Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-04-06
friends. it is foolish thus to spoil so lovely a

| lovely weener to withdraw the handkerchief
from her face, and softly to ask "Do you
think so ? then why were you so hard upon
! me ?"
/ "WeI, now you see, | come to you to sue
| for peace" pleaded Alfred and taking his
wife in his arms he whispered, Snow you will
say those few words for love Of me :;
Poor husbandl never was he more mlsta-
ken than in supposing his gentle wife had
| Welded for she tore herself from his en-
brace more angry than ever, with the words,
ssWhat, even now? still you ask this you
would begin the quarrel again ?:
4" / have come to you dear wife, to soften
| YOU with kind words when you were angry;
now it is for you to WELD 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 resolute stNoi once for all, No :"
Then the aggrieIed husband broke out into
| the following speech: T" 1t 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 viii not fulfill 1t. 1t
| may be caprice on my part, but your love
should accommodate itself TO my caprice.
The words are nothing but the proof of your
affection is much, and that proof you viii not
give me. / have entreated, reasoned, com
manded. tried every mode, but in vain and
vou profess 20 love me- YOU cannot in one lit
tie instance conquer q caprice, not even TO
show kindness 10 your husband, Never
say again that you love me l.
This compendium of accusations ut
tered while the speaker YVES pacing up and
down the pretty parlor in very excited
/ state, and elected from the accused, who
leaned with hey arms on the table, as if for
support under her unwonted trials, the fol-
lowing reply:
What right have you to accuse me of per-
| yerseneSs or caprice You acknowledge
that il is folly to ask me to say those words,
and vet you persist. 1t would degrade me
knowingly TO commit folly, and yet you ask
me thus deliberately te degrade myself Is
this love And then you see that your con-
duct pains me-" here the tears flowed plenti-
fully again " yet you continue cold and un-
moved On whose side, then, is the per-
-ersenessg 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 APP
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, 4" don't care; they may know
l.
sciousness 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
toiled up the hill of life together successfully
and were now, the poet expresses it, going
down it hand in hand, kindly, honest, low
ing pair, After the first greetings were
over, Catharine rallied her daughter, as
1 will n m of
making herself scarce at the parental home
stead but on Emmas attempting to apollo
gize, kindly added, ''Oh, 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 often, my child, l 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 q.
morning as they had passed together would
not be desirable bat instead of keeping this
consciousness to themselves, and accomplish
| ing a silent reconciliation, Alfred raised his
| glass with a 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.
What is this >" asked he have | offend
} ed Ny 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 at 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
g putting his foot in it." His remark reopen
ed the tlood-gates of his wifes grief, who de-
clared that she had struggled against it in
Vain, but the sense of injustice in being
styled obstinate, capricious, and perverse
was more than she could bear.
, Great was the confusion amongst that small
= breakfast party The father said, Hist
! old wife, do not NEEDLE with the young folks
quarrers;" but the mother opined that per-
: haps, if they to hear how matters stood
, something satisfactory might be accom-
I plShed in the way of arbitration. SO the
I point was yielded, and Alfred was requested
I to tell his story. When it was ended. the
young wife appealed: There, mother there
! | tatheri now you hear him; you can tell if
have ever been PerverSe"
"WeI, child" said the old man, with a
mischeivous twinkle in his eye, and a studied
? hesitation, " well-perhaps-no.
Now, husband" interposed Catharine,
ysn DO Emma wrong; she never was per-
l verse Be easy, dear child do not vex your
, self, il viii soon be all right"
All, but he still insists that | shall say the
words" sobbed Emma.
All, my son, is it so? B." 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 0ldfeld, good -humoredly,
"you little simpleton, Emma ; and you,
my son, viii find it Is well to overlook a
little self will III young bride. She will
soon cure herself oft, like my old wife there;
YOU see she exercises no contradiction, she full
fills my slightest wish; and | were to ask her
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.
what not if | were to ask you ?"
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