The Grand Haven news. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1858-18??, 1861-12-04

4
enjoyed to the fullest. All the pretty
names Of words, waters and blossoms
were chanted over its cradle; all the bird.
notes which could be keyed by my voice
were uttered for the baby in the stiffness
of our own room. 1c
In truth IL became the exclusive recep-
tacle Of all the affection that was awake
in my soul.
Mr.. Overton began very soon to neg
lect the chlld-to neglect me--at least /
thought SO, and so l buried my heart in
deeper and deeper each day. If some
times felt the absence of his pleasant
glance the baby smiled and crowded the
remembrance of the want out of my
heart.
The year crept Silly away from us, and
another summer was crowned with her ro-
ses and golden wheat heads, but there
was no sweetness, no beauty for me. l
had learned the incompleteness of my life,
and wept over the child whose ears had
taken in so many sounds of song.
l did not understand then, but | do
now, that father can be jealous of his
child. NV mother saw the lack of love
between the father and daughter, and ven
tured the hint that it was the unhallowed
name that stood between them.
My mothers name was Comfort-ye-
my-people, but she did not fulfill its sug-
gestions. No one can tell how | longed
to receive one word of affection from Mr..
Overton. He had never uttered one, save
when the curtains parted over me that
faint morning, and TO comfort myself | re-
doubled my endearments TO the child, un-
til he, my husband, said bitter and re-
proachful words to me for my silly fond
ness, and said he had never heard such
foolishness from his MOTHER and she was
model. Every married mans is l be-
lieve.
But it was very bitter to bear. / was
n good house-keeper, | was certain, and
had that reputation among my friends,
but it was many things Mr.. Overton found
out Of order, and how many requirements
he made Of me. He was rs exacting as
if l had been recording machine. Oh,
how wretched | should have been, but for
my baby. 1t was my comfort, save God,
and he took the child
l cannot talk of those first days of
shadow, nay, of utter darkness; but,
thank Heaven, they passed, and left the
soft, sweet sunshine of faith in a hereaf-
ter with my newly-made angel, and bro't
back my husband to love and its satisfy
ing expressions. When the little hands
grew rigid in their dimplcd beauty, and
could no more fondle my own, and the
little lips purpled into Stiffness, Daniel
Ovcrton first told me that he loved me,
and begged me to forget the baby, and
rest my heart upon his great Affection
Death took the seal of silence from his
tongue, and he confessed how lie grudged
the little creature the sweet words so con-
stantly bestowed upon it-how unjust he
had been TO her, and to me, and promis-
ed that from the little grave we made,
should arise utterances from the heart
each telling the driftings of thought, and
how happiness rose and fell by the worlds
changes, and our own deeds. Oh, how il
helped the Comforter and the balm of
time to soothe the pain Of my first loss !
Some one has said that women think
too much of words. Perhaps they do,
but it is out of the power Of wives 10 in
terpret deeds rightly always, and a little
word is so sweet, so strengthening TO the
faint heart Laugh as the cold world
may over household endearments, / pity
the wife who does not crave them, and
still more the one who Graves. Deeds
are mighty-but words add to their val
ue n hundred fold.
Our puritanic and expressionless rela-
tives feared we had reached our dotage
early, but il is still prolonged.
A sweet woman said to me but yester-
day, " Grandmother, | could forgive my
husband much of neglect, much of failure
iu his purposes, if he would only say
pleasant things to me-if he would only
set each day around with beautiful and
loving words" And understood her by
the memory of that heart silence between
Mr.. Overton and myself.
Expression has had a great growth
since we were married, and many heart
aches will be allayed which grew to Tester
ING when was young. If a woman loves
her husband why should she be ashamed
to ayow it? The world presume as much,
why be so fearful of proving itby honest
assertions?
II man spends the best energies of
his life for the woman who wears his
name, why should he blush to acknowl-
edge his affection by title of endear-
mentl
Mchaelmas is almost here, and the fif-
ty years are nearly gone; but there is a
beautiful world before us, and l pray we
bo not long separated. Mr.. Overton is
looking at me across the journal he has
been reading, while / pen this unsteady
chirography, and his eyes are not so full
of darkness and fire-a little softeped in
their hue but very tender