Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1867-03-30
A Riff In flle lI0nd.

tired and out of spirits came homo
TO his wife, who was also tired and
out of spirits.
"a smiling vile and n cheerful
home-a paradise it would boz said
Andrew to himself, ms he turned his
eyes from the cloudod face Of Mrs,
Ice, and sat down with knitted
brows and moody aspect.
Not word was spoken by either,
Mrs. Leo was getting supper, and
she moved about with weary step.
"Come," she said at last, with n
side glance at her husband.
Andrew arose and went to tho ta'
bic. Hc was tempted to speak an
angry word, byt controlled himself
and kept silent. He could find no
fault with the chop nor the home
made bread, nor the fragrant tea
They would have cheercd his inward
man, if there had been gleam of
sunshine on the face of his wife. He
; noticed she did not eat.
"Arc you not well, Mary?' The
words were on his lips, but he did
not utter them, for tho face Of his
wife looked so repellant, that he
feared an irritating reply.
And so, in moody silence, the
twain sat together until Andrew had
finished his supper.
AS he pushed his chair back, his
wife arose and commenced clearing
off tho table.
"This is purgatory !" said he to
himself, as he commenced walking
the floor of their little breakfast
room, with his hands thrust despe-
rately away down into his trowsers
pockets, and his chin almost touch
ing his breast.
After removing all the dishes and
taking them into the kitchen, Mrs.
Lee spread green cover on the ta-
ble and placing fresh trimmed
lamp thereon, went out and shut the
%loor after her, leaving her husband
alone with his unpleasant feelings.
He took a long deep breath as she
did SO, paused in his walk, stood
still for some moments, and when
drawing paper from bis pocket,
sat down by the table, opened the
sheet, and commenced ecading. Sin
gularly cnongh, the words upon
which his eyes rested were "Praise
your wife" !" They rather tended to
increase the disturbance Of mind
from which he was suffering
~ should like to find some occa-
sion for praisingmine." How quick
ly his thoughts expressed that i'll
natured sentiment. But his eyes
were on the page before him, and he
: read on.
"Praise you wife, man; for pity $
sakegiver hera little encouragement
1t won't hurt her."
Andrew Lee raised his eyes from
the PAPER and muttered, 90, yes
that's all very we'll Praise is cheap
enough. But praise Sher for what :?
For being sullen, and making her
home the most disagreeable place in
the world?' His eyes fell again to
the paper.
"She has made your home COM
Portable, your heart bright and shit
ing, your food agreeable for PHYS
sake tell her you thank her if moth
ing more. She don't expect it; it
will make her eyes open wider than
they have for ten years but it will
do her good for all that, and you,
too"
1t seemed to Andrew as if this
sentence was written Just for him,
and lust for the occasion. 1t was a
complete answer to his question,
"Praise her for what ?" and he felt
it also rebukc. lie read no furth-
or, for thought came too busy and in
new direction. Memory was con-
victing him of injustice to his wife.
She had always made his home as
comfortable for him as her hands
could make it, and had he offered
the light return of praise or COM
mendation Had he ever told her
of the satisfaction he had known, or
the comfort he had experienced P
He was not able to recall the time
or occasion. As he thought, thus,
Mrs. Lee came in from the kitchen,
and, taking her rk-basllet from
the closet, placed it on. the table,
and, sitting down without speaking,
began to sew. Mr.. Lee glanced al
most stealtlsily at the work in her
hands, and saw that it was the bos-
ON of a shirt, which she was stitch :
ing neatly. He knew that it was
for him that she was at work.
"Praise your wife, The words
were before the eyes of his mind,
and he could not look away from
them. Butfc was not ready for this
vet. He still felt moody and unfor-
giving. The expression Of hiswife's
face he interpreted to mean ill-na-
ture for which he had no patience.
His eyes fell upon the newspaper
that lay spread out before him, and
he read the sentence:
"a kind, cheerful word, spoken in
a gloomy house, is the little rift in
the cloud that lets the sunshine
through"
Lee struggled with himself awhile
longer. His ewn.ill-nature had to
he CONQUERED first: his moody, nc
cusing spirit had to be subdued. He
thought of many things to say, yet
he feared to say them lest his wife
should meet his address with n cold
rebuff At last, leaning toward her,
and taking bold Of the shirt bosom
upon which She was at work, he
said in a voice carefully modulated
with kindness
sYou are doing the work beauti-
fully, Mary"
~ L - - A. -. - T~I Lrss