The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1859-11-25
A RIFT in A CLOUD.

AuuroW Lee came nome AT evening
from the shop where he had worked all
day, tired and out Of spirits; came home
to his wife, who was also tired and out Of
spirits.
"a smiling wife and a cheerful home
what paradise il would bel" said Andrew
to himself, as he turned his eyes from the
clouded face of Mrs, Lee, and sat down,
with knitted brows, and a moody aspect.
Not a word was spolon by either Mrs.
Lee was getting supper, and she moved
about with a weary step.
"Come," she said at last, with side
glance at her husband.
There was invitation in the word only,
none in the voice Of Mrs. Lee.
Andrew arose and went to the table
He was tempted to speak an angry word,
but controlled himself, and kept silence.
! He could find no fault with the chop, nor
the sweet homemade bread, nor the fra
grant tea. They would have cheCred his
inward man, if there had only been a
CLEAN of sunshine on the face of his wife.
lie noticed that she did not eat.
"Are yv,i nvs vel y Sc.l, MNt2ry!" The words
were on BIS lips, but he did nor ui;os - I'm, N
for the fAoo of his wife looked so repellant
that he feared an irritating reply. And
so, in moody silence, the twain sat tOgeth-
er until Andrew had finished his supper.
As he pushed his chair back, his wife a.
rose, and commenced clearing of the Ia
lble.
"This is purgatory" said Lee to him.
self, as he commenced walking the fooi
of their little breakfast room, with his
hands thrust desperately away down into
mrs trUt@vys- PsalEets- and his chin almos
touching his breast.
After removing all the dishes, and tax.
ing them into the kitchen Mrs. Lee spread
a green cover on the table, and placing 4
fresh trimmed lamp thereon, went out, ,anC
shut the door after her, leaving her hus
band alone with his unpleasant feelings
He took long deep breath as she did so
paused in his walk, stood still for somt
moments, and then drawing a paper from
I his pocket, sat down by tho table, opened
I the sheet, and commenced reading. Sin
, gularly enough the words upon which hi
eyes rested were, "PrHise your wife. -
d They rather tended to increase the dis
turbance Of mind from which he was suf
fering.
81 should like to find some occasion 70
praising mine" How quickly his thought
expressed that i'll nOtured sentiment. Blu
his eyes wers ON the page before him, AN
he reud on.
"Praise your wife, man; for PHYS SAX
. give her little encouragement; it won
hurt her."
Andrew Lee raised his eyes from the pa
per, and muttered. ooh, yes. That's al
I very well. Praise is cheap enough. Blu
praise her for whatl For being sullen, AM
making your home the most disagreeabl
place in the world!' His eyes fell agail
to the paper.
% "She has made your home comfortable
your hearth bright and shining, your foo,
agreeablej for pity's sake, tell her yo'
thank her, ifnothing more. She don't ex
4 pect it; it will make her eyes open wide
than they have for ten years; but it viii
a do her good for all that, and you, too"
Z II seemed to Andrew as If this sentenc
ryere written just for him, and just for tn
oooSsion. It was the complete answe
n : 20 ms 9s9stion, "praise her for WHAT
e. onu ne lei's, SO as a rebuke. He rea
2, no iaItner' ior tie-ght came too busy, an
y in a new direction. afemotv ne. aoa
- Yioting him of injustice tOs-srd his wife
She had always made his home as con
Portable for him as hands could make |
and had he offered the light return Of fprais
J. lOr commendatiOni Had he ever told hi
of the satisfaction he had known, or III
comfort expeneneedl He was not able
b, recall the time or the occasion. AZ !
thought thus, Mrs. Lee came in from Il
s' kitchen, and taking her work basket fro
v. closet, placed il on the table, and sittin
down, without speaking, began TO sew
= Mr.. Lee glanced almost stealthily at Il
work In her hands, and saw twas the b
som of a shirt, which she was stitchin
neatly. He knew that II wac for him 81
A. was at work.
ag "Praise your wife" The words wei
Ts ,a before the eyes Of his mind, and he cou
mt not look away from them. But be WI
not ready for thisyet. He still felt MOOD
= and unforgiving. The expression Of b
wife's face he interpreted to mean i'll n
ture, and with i'll nature he had no P
tience. His eyes fell upon the newsp
n. per that lay spread out before him, and
read the sentence:
= "a kind, cheerful word, spoken in
is. gloomy home, 10 like the rift in clol
that lets the sunshine through"
a. Leo struggled with himself viii
Of longer. His own i'll nature had TO be co
. quored fret; his moody accusing spirit h
ems "a be 1ubdued. But he was coming Tigl