The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1860-11-15

" Reading! Don't talk 10 me of
readingl I've no time to read l"3. .",a"
Mrs. Thornton answered little i'm
patiently. The contrast Of her daugh. /.
ter's idle hours with her own life of ex.
hausting toll, did no, affect her mind
very, pleasantly. /" "'' = .,-'at..' '"'
." And yet," said Mr.. Thornton, /. you
were always fond Of reading, and can
remember when no day went by with
out an hohr or two passed with your
books. Did you lie down after din.
ner Z" i E'"i '''''' ."'.tt n"'.o ,"'.. =,
Nor take a pleasant walk down
Broadway ~ Nor sit at the parlor win
dow with Effie How about that ="
There was no reply nr, ,ri :.,,r
Now, the case 10 very plain one"
continued Mr.. Thornton. .p'"ln fact,
nothing could be palmer You spend
from fourteen TO sixteen hours every
day in hard work, while Eflie, taking
yesterday asa sample, spends about the
same time in what is little better than
idleness. Suppose new adjustment
wereIte take place, aud EflieS Sere TO be
usefully employed3in helping you for
eiglfe hours of,each day, size would still
have eight hoursy sell improvement and
recreation, and you, relieved from your
present orertas Rcd condition, Juight get
back a portion Of the health and spirits
Of which these too heavy household
duties have ribbed you!",,,,' ..:l lr,.5
.I-''' Fatherl"r said ~ Effie, speaking
through tears that were falling over her
'face FL never SAW things in this light.
Why haven I you talked to me before
- Fve often field las if Ed like 10 help
mother. but she never gives me any.
thing to do; and if offer 10 help her,
she says t'Iona can't do it, or I'd
rather do it myself Indeed, it isn't
all my fault ~ .!'n5r .InrGJ a,I, l.,,.
- %"'h! may noa'haye been in.the past,
Effe," replied Mr.. Thornton. -. Bat 1t
certainly 'wiIlt he in uhe lfhHire,, Rnless
there Is q snewu uarra6setnent of things.
It IS n false social seatiueht that lots
daugBtersGbecume,idler., while .motbers,
fathers and sons take up the. daily bur.
den wnr X and bGar it through ah tie
;busy'hoursShiq 'ho7- aisi 7,uL !ua,3 !.
u Ms-:Thornloni did, not come grace
fully into tue rnew iorder Of things pro.
posed by her husband and Accepted by
Efiie.; aFRlss prido in her ,daug ughter, HAT
future lady itleal, and an inclination 10
do herself. rather than take the trouble
toiteach another, were all SO many i'm
'pediments. But Ellie. aud her father
were both in earnest, and it. was, not
long before the eovertnsked mothers
weary face began 10 lose its look of
WEAKNESS, and her languid frame to
come up to an eject bearing. ,rShe
could find time for the old pleasure in
books, now and then. for a healthy
walk in the street, and call on some
valued friend. e., .,.u -..l .l.,...s, -....
And was Effie the worse for, this
change Did the burden she was shar.
ing with her mother depress her shonl-
ders, and take the ligh;ness from her
s,epi Not so.ra1he ianguer engender.
ed byidieness, whicl,h had began 10 show
ITSELF disappeared in few weeks; the
color came warmer into her cheeks |; her
eyes gained in Brightness She was
growing sn fact, mo,e beautiful, for n
mind cheerfully conscious aof duty was
moulding every lineament of her coun-
teIanee into a new expression. ~.
Did self Improvement stopl O, no J
From one to two hours we're given TO
close practice at the. piano every day.
Her mind, becoming vigorous i'm tone,
instead of enervaied by idleness, chose
Z better order of.reading than had been
indulged before, and she was growing
towards a tl,oughtful. cultivated, intelIi.
gent womanhood,t She also found time,
amid lherhome duties, for au hour twice
a week with a German teacher, and she
began, also, to cultivate a natural. taste
for drawing. q Now. that she was EN-.
ployiug Der hours .usefply, it seemed
woaderfpIho much TING; she found at
her disposal fpr useful work. ,c,, > Z. =, :
How cheerful and companionable she
grew,l ,She'djd not seem like the Eflie
lThorntopI Of fswI months before, In
fscts the sphere pf, The eptme household
was ehangsd. afrAss an idler, Effie had
been q burden TO all the rest, and tile
! weight ofithat burden, had been .sufli,
,eient 10 sdepress. tbrougll wearipess, the
spirits Of ALL, But now that she was
standing Up. self sustained, and not only
sslfsustainsd: but o sharer in, the bni,
dens 81 each, oil hearts came back TO a
lighter measnrs beating ryihmically and
in conscious epjoymont. - .sa,s