Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-04-07
/, friends, it is foolish thus to spoil SO lovely a

morning"
This address succeeded in inducing the
lovely weeper to withdraw the handkerchief
from her face and softly to ask: "Do you
think SO :: then why were you so hard upon
me?"
"Well, now you see, I come to you to sue
for peace" pleaded Alfred and taking his
wife in his arms he whispered, ''Now you will
say those few words for love of me -"
Poor husband! never was he more mista-
ken than in supposing his gentle wife had
yielded; for she tore herself from his en-
brace, more angry than ever, with the words,
'What, even now? still you ask this? you
would begin the quarrel again ?"
" L have come to you dear wife, to soften
you with kind words when YOU we've angry;
now it is for you to yield something"
Emma seemed to struggle with herself;
she longed to be at peace with her husband
whom she fondly loved; she had only to
whisper the words he asked her for, and all
would be right between them but pride came
to the rescue. What after all her deter
mination, should she yield at last So she
wound up all her powers Of resistance into
one firm, resoute ono once for all, Mop
Then the aggrieved husband broke out into
the following speech: at is enough, then ::
you know that it would please me that you
should do this, and you will not do it, Nv
request may be foolish; nevertheless, it is
my request, and you will not fulfill it. 1t
may be caprice on my part, but your love
should accommodate itself to my caDrice.
The words are nothing, but the proof of your
affection is much, and that proof you will not
give me. 1 have entreated, reasoned, COM
manded, tried every mode, but in vain and
you profess to love me, you cannot in one lit
tie instance conquer caprice, not even to
show kindness to your husband! Never
say again that you love mep
This compendium of accusations was ut
tered while the speaker was pacing up and
down the pretty parlor in a very excited
state, and elected from the accused, who
leaned with her arms Or the table, as if for
support under her unwonted trials, the fol-
lowing reply:
''What right have you to accuse me of per-
verseness or caprice You acknowledge
and yet you persist. 1t would degrade me
knowingly to commit folly, and yet you ask
me thus deliberately tie degrade myself Is
this love ? And then you see that yonr con-
duct pains me;' here the tears flowed plenti-
fully again "yet you continue cold and I'M
moved. On whose side, then, is the per-
verseness? where is the lack of affection ?"
How much more might have been said on
either side it is impossible to tell, for at that
moment Hal respectfully announced the ap-
proach of the expected visitors. Alfred
whispered to his wife a caution not to let her
parents see that she had been agitated, and
she replied &C don't care; they may know
| ali am not to blame;" and in this con-
seriousness of injured innocence, Emma fol-
lowed her husband to greet the, beloved
, guests at the door.
Squire Oldfeld and his wife Catherine were
a hearty, handsome, elderly couple, who had
toled up the hill of life together successfully
and were now, as the poet expresses it, going
down it hand in hand, a kindly, honest, low
ing pair After the first greetings were
over, Catharine rallied her daughter, as
mothers will do sometimes, on the fact of
making herself scarce at the parental home
stead but, on Emma's attempting to apollo
gize, kindly added, ooh, know how it is, my
dear child; young wife has something else
to do than to be always running after her old
mother"
"That is how the world wags, wife," said
the squire; "she must leave father and
mother, as the holy writing saith: but you
think of Us often, my child, am sure"
So they seated themselves to the amply
spread breakfast-table and the old gentle
man, declaring that his long walk had made
him both thirsty and hungry, poured out a
glass of wine for each of the party, and pro-
posed "many happy returns of the day."
| Now, it occurred simultaneously to our
young couple, that many returns of such a
morning as they had passed together would
not be desirable but instead of keeping this
consciousness to themselves, and accomplish
ing a silent reconciliation, Alfred raised his
glass with trembling hand, and the more i'm
| pulsive Emma was obliged to put her own
down on the table again while she wiped her
eyes This action did not escape the notice
of the worthy old man.
t "W hat is this ?" asked he :; have offend
} ed My son-in-law, you look embarrassed,
and Emma is in tears what has happened ?''
Alfred, finding that the whole matter must
come out, motoned to Hal to leave the room,
and tried to explain cit is a little matter
not worth mentioning only my Emma is a
} little too obstinate"
Unfortunate young man /! it certainly might
be said of him on this particular morning,
that he could not open his mouth without
quitting his foot in it." His remark reopen
ed the food-gates of his wife's grief, who de-
e clared that she had struggled against it in
e vain, but the sense of injustice in being
n styled obstinate, capricious, and perverse,
was more than she could bear.
, Great was the confusion amongst that small
e breakfast party. The father said "Hist!-
: quarrePs;" but the mother opined that per-
e haps if they were to hear how matters stood
, something satisfactory might be accom-
t plished in the way of arbitration So the
t point was yielded, and Alfred was requested
t to tell his story. When it was ended, the
young wife appealed: 'There, mother there
father now you hear him; you can tell if
= have ever been Perverse."
i "Well, child" said the old man, with a
- 1. l. 1
9 hesitation, well-perhaps-
CHOW, husband" interposed Catharine,
"you do Emma wrong; she never was per-
l verse. Be easy, dear child, do not vex your
self, it will soon be all right"
"Ah, but he still insists that shall say the
words" sobbed Emma.
"Ah, my son, is it so ?" asked the moth
; err, with the faintest shade of anger in her
tone
pray let the matter rest" said the son.
Let me beg of you not to spoil my break
fast" said Squire Oldfeld, good -humoredly,
you are little simpleton, Emma and you,
my son, will find it is as well to overlook a
little seltwill in a young bride. She will
soon cure herself oft, like my old wife there;
you see she exercises no contradiction, she full
, nils my slightest wish and l were to ask her
D to say, Very good, the table is SET she would
: say it at once"
Indeed would not though" said the ell
! derby dame, rather sharply.
l "What not if l were to ask you?n
I "Certainly not"
"Ah, wife, you are not in earnest. wop,d
you actually refuse me ?"
81 would"