Delaware State journal and statesman., 1861-12-17

n.y. VI NhltH hSi opliSht1 POhVio lhe'ue
her the delight; and now, in the midst Of
applause, her eye would turn to him as if
there alone she sought favor and accept
ance. When leaning on his arm, her
slender form contrasted finely with his tall
manly person. The fond confiding air
with which she looked up to him seemed
to call forth flush of triumphant pride,
and cherishing tenderness, as if he dotted
on his lovely burden for its very helpless
ness. Never did a couple set forward on
the aowery path of early and well-suited
marriage with fairer prospect of felicity.
1t was the misfortune of my friend,
however, to have embarked his property
in large speculations; and he had not
been married many months, when, by
succession Of sudden disasters, it was
swept from him, and he found himself re-
dnced almost to penury. For a time he
kept his situation to himself, and went
about with haggard countenance and II
breaking heart His life was but pro-
tracted agony; and what rendered it more
insupportable was the keeping up smile
in the presence of his 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 sighs, and was not to be
deceived by his sickly and vapid attempts
at cheerfulness. She tasked all her spright-
ly powers and tender Establishments to win
him back to happiness; but she only
drove the arrow deeper into his SOUL
The more he saw cause to love her, the
more torturing was the thought that he
was soon to make her wretched. A little
while, thought he, and the smile will van
ish from her 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 Che 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
all this p
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 7
And why not p said 1. She must
know it sooner or later you cannot keep
it long from her, and the intelligence may
break upon her in a more startling man
ner than if impaired by yourself; for the
accents of those we love soften the hard
est tidings. Besides, you are depriving
yourself of the comforts of her sympathy;
and not merely that, but also endangering
the only bond that can keep hearts to.
gether-an unreserved community of
thought and feeling She will soon per-
ceive that something is secretly preying
upon your mind and true love will not
brook reserve; it feels undervalued and
outraged, when even the sorrows of those
it loves are concealed from it,
Oh, but, my friend to think what a
blow / am to give to all her future pros
pects-how I 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 plea
sures of society-to shrink with me into
indigenee and obscurity 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 l-how can she bear poverty? she
has been brought up in all the refinement
of opulence. How can she bear neglect
she has been the idol of society. Oh it
will break her heart-it will break her
heart -
saw his grief was eloquent, and let
it have its flow; for sorrow relieves itself
by words. When 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 put positively.
But how are you to keep it from her
1t is necessary that she should know it,
that you may take the steps proper for the
alteration of your circumstance. You
must change your style of living-nay,
! observing pang to pass over his counte-
nance, don't let that afilict you. an
, sure you have never placed your happi
ness in outward show-you have YET
friends, warm friends, who will not think
) the worse of you for being less splendidly
lodged and surely it does not require 0
palace to be happy with Mary
, Il could be happy with her. he cried
convulsively, in howell could g.
: down with her into poverty and the dus
, i could could-God bless her =
God bless her = cried he, bursting into O
transport of grief and tenderness.
> And believe me my friend said /
: stepping up and grasping him warmly by
the hand, believe me she can be thu
! ! same with you Ay, more; it will be {
source of pride and triumph to her
= will call forth all the latent energies ant
, fervent sympathies of her nature for sht
will rejoice to prove that she loves you fo
yourself. There is in every true woman
! heart spark of heavenly fire which lie
: dormant in the broad day light of pros
perity but which kindlcs up and beam
and blazes in the dark hour of adversity
No man knows what the wife of his bosom
is-no man knows what minstering an
4 gel she is-until he has gone with he
:, through the fiery trials OF this world
There was something in the earnestnes
i of my manner and the 6gurative style {
+. my language that caught the eXctet
n imagination of Leslie. knew the audi
v tor had to deal with; and following u
Z the impression l had made, finished b.
4 persuading him to go home and unburde
mis- sad heart TO his wife.
e l must confess, Notwithstanding all
a had said, felt some little solicitude TO
d the result. Who can calculate on the fol