent said Mr.. Heath; g don't make a noise with
your knitting needles, cause il puts me out"
The wife laid by her knitting in perfect good
hamor; and gazed over the bread, rich fields Of
waving grain, which grew so tall around the laden
apple trees, that they looked like massive piles of
foliage Hearing her own name kindly spoken led
her own thoughts far back, to the past; for after the
lapse OF twenty-five years the simple sound Of the
name she bore in her youth means more, to a wife,
thin all the pleasing epi.hets Of dearest love, and
darling, 90 iavishingly offered in a long past court
ship.
Very pleasant was the retrospect to Millicent
Heath. The picture of the past had on it some rough
places, and some hard trials, but no domestic strife
or discomfort marred its sunny aspect There were
smiling faces on it-hsppy children's faces, without
which no hfe-picture Is beautiful. Soft blue eyes
shone with uncIouded giadness, and wavy hair
doifed carelessly over unwritten foreheads- She
forgot, for . moment, how they were changed, and
almost fneied herself again the young mother. and
t1ny hands stole lovingly over her bosom, and young
heads nestled there rs Of old.
The illusion vanished quickly, and she sighed, as
sue Thought OF her youngest born, the reckless boy
who had left her three years before for a home on the
sea Once only had tidings reached her of the wan
derer. The letter spoke of hardships and home-sick-
ness in that light and careless way that reached the
mothers heart more surely than replning and COM
plant. To know that he suffered with n strong
heart, with noble and unyieiding resolution, gave her
n feeling of pleasure, not unmingled with pride
"He will surely come back murmured the
sdectionate mother to herself; 'and | read the paper
20 carefully every week, that if il says anything about
the ship alfred sailed in, l shall be sure to see it,"
Mrs. Health said her husband, interrupting her
meditations somewhat rudely, we have spent thirty
dollars more than usual this year; where can it have
gone to-"
1.-THE new harness. . suggested Mrs. Heath; '. that
fon't come every year you know"
well, there's twenty dollars accounted for
w had the carriage fixed up when you bought
the harness., continued his wife.
We'll, that was eight dollars, that's twenty-eight
ne don't spend every year-but the other two' where
CHANGING his eye over the pages Of the memoran-
lum book, he continued
"In tell you what It's, the newspaper costs just
.wo dollars, and we can do without il. 1t isn't any
hing to eat. drink or wear. / don't do anything
With it, and you only lay it away up chamber. 1t
nay rs well be left out as not, and I'll stop my sub
s~cription right away"
"Oh." said his wife, .syou don't know how much
I set by the newspaper. / always have a sort of glad
feeling when | see you take il out of your hat and lay
Il on the kitchen mantelpiece, just as L do when some
Of the children come home; and when I'm tired | sit
down with Ey knitting work and read. | can knit
Just as we'll when I'm reading, and feel so contented.
I dent believe Queen Victoria herself takes more
solid comfort than l do sitting by the east window,
on e summer afternoon, reading my newspaper
But you are Just as well off without answered
her husband, for want of anything else to say.
81 never neglect anything else for reading, do II"
asked Mrs. Heath, mildly.
"No, I don't know as you do answered her hus-
land; 8 but it seems an extra like-Is shall stop it,
he added in a tone that showed plainly enough he
wished to stop the conversation
II shall take the paper remarked his wife, eff
T have to go cut washing to pay for it"
This was not spoken angrily, but so firmly that
Nr. Heath noticed il, though by no means remarka-
de for discernment in most matters. 1t sounded so
iifierent from her usual quiet las you think best"
that he actually stopped a moment to consider
whether IL was at all likely she would do as she said.
Nr. Heath was a kind husband, as that indefinite
description is generally understood; that is he did
not beat his wife, and always gave her enough to eat.
More than that be had a certain regard for her
happiness, which already made him feel half ashamed
IF his decision, but like many other men who have
more obstinacy than wisdom be couldn't bear to re-
tract anything, and above all to be convinced he was
wrong by a woman
However with a commendable wish to remove the
unlnppiness he caused. he suggested that as the
papers were carefully sealed, and She had found them
interesting. she could read them over again. Begin
through the year-they would just come out even, he
concluded, az il it were G singular fact that they
should do 90.
Notwithstanding the admirable proposition he still
felt some uneasines.- IL followed him as he walked
up the pleasant lane TO tine pasture. and it made him
speak more sharply than was his wont, If the cows
stopped while he was driving them home, to crop the
grass where il looked greenesf and sweetest On the
sunny slope. II troubled him till he heard his wife
call him % supper. in such n cheerful tone, that he
conciuded she didn't care much about the newspaper.
sher Ill.
Ahoss q week after this. as Mr.. Heath was moving
one morning, he Was surprised TO see his wife coming
out, dressed as If for n visit
" an going,'' said she, {" to spend the day with
Mrs Brown; l leave q plenty for You to eat;" and 50
saying she walked rspidly on.
Mr.. Heath thought about il just long enough TO
-ay to himself. "she don't 20 visitin' to stay all day.
once a year hardly, and it's strange she should go in
nay time"
Very long the day seemed to him; TO go in for
luncheon, dinner and supper, and to have nobody to
peak 20; TO find every thing 50 still The old clock
ickei sfiller than usual he thought, the brood Of
prestr white chickens, that we're almost always peep
ing round the door. had wandered of somewhere,
md lei it stiller yet; he even missed the busy click
~ ths knitting needle that was apt &c put him out 30,
when he was doing any figuring
81 am glad" he SAID TO himself, as he began to
.ook Town the road at sunset, - that Millicent don't
20 . visitin' NIL the time. as some women do-there
she is just coming"
He's tired you look, :" said ne. as she came up;
swhy didn't you speak about il, ard I'd have
harnssed up and come after you ?"
81 am not very tired she answered.; but her
looks belied her, indeed her husband declared she
looked tired for n day or two after.
What was his amazement to see her go away the
next Tuesday in the came manner a. before.
To he great dissatisfaction everything seemed that
lay to partake Of his wife's propensity for going from
aome.-A man don't want cold food in haytime,
aid ~. - he sat down to dinner. In the same