The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-09-29
8. Don't"
BY T. S. ARTHUR.

/
Mr.. Landell, who has been sitting with
his eyes upon the floor silent and distracted,
| for some minutes, reused himself at these
| words, as he answered.
! "Oh, no: nothing has gone wrong
| "Don't you feel well?" The voice of Mrs.
Landcll was just shaded with concern a'n
| "fWell enough in the body, /; but not so
| comfortable in mind as ] desire" .-......,,.
| Then something has gone wrong" said
the wife; her manner slightly troubled s4
!" Nothing moro than usu,l,' Mr.. Landell
replied. The forced smile had faded away
from his countenance. Mr.. Landell sighed
Than usual y She repeated his words,
looking with earnest inquiry into her hus-
bands face. Then she added tendcrly,-
=" Bring home your trouble, dear Don't
hide anything. Let me share with you all
the good and i'll oflife Hearts draw nearer in
| suffering than they do in joy ~ rai' $500
| Bless your kind heart, Alice ~ said Mr..
| Landell, broad smile sweeping over his
face, as he caught her round cheeks be-
tween his hands and kissed her. ''There
isn't anything in the case so serious as all
that comes to. I'm not going to fail in bus
mess haven't lost anything worth speaking
about; haven't cheated any body, and don't
intend doing so. It's only this hasty, i'm
pulsive temper of mine that is always leading
me to do or say something that leaves sting"
The cloud passed from the face of Mrs. Ian
dell. "You will overcome it in time, Edward"
81 can't see that make any progress
Yesterday | spoke sharply to one of my
young men, when mild reproof would have
been more just and of more salutary effect.
Heis sensitive and my words hurt him severe
ly. The shadow that remained on his face
all day was my perpetual rebuke, and felt
it long after the sun went down. Ny punish
ment was greater than his But the lesson
of yesterday did not suffice. This morning
| was again betrayed into captious language,
that wounded the sameyoung man, and threw
him so much off his guard that he answered
me back with some feeling. This regarded
as impertinence, and threatened to dismiss
him from my service if he dared venture
repetition of his language When feeling
subsidized and thought became clear again, |
saw that had been wrong, and felt unhap-
py about it ever SINCE | wish that | had
more of self control; that could bride my
tongue, when feeling is suddenly spurred.-
But temperament and long-indulged habits,
are against me-"
Mrs. Landell encouraged and soothed her
husband, and so won his mind away from his
brooding selfreproaches.
On the next morning as Mr. Lantlell was
about leaving for his store, his wife lookedup
at him, and with meaning smile, said
"Don't''
There was just the slightest perceptive
warning in her tone. .. ....s.. -.f
"Don't what ~ Mr.. LandelI seemed a
little puzzled.
Don't forget yourself" ..
"0h!" Light broke in upon his mind
"Thank you, will not; ]" and he went forth
to meet the trials of the day 2"
Almost the first thing that fell under the
notice of Mr.. Landell was an important let
ter which, after writing, he had given to a
clerk to copy and mail. Instead of being in
| Boston, where it should have been. it lay
upon his desk. Neglect like that he thought
to be objectionable
"John!" he called sharply to young
man at the farther end of the store
Don't "-it seemed to him like the
voice ofhis wife in his ear" don't forget
yourself!" r q; ..oa7 - .-.~.r
The mental warning came just in season.
The clerk came quietly towards him. BY
the time he reached the desk of Mr.. Landell,
the latter was under selfcontrol.
"Why was not this letter mailed, John p"
The tone was neither imperative nor captious
but kind; and the question was asked in
way which said of course there is goodreason
for the omission and so there was.
81 think, sill" answered John, g that there
is mistake, and l thought it not best to put
the letter in the mail" E..-I ......- W.,
"A mistake How ~ and Mr.. Landell open
| ed the letter. Hnas3 -.t @ gsu
at reads said the clerk, ''three hundred
| cases of shawls."
"Oh, no; thirty cases." replied Mr.. Lam
d H. But as he said this his eyes rested on
the three hundred $50 it is How could
/ have made such an error? You did right,
John, in not sending the letter away"
The clerk went back to his place, and the
merchant said to himself" How glad am
that I was able to control myself. If had
spoken to that young man as felt,I would
have wronged and alienatcd him, and made
trouble for myself all day."
Not long after this case of goods fell
through neoi the hatchways, crashing down
upon the landing with a noise that caused
Mr.. L,ndell, whose temperament was excee-
dingly nervous, to spring to his feet TIC
blame somebody was his first impulse
|" What careless fellow has done this ~ was
ON his tongue
Don'tw the inward monitor spoke in
time, Mr.. Landell shut his lips tightly, and