The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-11-21
from Miss Braddon's eBeigrayia.p
A FIRESIDE STORY.

The hearth-rug ought to tell this
story because she had much nors
do with il than / had. But, spread o.p
there before the fire from morning ~
night. she only thinks OF making
herseif comfortable, and ] dare say
considera II n hardship 70 DC shaken
All az her drowsy seli-suitciency
are,.s nace In the twenty-four hours.
q" I'll ;e The he story il never told till the
hearth.rng takes TO story.telling
nobody, fancy, II eyer likely 70 be
the better for listening TO 10. The
eender. am bound TO add, IL very
i;ttle more inclined TO exert himself
unnecessarily. As for the tongs and
shovel, they are net quite 30 INDECENT,
and wish them Joy Of The c0mpli-
ment. The hare has not much TO be
proud of in being able TO run faster
than the snail. / don't think too
much Of my own activity, therefore,
when ! say, that but for an occasional
waking up on my part we should fair
ly be considered a slow and sleepy lot.
What | mean by all this is, that il is
not out Of eonceit Of my own ability
that now put myself forward 10 tell
this story. | do SO simply because |
am the only one Of our freaide CONF
panionship with energy enough in his
composition TO take 80 much trouble
for the benefit and warming of domiI
neerine wives in particular, and in the
interests of husbands in general; and
| adhere TO my original opinion, that
the hearth-rug ought 10 have told IL.
"a Oh i
to make at starting happen to be re-
peated within hearing of any individ-
ual following the same calling as my
self, he will, | am sure, understand
in moment my feelings when j say
that my mistress face in fact her
person altogether, is such a one as q
drawing room poker reflects with
warm and invarinble satisfaction. AZ
TO her other good qualities, / shall
not express my own opinion, which
might be open to the suspicion OF
Partially, but shall report rather that
Of Mr.. John Thomas, the footman, in
his own words, uttered one morning
while he was in the act Of putting
Goals on the fire, a moment after she
had left the room: BY George
masters lucky man 10 have such a
wife If was sure Amelia Cathh-
rine, upper housemaid, equally
good locking and well conducted)l
would make me such another, blow
me if | wouldn't marry her without
even asking TO see her savings bank
book. +" Mr.. John Thomas had lived
in many other families, andwa there
fore qualified to speak knowingly on
such subject. My own impression
is, that his admiration Of his mistress.
in her capacity of wife Of his master,
Ia abundantly justified OF Mr.. Sill
yer, my master, | have only to say
that, though he is member of the
Stock Exchange aud anything but b
saint, he iseartainly not at all bad
sort ola gentleman. He used me a
little roughly at times-~bnt Fit were
not that in doing so he makes his wife
start unpleasantly on her chair, /
should not object to be so treated
should rather like it, in fact. That
they are aathoronghly. happy pair IL
what any one would soon discover
who had my opportunities for obscry-
ing them togetherr-a privilege have
used judioiously, and without sus-
picion of impertinence, / hope may
safely say, for little short Of ten
years: 10 be precise, from about the
seventh day after their return from
their honeymoon trip, when my mis-
tress took formal possession of her
home, and sent my predecessor trav-
cling on the way of old iron.
Promising that from my recumbent
position on the fender, / saw and
heard everything that | am about to
relate, this is my story:
Fires had not yet been begun in the
drawing room, but, from the force Of
habit [ suppose, Mrs. Silver, when
there was no company, would sit
reading or at work by the side Of the
| fireplace, while her husband went for
a ride after dinner, which he did very
often in the Summer twilight. One
evening while thus seated alone, l
noticed that she paused reaectively,
and presently heard her say:
No, no; I'll not remind him. To
say to him, My love, for the FIRST
time in ten years you have forgotten
the return Of our wedding day, might
sound like a. reproach. No, neither
tears nor feprodches' belong toia day
from which date ten years of tranquil
happiness. | am sure his forgetfulness
arises from no want of love for me,
Active and occupied as he is, | know
how many other thingshe has to think
Of Ii he had remembered-we it
would have A been very delightful
However, since he has CHANGED to
forget, let me reflect that his memory
might be as retentiye as that Of the
aimanac, and yet he might not love
me. No; IT avengei his forgetful-
ness ,nas y shall be in my own way-by
e snak1ing the hreside Of which he is so
I h;1O, more than usually pleasant to
MN thus evening, -
, - nL1s, ,. silver smiled and resumed her
Worh' winch that evening was a hand