The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1859-11-05

who was also tired, and out OF spirit.
-s..A smiling wife and a cheering home
what paradise it would be - said Andrew
10 himself, as.he turned his eyes from the
cIouded face of Mrs. Lee, and sat down,
with knitted brows. and moody aspect.
Not word was spoken by either. Mrs.
Lee was getting supper, and she moved
shout with weary step.
."Come,o she said at last, with a side
glance at her husband.
There was an invitation in the word on
ly, none in the voice of Mrs. Lee.
Andrew arose and went TO the table
He was tempted-to speak an angry word,
bat controlled himself, and kept silence.
He could find no fault with the chop, or
the sweet homemade bread. nor the fra
grant tea. They would have cheered his
inward man, if there had only been CLEAN
of sunshine on the. face of his wife. He
noticed that she did not eat.
= ''Are you not well, Mary ?" The words
were on his lips, but he did not utter them,
for the face of his wife looked so repellant,
that he feared an irritating reply. And so,
in moody silence, she twain sat together
until Andrew had finished his supper. AS
he pushed his chair back, his wife arose
and commenced clearing off the table.
Sss''This is purgatory - said Lee to him
self. as he commenced walking the floor of
their little breakfast room, with his hands
thrust desperately away down into his
trousers pockets, and his chin almost
touching his breast.
After removing all the dishes, and taking
them in the kitchen, Mrs. Lee spread a
green cover on the table, and placing trim
med lamp thereon. went out, and shut the
door after, leaving her husband alone with
his unpleasant feelings. He took long
deep breath, as she did So, paused in his
walk, stood still for some moments, and
then drawing paper from his pocket, sat
down by table, opened the sheet, and
commenced reading. Singularly enough,
the words upon which his eyes rested were,
"Praise your wife," They rather tended
to increase the disturbance of mind from
which he was suffering.
al should like to find some occasion for
praising mine.'' How quickly his thoughts
expressed that ill-natured sentiment: But
his eyes were on the page before him, and
he read on.
praise your wife, man; for PHYS sake.
give her little encouragement; it won't
hurt her,
Andrew Lee raised his eyes from the pa
per, and muttered, "Oh yes. That's all
very well. Praise is cheap enough. But
praise her for what [? For being sullen,
and making your home the most disagreea-
bic place in the world ?" His eyes fell
again on the paper.
''She has made your home comfortable,
your hearth bright and shining, your food
agreeable. For PHYS sake tell her you
thank her, if nothing more. She don't ex
pect it; it will make her eyes open wider
than they have for ten years; but it will do
her good for all that, and you, too"
It seemed to Andrew as if this sentence
were written just for him, and just for the
occasion. 1t was the complete answer to
his question, "Praise her for what % and
he felt it also as rebuke. He read no fur
Their, for thought came too busy; and in a
new direction. Memory was convicting
him of injustice toward his wife. She had
always made his home as comfortable for
him As hand could make it, and had he Of
fered the light return of praise or common
dalton Had he ever told her of the salts
faction he had known, or the comfort ex-
perienced? He was not able to recall the
time or the occasion. AS he thought thus,
Mrs. Lee came in from the kitchen, and
taking her work basket from closet, placed
it on the table, and sitting down, without
almost stealthily at the work in her hands,
and saw that it was the bosom of shirt,
which she was stitching neatly. He knew
that it was for him that she was at work.
s'Praise your wife, The words were
before the eyes of his mind. and he could
not look away from them. But be was not
ready for this yet. He still felt moody and
unforgiving. The expression of his wife's
face be Interpreted to mean Miniature, and
with ill-nature he had no patience. His
eyes fell upon the newspaper that lay spread
out before him, and he read the sentence:
"A kind, cheerful word, spoken in a
gloomy home. Is like the rift in cloud that
lets the sunshine through"
Lee struggled with himself a little longer.
His own ill-nature had to be conquered
first; his moody, accusing spirit had to be
subdued. But he was coming right, and
al last got right, as to will. Next came the
question as to how be should begin. He
thought of many things TO say, yet feared
to say them, lest his wife should meet his
advances with cool rebuff. At last, lean
ing toward her. and taking hold on the lin
en- bosom upon which she was at work, he
said, in voice carefully modulated with
kindness rT~affa
You are doing that work very beauli-
fully. Mary"
MRS. Lee made no reply. But her hus-
Daed dld not fail to observe that she lost,
almost instantly. that rigid erectuess with
which she had been sitting. nor that the
motion of her needle had ceased.
Ny shirts are better made, and winter
than those of any other man in our shop. %
said Lee, encouraged to go on.
-ssi s.Ase they 90 Mrs. Less voice was
low, and had in it slight huskiness. She
did not turn her face but her husband cav
That abe leaned littls towards him. He
had broken through the ice of reserve. and