Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1860-01-25

ton Memory was convicting him of injus
tice towards his wife. She had always made
his home as comfortable for him as hand.
could make, and had he offered the light o
praise or commentator? Had he told hel
of the satisfaction he had known, or the com
fort experienced? He was not able to recall
the time Or the occasion. As he thought
thus, Mrs Lee came from the kitchen, and
taking her work-basket from closet, placed
it on the table, aud sitting down, without
speaking began to sew Mr.. Lee glanced al
most stealthily at the work IN her hands, and
saw it was the bosom of shirt, which she was
stitching neatly. He knew that it was for
him that she was at work.
Praise your wife" Tho words were
before the eyes of his mind, and he could not
| look away from them. But he was not ready
for this yet He still felt moody and unfor-
giving The expression of his wife,s face he
| interpreted to mean ill-nature, and with i'll
nature he had no patience. His eye fell up
| on the newspaper which lay spread out be-
| fore him, and he read the sentence.
"a kind cheerful word, spoken in gloo-
my home, is like the rift in cloud that let's
the sun through"
Mr. Lee struggled with himself while
logger. His own ill-nature had to be con-
20 be subdued. But he was coming right,
and at last got right, as to will. Next came
the question as to how he should begin. He
thought of many things to say, yet. feared to
say them, lest his wife should met his adyan-
ces with a cold rebuff. At last, leaning tow
ardsher aud taking hold of the bosom upon
which she was at work, he said, with
a voice carefully modulated with kind
ness
''You are doing that work very beautiful
ly, Mary"
Mrs. Lee made no reply But her hus-
band did not fail to observe that she lost al
most instantly, that rigid erectness with
which she had been sitting, nor the motion of
her needle hand ceased.
"My shirts are better made, and whittier
than those of any otber man in our shop"
said Lee encouraged to 60 on
"a are they 2" Mrs. Lees voice was low,
aud in it slight huskiness. She did not
turn her face, but her husband saw she lean
ed little towards him. He has broken
through the ice of Preserve. and all was easy
now. His hand was among the clouds, and a
few feeble rays and already struggling through
the rift it had made.
Yes, Mary" he answered softly, "and I
have heard it said more than once what a
good wife Andrew Lee must have"
Mrs. Lee turned her face towards her hus-
band. There was light in it, and light in
her eye. But there something in the express
sion of her eye that puzzled him.
''Do you think so 70 she asked quite''sober-
u.
"What question ~ calculated Andrew
Lee, starting up, and going around to the
side of the table where his wife was sitting. -
What question, Mary" he repeated as he
stood before her.
.'Do you p 1t was ali she said.
Eyes. darling" was the warmly spoken an
swer, and be stopped down and kissed her.
"How strange that yoa should ask me such
question 20
''1f yod would only tell me now and
then, Andrew, it would do me good" And
Mrs Lee arose, and leaning her face against
the manly breast of her husband, stood and
wept.
What strong light broke in upon the
mind of Andrew Lee He had never given
to his faithful wife even the smallest reward
of praise for all her loving interest she had
manifested daily, until doubt of his love had
entered her soul. and made the light around
her thick darkness No wonder that her
face grew clouded, nor that what be consider
ed moodiness and ILL nature took possession of
her spirit.
You are good and true, Mary. My own
dear wife am proud of you-1 love you
and my first desire is your happiness =
Oh. if l could always see your face in sun
shine, my home would be the dearest place on
earth
How precious to me are your words of
love and praise, Andrew" said Mrs. Lee,
smiling up through her tears into his face.
with them in my ears, my heart can never
lie in shadow
How easy had been the work of An
drew Lee. He had swept his hand around
the cloudy horizon of his home, and now
the bright sunshine was streaming down
aud flooding that home with joy and beau
tY.