Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1861-09-27
VOL. XLIII.
cHANeE nv TIE HousEHoE1

A
There's no use trying any longer to sui
Isaac Parsons muttered that individuals bel
ter half as she sat in a corner of the farm kitcE
en-, rapidly divesting chicken of its feather
1--we worked and shaved myself to death 70
him and hisn, and all the thanks I've had 70
, the last fifteen years has been short words an,
general grOwlin' and fault findin', until nov
I'm Just determined to stand out and have M
own way or let things take their own course
and he'll find, after all, Melissa TacOtt has go
some spirit in her that can't 0e crushed out Will
all his abusin' aggravation.
aiFo think he should have the heart to re
Fese me new carpet after he had such good
luck with his wheat crop, and Just slaved
myself through harvesting and got along with
one girl"
"The more the man gets, the stingier be
grows, and there isn't woman among my ac
quaintances that would stand such treatment
and went. I'll put my foot down from this
moment" setting down empbaticaIly that solid
member OF her comely person on the kitchen
floor, "if Isaac Parsons won't come to terms
I'll quit him-fhat's all"
3. Mrs. Melissa Parsons had been remarkably
pretty girl in her youth, and thirty-seven years
made her fair and comely woman.
Her husband was a somewhat phlegmatic
man, stubborn and opinionated, and as bis early
ife and social atmosphere had not enlarged or
softened bis character, the hardest and most
disagreeable part of it expended with his years.
He loved money, and as the asthetic part Of
his nature had never been cultivated he re
! garded it as wastelulness ana extEnzagsaGee
to indulge in much grace or beauty of sur
roundings. lasz- .H
S i'll there was another side to this man =
His affections were deep and tender, and a
judicious woman could have reached and in
fuenced him to almost any degree through
these But Mrs Parsons never understood
| her husband. She was an impulsive, high
4 Spirited and really warm hearted woman, with
a good share Of pretty social ambition and
she and her husband were constantly EARRING
each other. rl
Yet all these wears the harms and storc-hous.
es, the lands aud gold of Isaac Parsons hal in
creased, and God sent children-two boys and
a girl to soften the heaEts of the father aud
mother. and to be to them angels of a new COW
enant Of household peace and tenderness. Bat
alas, alas, the sweet faces, and the beautiful
nlinistrations of childhood had never. accor,-
| plsiied their missi,p. and with hearts and tenn
pers fretted and soured and worn, MIR. and Mrs.
Parsons counted the years growing over them
and both felt that their marriage had been a
mistuke and misery, aud with blind eyes that
would not understand, eOch blamed the other.
and mutua. recr mination only produced fresh
! bitterness. q.
Al last crisis came. Mrs. Parsons had set
her heart that autumn uPnnsa new paIlor car
pet, which was in no wise unreasonable, and in
which her husband eught TO have iudulgrd her,
but the manner of the request, which was sin
reality command at once ropsed the inherent
stubbornPess Qf the asah and he fatty refused
her Thtn followed passionate words and angry
retorts till husband aud wifa separated with
mutual bitterness ami rage .sa.a
But now as Mrs Parsons took up her denu-
d4t4l dtf44l CHICKEN qnd plunged it into j pan of hot
waiter, her eyes glanced on a weekly paper
which lay on the table and they settled on this
passage which completed Il short sketch
-.-Nho. when he was reviled, reviled not again.
1'dt cnHmitted his cause to Him who judgelh
righleously." t-0
And these words stole, in still. serene. re-
bukiDg voice througl the stormy soul of Mrs.
Parsons. She had read them innunerabe
times before, and they had feE her no spelhl
message or meaning, but now God had sent
Ills angel TO drop Them in her heart, and in
moment something of the real sin and wrong of
ber life rose up qnq cQqfsonted her
| She sal downiu a low chair by her kitch-
en- table, and rested her forehead on her
hand. The hard, trelful angry look went out
from her -iace.-and was succeeded by a soft,
thoughtful expression, and the sunshine hung
in yearning golden. shifting beauty about her
And thea the womans memory went back
to her first acquaintance with Isaac Parsons
he had chosen her from among score of
others who envied her that good fortune, and
how those early days of her cOurtship come
oRey The sollcncd heart of the woman, as the
first days of spring come up from the South,
and 20 softly over the bare, despairiug earth.-
Then she saw berself once more a shy. tremu-
lous. joyful bride at the altar, leaning on the
strong arm aud tender heart, TO whom she
gave. herself gladly and trusliugly as woman
sheuila# q -fAASA
And she remembered that morning, and
little later, when her proud and happy young
husband brought her to the houee which had
been his fathers and how for little while
the thoughts Of her being the mistress of the
great old farm house. fairly frightened the wits
out of her, 2 ss @M
She meant to make it a sweet and happy home
for Isaac I'arsous. She remembered, as though 4
it had all happened yesterday, the little plans
andscontrivances she had made for his surprise,
and their mutual comfort. srsa f a7hos. /
But the quarrel came How well she remem-
bered II. ana Uw CLEARLY she NOW the fool
ish and siHfnl part she had burne in thar. Ii she
had controlled her temper then-if she had on
ly been gentle aud patient, forbearing and for !
giving, instead of being proud and passionate,
fretful and stubborn! Ifshe had ofly borne the
woman's burdcus and done "a woman's duties!
Here the wife and the mother broke down. she
buried her face in her apron, and cried like q
child. .--.-q-
Mrs. Parsons was an energetic, determined
woman and when she had once made up her
mind upon any course of action, she wouId not
shrink back from it. What went on in thesoft-
ened woman's heart that morning, as she with
her apron at her eyes, and sobs in her rocking
to and fro IN her low chair, and the sweet rest
lesg sunshine all about ber-what went on in
the softened woman's heart-onIy God aud Ills
angels know.
"Are yon Tired, IEaae?" s'-l
The farmer was wiping bis face and hands on
the brown crash towel which hung near the
window. lie was tall, stalwart, muscular man,
sun Drowned and weather beaten, yet be had
keen. kindly eyes. aud the hard feature, had an
honest. intelligent expression. Mrs. Parsons
was cutting loaf of rye bread at the kitchen
table. Her husband turned and looked at her
moment as though be half doubted whether
he had heard Alright His wiGe's face was bent
over the bread so he could not see 1t; but the
words came a second time: f'"