Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-02-09
FOREW ARMED.
A VERY SpsoHT STORY.

In my III health 1 have had dream, or
vision, and mean to tell it. Prelude, there
Is none required, so l shall begin. dreamt
that nv wife aud | we're sitting alone in the
breakfast room of the wide house we in
habit Marian had given me my cup OF
coffee not in the most graciOns of moods !;
il was hardly her fault, l confess, for had
been hard TO please this particular morn
ing. We went to party last evening; we
went because we were asked-nOt because
we wished to go. Marian thought we ought
not to refuse, so L consented, ready to humor
her. She does not like to give up the So
ciety to which she has been accustomed,
and cannot force her to do so.
We went; and we came back in a bad
temper. Somehow or other, we have had
more differences-I will not say squabbles
of late than l have ever known before.
And yet | cannot accuse Marian of being
generally ill-natured, or even passionate.
And for myself there used to be people
with whom l could agree perfectly--per-
haps there are now somewhere. 1t seems
that my wife and l don'5 get on together
rs well as wife and husband should. What
can be the cause?
Alas there is not much difficulty in as
signing a cause. The reason is not far to
seek. am confessing to myself that which
j dare not tell my nearest friends Marian
was never meant for me, and l was never
meant for Marian. Men do not take advice
TOO often-that is not the way of the world
but | think | took advice on one occasion,
the most important Of all my life, when l
ought to have decided for myself.
| WAS not very rich, and perhaps not
very wise, aud friends of mine considered
that as Marian was both, could obtain no
more suitable wife. They thought that she
and | were exactly fitted each for the other.
She rich, with a very moderate fortune;
i not very wise: she certainly not foolish,
| suppose both of us knew something of
the world; Marian at any rate, knew quite
as much Of it as | wished my wife to know.
There was somebody else for whom / bad
preference; somebody else whose merest
word filled my heart with joy, whenever
was lucky enough TO hear it; whose light
est touch thrilled through my frame. I
knew her perfectly well; | recognized each
tone of the varying voice. Over that face of
hers no expression that was new to me could
pass. Ikrew shem all so well that each ex
preston was but as another page of we'll
loved. Wtil-remcmbered book--a book that
could not open but knew the place.
The girls name was Ethel; aud she was
the only girl had ever loved. When her
gray eyes-pure, deep, serene-fell upon
my own, the light of them entered into my
very soul. thought I would have given
my life with all the years that lay before
me; given all my prospects and hopes
such az they were-t0 know that that girl
was mine. For her sake thought l could
have met death willingly. | thought so
then: but, my God, Thou knowest that |
deceived myselt-that my strength failed
me In the trial hour passed through. Tnou
knowest that shrunk, conquered. WANT
cd to have Eshei for my own, and l said
80. 1t was opposed. i spoke more strong
Iy; butthe opposition became stronger too.
Anxiety did its work., Ill-heaith came
upon me. And in an evil moment-that
curse (invardly l remember) to this hour
Il yielded. A month or two afterward
Marian was my wife. / resolved to do by
her as well as | could; | should have been
a brute to think Of doing otherwise. She
should have no cause TO complain, il could |
help It. HenceiOrth she aud were to live |
together, each for the other. Henceforth |
Ethel wss nothing TO me-notbing.
Was that possible?
1 thought it possible then secure of the
victory which mind might gain over heart.
There were good reasons-plausible rea-
sons, st least---for my marrying Marian
ard as had made tie bargain would
keep It. had perfect confidence that my
wife would do her part. She bad always
cosauladded my respect; but my love-that
IS Quite another affair. For as the poet, the
greatest poet or our day, says:
" How is IL under our control
70 love or not to lover
But we got along pretty well together
Marian ard /. Our life looked nc by itself,
was not SO very miserable; but compared
with the life that might have been mine
with Ethel, it was not life at all. Still it |
weiIt on, and kept its even tenor. The !
passing days br0ught with them what arc