The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1860-08-01

7 III
very helplessness. Never did a couple
set forward on the fowery path of early
and well-suited marriage with fairer
prospect offelic;ty.
1t was the misfortune Of my friend,
however, to have embarked his property
in large speculationssand he had not been
married many months. when by disasters,
it was swept from him and lie found him.
self almost reduced to penury. Fer tlme
he kept bis situation to himself, and went
about with baggard countcnance, and Il
breaking heart. His life was but a pro
| tracted agony and what rendered it more
insuppertable was the necessity of Keep
ing up, smile in the presence of hls
wife; for he could not bring himself to
overwhelm her with the news. She saw
however, with the quick eyes OF affection,
that all was not well with him. She
marked his altered looks and stifled signs,
and was not to b deceived by his sickly
and vapid attempts at cheerfuness. She
tasked all her sprightly powers and tend
or Establishments to win him back to hap
piness; but she only dsoye the arrow
deeper into bis soul The more he saw
cause to love her, the more torturing was
the thought that he was soon to make
her wretchsd. A little while, thought be
and the smile will vanish from that cheek
the song will die away from those lips
the Iuster of those eyes will be quench-
ed 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 [ heard him
through | inquired, "Does your wife
know This ?"-At the question he burst
into an agony of tears. "For Gods
sake" cried he, ''if you have any pity on
me, don't mention my wife; it is the
thought Of her that drives me almost to
madness
"And why not ?" said 1. "She must
know it sooner or later: you cannot
keep it long from her, and the intelli-
gence 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 endangcrng the only bond that can
keep hearts together-an nnreseryed
community of thought and feeling. She
will soon preceve that something is Sc
cretly pieying upon your mind; and true
love will not brook reserve; it feels under-
valued and outraged, when even the sor-
rows of those it loves are concealed from
it."
'sOh, but my frienl to think what .
blow am to give to al her future pros
pects-how l 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 pleasures of
society-to shrink with me into Indulgence
and obscunty To tell her that | have
dragged her down from the sphere in
which she might have continued to mevo
in constant brightness-the Eight of every
eye-the admiration of eyer heart How
can she bear poverty? she has been
brought up in all the refnemopts Of opu-
lence. How can she bear neglect? she
has been the idol of society. OH! it will
break her heart-it will break her heart
I saw his grief was eloquent, and lei
| it have its flow; for sorrow relieves itself
| by words. Wnen his paroxysm had sub
sided, and he had relapsed into moody
silence, resumed the subject gently, and
urged him to break his situation at once
| to his wife. He shook his head mourn
fully, but positively.
"But how are you to keep il from her
II is necessary she should know it, that
YOU take the steps proper to the altera.
tion of your circumstances. You must
change your style of living-nay," OBJ
serving pang to pass across his counto
nance, "don't let that ataict you. ] ar
sure you have never placed your hsppi
ness in outward shew-you have YET
friends. warm friends, who will think
none the worse of you for being less
splendidly lodged: and surely it does no
require palace to be happy with Mary
-"
81 could be happy WIN ner," cried he
conyulsivsly, Sin a hoyel - could sc
down with her into poverty and the dust
ii could could--God bl,ss her :
God bless her." cried he, bursting int
transport Of grief and tenderness.
Sand believe re, my friend, said /
.tenpinc up. and rraspinC warmly bv h,