The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1859-08-25

cessity of her mental life, he would eithe
have acquainted her with his belief, hon
estly held that its indulgence was incom
patible with wife's duties, or, altogeth
er, have relinquished the idea of marrying
"literary woman" For Charles Irv
ing, though slow to appreciate the tai
enls which yield their possessor no tan
gible and material reward, was the SOU
of honor, and would have scorned to hide
upon the slightest point, his true opinions
from theyoung girl about to link her lot
with his. He did not understand hel
spiritual constitution, its strength and
weakness, its springs of good and i'll, its
capabilities Of culture, its unquenchable
thirst for sympathy. She did not, her
self, know them-wrart as she had been
from childhood. in the fondest and most
partial affection, how could she appre-
hend the latent good, the hidden evil,
which are only ripened by time and trial
Three or four years passed, and then
the wife, who, at longer and longer inter
walls, had sought recreation in her pen,
laid it aside, altogether and for as many
more, the dust laid thick upon her dis
carded writing desk that had been the
delight of her girlood. Did it lie upon
her heart as we'll? No; we live in a
world OF compensations. True, when
the resolution was first taken, there were
sighs breathed in secret, and tears shed
at midnight, and weary wakings in the
morning, to feel that a brightness had
gone from the sunshine, and voice of
singing from the melodies of earth. I'm
questionably true is it, that
when the dream Of youth departs,
| 1t taketh something from our hearts,
| That nerer comes again -
But Hester had come to see many
points wherein she had erred through the
ill-balance of her mental organization /;
and, reasoning from extremes, had almost
persuaded herself, that poetry and senti-
mcnt were outlaws upon earth, and
tvnvund uv -artvvu rueuce at the sharp
point of ridicule and sarcasm. She had
Learned to believe in philosophy and ex-
pediency, and was growing stocial in the
attempt TO please her husband-she the
Older dreamer
Their married life had shown no more
incongruity, no more want of harmony,
perhaps, than 1he majority of married
lives; very few passages like the one de-
scribed above, had darkened its records
yet Hestor knew that She failed to en-
body her husbands ideal of what wife
should be-a mental, moral, and physi-
cay absorption Of domestic duty and fam
lily care, not uniformed and cultivated,
:" Fredric's WIFE with her stinted cul- |
iure and narrow views, had long ceased
TO be a paragon in his estimation, but was
informed and cultivated safety with "A
view to increased efficiency in the domes
tic field. Hester had determined to win
peace of mind at any cost, and, as the
Giver of peace not unfrequently provides,
the cost was less than she had anticipated
Her husband saw the change, and un-
derstood its motives; herein, she was
blest above many. Not that he fully ap-
preciated her resolution-he could scarce
ly imagine difficulty in discarding
taste, habit, or an aspiration, that con
flicted with his business affairs and inter-
ests. He needed no mental stimulants,
and no sedatives. Except when sick
ness interferred, the well-organized ma
chine of thought and action moved regu
larly on without jar or hindrance why
was it that Others so frequently complain
ed of obstructing wheels, and imperfect
self.adjusting powerl
During three years, Hester was con
tent, ifnot happy, according to her capac-
ity for happiness. If there were less
elasticity and buoyancy Of spirit. if she
were less transparent, less enthusiastic
than formerly, she had grown more
more patient, more studious
Of herself and Gods Providences. She
had learned the superior safety of the
practical view of life, over the couleur de
rose; she had experienced the power Of
active, daily labor, in checking too NOR
bid sensibility, and calming disquieted
spirit, Her companions partial utilita-
'ianism seemed better fitted for the real
vorld,.than her own Intense and imagina-
i've dreams beautiful as they still rose
IN the background of the past, dear as
heir memory remained. She learned to ..
let juster estimate upon the type of
character represented by her husband
he strong, selfpoi-ed judgement, the en-
rgy, the uprightness, that made him a
wise and successful worker in the har- '
'est-feid of life. She learned in all !
hings wherein they approached, to lean q
pon and trust him; in sickness or in
ny sorrow which be could share, she had
lis kind sympathy and faithful care.- o
,he felt that he made more allowance RI
Or her mistakes, than formerly in short, tt
hat the distance between them was di- Il
and, herein, was her exceeding b
reat reward. G