Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1860-02-21

loVo ner. Gne more LOrIurlng 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
quenched with sorrow, and the happy heart
which now beats lightly in that bosom will be
weighed down like mine, by the cares and mis-
cries of the world.
At length he came to me one day, and related
| his whole situation in tone of the deepest de
spair. When / heard him through | inquired,
"Does your wife know oil this2 at the ques-
ton he burst into an agony of tears. ''For
Gods sake!" said he, IF you have pity on me,
don't mention my wife; it is the thought of her
that drives me almost to madness |"
"And why not z" said l. 'sShe must know it
sooner or later; you cannot keep it long from
her, and the 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 deprivlng
yourself of the comforts of her sympathy and
not merely that, but also erdangeriDg the only
bond that can keep hearts together-an unre-
served community of thought and feeling. She
will soon perceive that something is secretly
preying upon your mind it feels undervalued
and outraged, when even the sorrows of those
it loves are concealed from it."
''Oh, but my friend to think what blow
am to give to all hef.ssutuUT prospects --how
am to strike her very soul to the earth by telling
her that her husband is a beggar! that she is to
forego all the elegancies of life-al the pleasures
OF society-to shrink with me into indigence
and obscurty! 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 2 she has
been brought up in all the refinement of opu-
lence. How Can she bear neglect she has been
the idol Of society. Oh! it will break her heart
| 1t will break her heart!-"
l saw his grief was eloquent, and let it have
/ its flow for sorrow relieves itself by words
When his paroxysh had subsided, and he had
relapsed into moody silence, resumed the sub
ject gently, and urged him to break his situation
at once to his wife. He shook his head mourn
fully, but positively.
/ "But how are yon to keep it from her? It is
necessary she should know it, that you may take
the steps proper to the alteration of your Cir
cumstances., /, You must change your style of
|living-nay," observing pang to pass across
his countenance, "don't let that afflict you.
am sure you have never placed your happiness
in outward show--you have yet friends, warm
Friends who will not tbink the worse of you for
being less splendidly lodged; and surely it does
not require palace to be happy with Mary"
81 could be happy with her." cried he con-
vulsively, sin hovel!-I could 60 down with
her into poverty and the dust II could-I could
God bless her!-God bless her!" cried he
bursting into q transport of grief and tenderness
"And believe me, my friend" said |, stepping
up, and grasping him warmly by the hand, "be-
jlieve me, she can be the same with you. Ave.
more, it will be source Of pride and triumph
to her-it will call forth all the latent energies
and fervent sympathies of her nature; for she
will rejoice to prove that she loves you for your
self. There is 10 every true woman's heart q
spark of heavenly fire. which lies dormant in the
broad daylight OF prosperity: but which kindles
up, and beams and blazes in the dark hour of ad
versity. No man knows what the wife of bis
bosom is-no mat knows what ministering
angel she is-until he has gone with her through
the fiery trials of this world"
There was something in the earnestness of nv
manner, and the fgurative style of my language
that caught the excited Imagination of Leslie
i knew the auditor had to deal with, and fol-
lowing up the impression had made finished
by persuading him to go home and unburden his
sad heart to his wife.
[ mnst confess, notwithstanding all had said,
/ felt some little solictude for the result. Who
can calculate on the forttude Of one whose life
has been round of pleasures Her gay spirits
might revolt at the dark, downward path of low
humility suddenly pointed out before her, and
might cling to the sunny regions in which they
had hitherto revelled. Besides. ruin in fashion
able life is accompanied by so many CALLING NOR
tlfcations, to which in other ranks it is stran-
ger. In short, | could not meet Leslie the next
morning without trepidation. He had made the
disclosure.
"And how did she bear it 2"
4 b. Tt ro+b 4ot to
lief to her mind, for she threw her arms round
my neck, and asked if this was all that had late
ly made me unhappy. But poor girl" added
he ''she cannot realize the change we must un-
dergo. She has no idea of poverty but in the
abstract she has only read of it in poetry,
where it is allied to love. She feels as yet no
privation, she suffers no loss of accustomed con-
veniences nor elegancies. When we come prac-
tcally to experience its sordid cares, its paltry
wants, its petty humliations-the will be the
real trial."
"Bul," said I, snow that you have got over
the severest task, that of breaking it to her, the
sooner you let the world into the secret the bet
ter The disclosure may be notifying; but
then it is single misery, and soon over, where
as you otherwise suffer it, in anticipation, every
hour OF the day 1t is not poverty SO much as
pretence, that harasses ruined mah-the strqg-
Il gle between proud mind and an empty purse
the keeping up a hollow show that must soon
come to an end. Have the courage to appear
poor and you disarm poverty OF its sharpest
sting" On this point | found Leslie perfectly
prepared. He had no false pride himself, ard as
to his wife, she was only anxious to conform to
their altered fortunes
| Some days afterward he called upon he in the
evening. He had disposed of his dwelling house,
and taken small cottage in the country few
miles from town. He had been busted all day
| in sending out furniture. The new establish
ment required few articles, and those of the
simplest kind. All the furniture of his late resi-
dence had been soid excepting his wife's harp.
That he said, was too closely associated with
the idea of herself it belonged to the little story
of their loves; for some of the sweetest moments
of their courtship were those when he had leaned
over that instrument and listened to the melting
tones of her voice.
| l could not but smile at this instance of ro-
mantle gallantry in doting husband. He was
now going out TO the cottage, where his wife
| had been all day experimenting its arrangement.
| NY feelings had become strongly interested 10
the progress of this family story, and, as it was
| fine evening, offered to accompany him.
He was wearied with the tatigues of the day,
and. as he walked OUT, fell into a fit of gloomy
musng
.Poor Mary!" at length broke, with heavy
sigh from his lips.
.And what OF herr" asked / s'has ANYTHING
happened to hers'
'sWhat," said he, darting an impatient glance,
.s;O If nothipu TO be reduced to this paltry stna-