Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-09-09
e. to invite company when 0ethie was


occupied IN culfi3afing her mind. -.
The gentlemen played with their tea
spoons, and dallied with their forks, but
neither of them essayed a second mouth
full OF either tongue, cabbage or coffee.
MIR. Verdon noticed this fact with deep
modification.
"You don't eat anything, Howard"
"Oh, / have dined very heartily, as
sure you, politely responded Mr.. How
ard.
''Have little more of the tongue,
Talboys."
mo more, thank YOU" returned Tai
boys, spasmodically holding on to his
plate.
Howard, / think we have an engage
ment at this hour"
eff your charming and intellectual
hostess will excuse us?" said Howard,
bowling courteously.
won't you stay for a little of the
ice-cream-and-cal foot jelly?"
questioned MIR. Verdon, drawing on his
imagination for a hypothetical dessert.
''Thank you've couldn't possibly
said Mr.. Talboys. And Mr.. Verdon
could not avoid dim perception that
his guests were glad to depart.
When we had returned from seeing
them off, Cathie was sitting in the par
lor, cutting the leaves of a new volume.
"Ohl Catharinep' he said, half sadly,
half angrily, ;" .'why didn't you go down
and see about the dinner?"
Dinner" repeated Cathie, with wide
open blue eyes. ''Why, Alec, Thought
you wished me to become intellectual.
I'm sure you said yourself that domes-
tic cares ought to be secondary to the
cultivation of my intellectual naturer'
Alexander Verdon banged the door
and strobe off down stairs In a genuine
rage.
81 wonder" he thought, if this state
of things is inevitable. I'll go and see
Ogilvie-hanged if don'tp'
And he clapped on his hat and
straight-way went.
1t was nearly twilight of a cold De-
cember day, when he entered DIR.
Ogilvie's parlor. The furniture was
shabby and matched with dHst-the
torn curtains hung drearily from their
hooks, and an ashy fire was smOulderingI
in the CRATE, while Ogilvie himself in a
faded dressing gown, sat in an easy
chair smoking cheap cigar.
"Ogilvie," said Mr.. Verdon, after the
preliminary salutations had been ex-
changed, 81 want to ask you a. ques-
tion." "a a nFl
'Well." E24l
"Your wife is a cultivated womaa?"
''Yes-she's that, and she's nothing
else," groaned poor Ogilvie. @s q
My wife is not-that is, intellect is
not her forte. She's dear, sweet, do
nestle little thing, with no particular
taste for metaphysics or transcendental
theories. Now would you advise me to
make an intellectual woman of her-a
woman, for instance, like your wife %
"Would i advise you to take strych-
nine, or jump off into the river at high
tide Man, if you've got wife like
that, don't, for PHYS sake try to alter
her instincts Take her as she is, and
be thankful from the bottom of your
heart. Sure, you don't want to live like
this ?" s
He looked with a scornful shrug OF
the shoulders around the faded, desoIate
room, and added e.
"My wife shines in society-ihis is
our home" = - >
And Alexander VerdOn took his leave
fully cured of the ambition to have his
little Cathie like Mrs. Ogilvie. U.s. q
Catharine," he said, somewhat
sheepishly, as he once more came to the
little table where she was SO drowsily
cutting the self same leaves, you have
consulted my wishes in one thing, will
You consult them in another ?"
"Yes, Alec"
''Leave off trying to become Ma
dame de Stael, and be my own little
Cathie once more"
The bright color flushed to her tenn
Piles. a. "
"But 1 thought you wanted an intel
lectual wife, Alec?" M
''My dear, fancied that ] did; but /
am entirely convinced now that have
been an egregrious fool"
Which was so very unprecedented q
declaration for Mr.. Alexander Verdon
to make, that we think his wife was en-
tirely justified in acceding TO this new
And so the little house
hold fairy came back to his hearthstone
once more, and shirts and dinners were
nearer perfection than ever. But CATH
arine has learned one lesson; she has
become companion to her husband in
the highest sense of the word, and can
read and talk almost as well as she can
keep house.