Nebraska advertiser., 1859-09-01
The Wife'S Experiment.

"Ma, why don't you ever dress up?"
asked little Nellie Thornton, as her moth
er finished brushing the Child's hair, and
tying her clean apron. There was mo-
mentary surprise on Mrs. Thornton's face;
but she answered carelessly, "Oh, no one
cares how l look"
Don't Pa love to see you look pretty!"
persisted the child The mother did not
reply, but involuntariIy she glanced at her
slovenly attire, the faded and worn calico
dress and dingy apron, both bearing wit
ness to an intimate acquaintance with the
dish-pan and stove-the shp-shod shoes,
and soiled stoCkings-and she could not
help remembering how she had that
morning appeared with uncOmbed hair,
and prepared her husbands breakfast be-
for he left home for the neighboring
market-town. Sure enoughp' unused
she, chow do look" And then memory
pointed back few years to neatly and
tastefully-dressed maiden, sometimes busy
in her fathers house, again mingling with
her young companions, but never untidy
in her appearance, always fresh and
blooming; and this she knew, full well,
was a picture of herself, when Charles
Thornton first won her young heart
Such was the bride he had taken to his
pleasant home,-how had mature life full
filled the prophecy of youth
She was still comely in features, grace
full in form, but few would call her a
handsome or all accomplished woman; for,
alas! all other characteristics were over
shadowed by this repulsive trait. Yet she
loved to see others neat, and her house
and children did not seem to belong to
her, so we'll kept and tidy did they always
look. AS a housekeeper she exCelled,
and her husband was long in acknowledg-
ing to himself the unwelcome fact that he
had married an incorrigible slOven.
When like too many other young wives,
she began to grow negligent in regard to
her dress, he readily excused her in his
own mind, and thought "she is not well, y
or, ''she has so much to do" and perceiv-
ing no abatement in his kind attentions,
she naturally concluded he was perfectly
satisfied. As her family cares increased,
and she went less into company, she be-
came still more careless of her personal
appearance, and contented herself with
seeing that nothing was lacking which
could contribute to the comfort of her hus-
band and children, never supposing that
so trivial matter as her own apparel could
possibly affect their happiness. All this
| obo;y Oe o;ro,roetoyooo h ort, mt hon ob
of passed before her, as the little prattler
at her side repeated the query,-"Don't
Pa love to see you look pretty!"
"Yes, my child" she answered, and
her resolve was taken,-she would try an
experiment, and prove whether Mr..
Thornton were really Indifferent on the
subject or not. Giving Nellie picture
book to amuse herself with, she went tC
her own room, mentally exclaimed, ca
any rate, I'll never put on this rig agair
NOT even washing-day." She proceed
ed to her clothes-presS and removed one
after another,-some were ragged, other:
faded, all out of style, and some unfit tC
wear,-at length she found one which haC
long ago been laid aside, as "too light t(
wear about the house." 1t was nice
French print, rose colored and white, anC
she remembered had once been favOritt
with her husband. The old adage, "fash
ions come round in seven years" seemed
true in this case for the dress was made
in the then prevailing style.
"This is Just the thing" she thought
and she FASTENED to perform her toilette
saying to herself, Il must alter my darl