Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-03-31

kfarnsTet recovered, like all women OF hei
class, not by means OF tender cares or proper
food but thanks to the efforts Of a vigorouseoH
stitution. Only, as always happens IN ike cases
the traces Of her efforts remained. The vital
ity, luxariant ard full of freshneH, which had
adorned the young girl, was replaced. IN th'
young neither. by that fading away, which
even the victory Of a native Higour over
inaIady leaves, and Margaret had theresftel
that wearled and naccid physiognomy which
| Ia peculiar 10 the women OF the people.
The wearylng care which her child required
completed the efFacing OF what beauty re
mained, and that anticipated old age soon
came upon her, so sadly unsightly, which
suffering joined TO toll produces.
Mean while the child grew. and time glided
away.
The domestic LIE OF ths mason became whai
that OF the poor man always becomes,-an as
ISOLATION OF troubles and bitter irrltations' Ihs
first IntoxIcat'on which OF course follows tbs
union CT q man and woman who do not yet hate
each Other, had been very soon exhausted. Thai
fever of youth passed, what little Of esressing
affection there was, born OF common desires
had vanished, 20 give place 10 indifference.
A few months had sufliced this couple 10
strip on the leaves Of their flower Of life. which
polished habits sometimes succeed in keeping
fresh foF a longer time; but which, amid the
gross necessities Of miserable existence, ia
soon crushed and withered. Marriage had been
for them like the pills which q coating OfsugaI
disguises from children. They had very soon
exhausted the sweetness, and the bitter sub
stance had alone remained. Having found
nothing 20 substitute for the first erjsyments
OF their union, neither the sympathy that de-
ve'epes itself between souls that understand
each other, nor the intelligence wEicb unites
by the thoughts as the sens>s do by pleasure,
they had soon become weary ofeach other and
OF themselves.
Cosquer, moreover, had never felt any real
attachment for Margaret. He had known her
when she was servant in the house OF the con
tractor FOR whom he worked, and had asked
her in marriage. because he needed a woman,
ond supposed she had some savings. But he
had not, at any me, considered his house as
any thing more than place OF repose, vhers
be could rest in the evening, and sleep of the
fumes Of his brandy on Sunday, when he had
been able 10 eeonOmise q drunkenness for that
day His wife was in his eyes only servant
without wages, whom be foundit convenient to
have TO cook his meals, make up his bed, and
share It.
This man was, for the rest, the man of the
the mere satisf, ,ction Of his appetites, yet capa-
be OF a sudden impulse towards the good,
when passion appealed TO his heart; but inca
pable OF that goodness ef detail which makes
life agreeable to those around u.s. Then, all
the shades OF ignorance enwrapped him. He
was asort of nervous machine. had generous
heart according to the aim or occasion that i'm
PEELED him a fertile soil, in which the good
and the bad seed would alike fruetify; but, in
all cases, too coarse a nature to accommodate
himself to that home without comfort, without
love, which chance and society had made for
him.
Perhaps there was something better in the
organization OF Margaret. Without being ex-
eInpt from the woes of her condition she had
preserved a kind and tender nature, an acute
Intelligence. Placed when quite oung, as q
domestic, in a com Portable existence, refined by
contact with more Intellectual persons, she had
thereby acquired n certain sweetness % ssnti-
ment, a sort Of delieRcy unknown n her hus-
b md So when this soul, softened in the at
mcsphers OF a refined civilization, found itseii
bruised against a soul hardened by trouble, ii
felt pain and ala ~ She would perhaps have
been capable OF fdreaming Of union, ifnOt ten
der, at lasst calm and Agreeable, nke those
which she might have seen IA the class which
she had served She had neither lived among
the oaths OF anger nor she cries Of drunkart;s'
All that was for her, a sad novelty.
Nevertheless she became accustomed II them.
This heart was not of so high a nature that il
could not descend TO brutal habitudes; nor
those organs so delicate that they could not ac-
custom themselves to the vinous breath, the
savage uenaces, and the indeceneies, of vice
and misery. But the change was not effected
without 4 moral whitening away, which dFled
up the freshness OF the soul of the young wO-
nan, ss ths first wretchedness had withered
that Of the face. On the whole, however, the
two led what the Pont de Terre called good
domestic life; Cosquer did not beat Margaret.
SO years passed, without sensibly changing
the position OF the two, Their daughter Cathe-
rine grew up, aRd the family continued to live
under the inenaess OF the morrow. Cosquer's
fortune had neither increased nor diminished.
Set on the very brink of indigence, it would
have needed little to push him into it; a few
days sickness. want OF work. decrease OF
wsges He had been lucky enough to escape
all these dangers, but without gathering from
them any advantage for the future. Daily he
Hy,d for the day, his expenses and earnings
al.says e.nal, seriously occupied in never saw
ing any Of The latter, ana calling the wees 70
his aid, whent by cnano", the needs DID not slif
Use 10 absorb AL True squandering Of the saw
age who perverts his hunger, TO eat all the fruit
OF the tree, were he ewes 70 die from it, without
rejecting that, tomorrow. he will need 90 eat
again ,-care'ess prodigality, so natural to
whomsoeY-r Is in the habit OF counting only
upon to- Il; and which can neither be extir-
Rsted beSthe little treatises on popular econ
omy, crowned BY tho FTsnch Aeademy ao-
t1,.t sarr1nv,s
remain sermons and curates!
Despite al, Margaret began to look at the
present without fear. Catherine was strong
ana would soon be useful 10 her. 1t would Don
be possible for her to so TO service, and to aid
her parents with part Of her wages. These
were large assurance sgainSt the future,
Add, as crowning their good fortune, that
the young girl had received from heaven the
most excellent gift that could be made to the
child Of The poor: she ate little
frO RF gOSFTyTrED SUNDAY NEXT