The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-01-30
"Your behavior to Miss Howard

ooGh Oh you Wnen earned on In the
sight of your wife and daughters, I
persisted. ''L say nothing of my
sister; that she feels this deeply, I
have discovered to-day, but her re-
firing, generous disposition induces
her to bear in silence what few wives
would do. But your daughter! Mary
is of IN age to see and understand
these things. Miss Howard must
leave"
''I'm sure don't care whether she
leaves or not, " responded the gentle
man, with the most apparent uncon-
Germ. 'But who the deuce is to take
care of the children if you send her
away, and Mary i'll III bed?"
THAT is quite secondary consi-
deratlon,' y l remarked; ''have / your
permission to discharge Miss How
ard?'
"Well, I don't know. 1t will look
absurdly strange; and so unnecessary
You do her great injustice, Hester,
and me, too, if You think there's any
thing wrong. What do you suppose
care for Miss Howard?"
That You care for her to any OK
tent [ do not fear" replied; '.for
when woman, be she young or get
ting on in life, so far forgets herself
as to step between man and wife-to
endcavor to worm herself clandes-
timely into his affections respect
tor that woman leaves his mind; and
though he may frequent her society
for the amusement Of the hour, that
woman has lost for him her greatest
charm
''Egad, you are right there, Hes
ter cried DR.. Goring. ''When
single woman lapses into filtration
with a married man, and takes pains
to conceal it from the world and the
wife, we set her down as Il silly fool,
who might become something worse
if she were tempted"
"Just so. They suit you for amusc
ment, but they are not such as you
would place in your home and at
your hearth. Many married man
has his amusement in this way, and
will have it, [ suppose; but whoever
IS placed about your wife and chill
drcn, be it friend, governess or ser
want, should be.made an exception to
your rue OF oUlnlratlOn.
s'I declare / don't much admire
Miss Howard" he laughed; 81 think
the admiration is mostly on her side. -
Il think it is [ answered. drvlv:
''and that ought to have rendered
it the more encumbcnt on YOU II dis
courage it.
Was his Indifference put on? have
often wondered since.
And now to something else that
must be put stop to, continued.
Il told you, Matthew, there were
more things than one"
"To my chemical experiments?
he asked, by way of moching me.
''To your house extravaganza.
Mary says you are putting by nothing
out of your income"
"Putting by! [ should think not.
The boots on the other leg
"Yet you must be in the receipt Of
$500 or e900 year. %
''Not much less, with Mary's mo-
ney; but look at the expenses, Hes
ter-the servants, the horses, the
carriage, the visiting. the children.
Matthews school bill, for last year,
was ESQ.,"
''You might live upon $500, and
put by the rest. You ought to do it,"
owe might live upon two hun
dred, l suppose, if we were driven to
1T. But [ must keep up my position
III the town, and that cannot be done
with less than 1 spend"
eyes it can,"I [ earnestly added.
s'You do not need the carriage, you
do not need so many servants, and
you do not need to give your extra
VACANT dinner and evening parties. I
am going to run away with Mary, and
see what sort of a woman I can turn
her out. I will promise you that she
shall not be a second Miss Howard.
The other two girls you can put to
school. If [ were mistress here,
Matthew, [ know [ could diminish
your expenses one-half, and only lop
off superhuities-no comforts, no
81 wish to goodness you could,
then, he said, with a good -humored,
but incredulous, curl on his lip. "Our
bills are confoundedly heavy, and
don't always know where to pick up
the money to meet them"
He put on his hat as he spoke, for
he had to attend a consultation; but
[ stopped him to say that I should at
once discharge Miss Howard.
"Well, if it must be so, it must"
was his reply, standing still and look