Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-10-25
A Wife 8 RamorsQ.

t." Sick-slck again !" sald the needless
wife with petuancc--" am so tired of sec.
ing pale face from morning till night, of
hearing groans and mixing doses. 1t seems
20 nc there is little need Of constant giving
up-why don't | give up?'
Mary-Mary," cried a quivering voice.
Coming, coming" replied the woman.-
80 dear, low have to run. He's so impa-
ticnt, and must always be there; men ought
never to be sick, they make so much trouble"
There was but little tenderness in the voice
that answered the faint queries Of the sick
man, and yet Mrs Nash was not hard heart
ed or an unfecling woman. Her character
leaned somewhat to the side of selfshness,
and being in robust health, she had no knowl-
edge Of the heart-weaning that continual pull
backs cause to men Of the strongest wills.
80 DEAR" sighed the man half chidishly,
" it seems as if my head never did ache as it
docs now W."
"L've heard you say that hundred times"
said Mrs. Nash, not in the softest manner.
d" But I'm sure it's worsc-if you'll only
pull the curtain down-the least light strikes
through my eyes, even when they are shut"
up again." thought the wife rising some
what impaiiently, scattering her work with
some noise as she did SO, and needless Of the
groan that followed, she lot the blind fall
heavily.
Pm great deal Of trouble" said the sick
man, seeing the cloud on his wifos brow.
40, no!"-her face cleared up" You're
notional of course all men are-mcn dom
know what sickness is, and they arc so fright
ened at the least pain"
But this is TERRIBLE cried the invalid,
pressing his closed eyelids together
o, how he longed to have some soothing
hand upon his temples but he would not
ask his wife, because he saw that she had
snatched up her sewing and was again alb
sorbed in its completion.
Hours passed, and the pulse leaped madly,
the eyes grew strained and crossed with veins,
the temples futterdd with the throbbing flesh
and strange words came thickly on the still
ness of the chamber.
Mrs Nash had been down stairs preparing
supper she had just laughingly said, in re
ply to a neighbours question, concerning her
husband
40! going to die, as you men all are i
you happen to cut your finger.
Little she thought how true the prophecy
she 50 unthinkingly uttered. In another mo
ment her eldest son came into the room.
"Isn't it funny?' he cried, "pa don
know me. He called me Mr.. Morris, anc
asked me if l had that will made out"
What do you mean, child?" His moth
or paused in the midst of her work.
- lie don't know me, because kept call
ing pa, and he would look at me so strange
and keep asking if l had that will all mad
out"
Her check paling little, Mrs. Nash hur
ried up to the chamber above. Her HUSBAND
was talking wildly to himself and his appear
ance had changed frightlully. Now serious
ly alarmed, she sent for the physician, VIII,
was all wonder that be had been called at 81
late an hour.
1.-THE man must have shown symptoms o
more than ordinary distress, this morning,
he said, did he make complaints of nothing
but an ordinary headache? ?"
The wife was forced to confess that tn
symptoms had been unusually severe, but b
was so liable to these attacks that she didn'
think much about it. Her heart, however
condemned her. She was conscious that tn
means and complaints Of her poor, sick hua
band had irritated her to an unusual degree
and that she had borne far from patient
with him. Now she was ready to make al
amends. With tears and loving thoughts sh
lowered over that sick bed, accusing hersel
AS every wild cry for her rang Out, and sti
ahere was no consciousness, still he felt nc
the kind hand, saw not the streaming eyes
Of being the cause of all his wretchednes
through her selfish neglect.
Tears, hot and copious, wild prayers