Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-12-29

The furniture Of the room into which be
had been ushered, could scarcely have been
palmer. In the center stood q small break
hast table; covered With sn5ssy cloth, and
set f0f three persons. Fonr csneNSoti chairs,
3 work stand, hanging shelf f0t books, 6
mantle ornament or Two of no special value,
an ingrain carpet on the floor, and plain white
curtains looped back with blue ribbons, made
up the complete inventory. No, not the COM
plete inventory; ior there was q plano
agaihst The wall the dark case and plain
style of which showed il to beno recent pur-
chase The Instrument had been Rosa as
the obserysnt visitor correctly Inferred. 6t
After. q pleasant talk Of some minutes, Ro-
50 left the room, and not long after returned,
bearing a tray upon which were Tea, toast
butter, biscuit cold tongue and sweet msata.
There was a beautiful glow on her fa-e as
she entered, but nJthipg OF shame or hurt
pride. With her own fair hands she arranged
the table, and then took her place at the hesd,
to serve her husband and his friend.
The heart Of Ar, Blair gloWed aud stirred
with new impulse as be looked INTO the
pure, sweet, happy fnee Of the yaang wife as
she poured the tea, aud served The meal
which she had prepared
Amer supper, Rosa removed the tea things,
and was absent nearly half an hour. She
returned through her chamber, which ad-
Joined their littSs narlof, breakfast and sitting
room, all in one, with just the slightest change
in her attire, aud looking as fresh, happy
and beautiful, as if entering a drawing room
filled with company. The evening passed in
reading, music, and pleasant conversation
As Mr. Blair was about retiring, Adrian
said; ...It
"Do you think, now, that we were foolq to
marry 2"
TtJsE7Stooa ritA hs- hand drawn within
one arm Of her husband, and clasped and
With face rsdiantly happy.
shade erept over Mr.. Blair's eonntenance.
"No, not fools, but wise, as others might
be, if they were only courageous enough to
do as you have done. Mrs Adrian, and be
took the young wifes hand, 81 honor your
bravery, your independence, your true love |
that cannot be oyershadowed by worldliness,
that mildeW Of the heart, that blight on our |
social life. You are q thousand times happier |
in your dutiful seclusion, than any fashion |
loving wife, or slave to external appearance
can ever be-"
81 love my husband, and live for him. /
Rosa, leaned closer to the manly form by hei /
side. g" understood when we married, that |
be was life-toiier; that our home would be 4
and sustained by the work Of his |
hands and understood as well that was
not his superior, bat only his equal, and that
if it was right and honorable for him to work,
it could be no less right and honorable for me.
Was / to sit idle, and have q servant to
wait on me, when his was a lot Of toil2 No |
-no-nol had my part to perform as well
as he, and am performing it to the best of
my ability"
"You are a true woman, a wise woman, a
good woman" said Mr.. Blair, with ardor;
''and you viii be as happy as you deserve to
be. I thought Henry fool to marry on a
thousand dollars, and told him so. But I
take back my words If such women as you
were plentiful, we could all marry and End
our salaries ample. Goodnight, and may
God bless youl"
And the bachelor clerk. who could not I
afford to marry on fifteen hundred dollars a
year, went to his lonely home lonely
though peopled thickly-and sitting down in
his desolste chamber, dreamed over the sweet
picture Of domestic felicity be had seen, and
sighed for a Ike sweet hiding-place from The
world, and all its false protection and heart
less show.