Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1860-04-13
MARYLAND. FRIDAY MORNING. APRIL Is, 1860.

succession or sudden disasters, 1t was
swept from him, and he found himself
reduced almost to perjury. For time
he kept his situation to himself, and went
about with haggard countenance and
breaking heart. His life was but pro-
tracted agony, and what rendered it more
insupportable, was the necessity of keep
ing up smile in the presence of his
wife for he could not bring himself to
overwhelm her with the news. She saw,
however, with the quick eyes of affec-
ton, that all was not well with him.
She marked his altered looks and stiHed
signs, and was not to be deceived by his
sickly and vapid attempts of cheerful
ness. She tasked all her sprightly pow
ers and tender Establishments to win him
back to happiness but she only drove
the arrow deeper in his soul. The more
he saw cause to love her, the more tor
turing was the thought that he was soon
to make her wretched. A little while,
thought he, and the smile will vanish
from that cheek-the song will die away
from those lips-the lustre of those eyes
will be queDched with sorrow, and the
happy heart which now beats lightly in
that bosom will be weighed down like
mine, by the cares and miseries of the
world.
AT length he came to me one day, and
related his whole situation in tone of
the deepest despair. When l heard him
through, l inquired, docs your wife
know all this p AT the question he
burst into an agony of tears. :" For Gods
sake !" said he, eff you have pity on
me, don't mention my wife, it is the
the y Of her that drives me almost to
madness p
"And why not?n said I. "she must
know it sooner or late. you cannot keep
it long from her, and tAo intelligence
may break upon her in more startling
manner than if impaired by yourself;
for the accents Of those we love soften
the harshest tidings. Besides, you are
depriving yourself of the comforts Of her
sympathy; and not merely that, but also
endangering the only bond that can keep
hearts together--an unreserved commu-
nifty of thought and feeling. She will
soon perceive that something is secretly
preying upon your mind it feels under
valued and outraged, when even the sor-
rows of those it loves are concealed from
it,"
"0h, but my friend, to think What a
blow / am to give to all her future pros
pects-how / am to strike her very soul
to the earth by telling her that her hus-
band is beggar that she is to forego
all the elegancies of life-all the pleas
ures of society--to shrink with me into
Indulgence and obscurityl To tell her
that / have dragged her down from the
sphere in which she might have continued
to move in constant brightness--the light
of every eye-the admiration of every
heart How can she bear poverty ! she
has been brought up in all the refnements
of opulence. How can she bear neglect ?
she has been the idol of society. Oh
it will break her heart--it will break her
heart %
l saw his grief was eloquent, and
let it have its flow; for sorrow relieves
itself by words. When his paroxism
had subsidized, and he had relapsed into
moody silence, I resumed the subject
gently and urged him to break his situa-
ton at once to his wife. He shook his
head mournfully, but positively.
But how are you to keep it from
her? 1t is necessary she should know
it, that you may take the steps proper to
the alienation Of your circumstances. -
You must change your style Of living
nay, observing pang to pass across his
countenance, don't let that affiict you.
am sure you have never placed your
happiness in outward show--you have
yet friends, warm friends, who will moi
think the worse of you for being less
splendily lodged and surely it does moi
require palace to be happy with Mary"
81 could be happy with her," cried
he, convulsiyely, L" in howell II could
60 down with her into poverty and the
dust II could could--God bless her
God bless her p cried he, bursting
into transport of grief and tenderness
"And believe me, my friend" said I,
stepping up, and grasping him by the
hand, believe me, she can be the same
with you. Aye. more; it will be o
source of pride and triumph to hcr-it
will call forth all the latent energies and
fervent sympatties Of her nature; for
she will rejoice to prove that she loves
you for yourself. There is in every true
woman's heart spark of heavenly fire,
which lies dormant in the broad daylight
of prosperity; but which kindles up, and
beams and blazcs in the dark hour of adj
versity. No man knows what the wife
Of his bosom is-no man knows what a
ministering angel she is, until he has
gone with her through the fiery trials of
this world"
There was something in the earnest
ness of my manner, and the fgurative
style Of my language that caught the ex-
cited imagination of Leslie. KNEW the
auditor / had to deal with, and followed
up the impression l had made, / finished
by persuading him 10 go homo and I'M
burthcn his sad heart TO his wife.
must confess, Notwithstanding all I
had said l felt some solicitude for the re-
suit. Who can calculate on the fortitude
Of one whose life has been q round Of
pleasure? Her gay spirits might revolt
at the dark, downward path Of low hui
mility suddenly pointed out before her,
and might cling TO the sunny regions in
which they had hitherto reveled. Be-
sides, ruin in fashionable life is accom-