The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-06-28
Willie's Wife.
From LIppIneOt,s Magazine. !

From LppincoNs Magazinel I
clustering evening | am ali alone. An old
maid, with no husband to destroy her peace, nor
any dreadful snneyances in the shape OF chl
dren, with money enough at interest to keep the
wolf from the door, and house Of her own over.
head, might surely expect, after the tea things
were washed aud put away, the ire made, the
table drawn close 10 IL, the lamp close to her ell
bow and book close to her nose-an old maid
thus happily situated might, say, in all reason,
expect a comfortable time. Alas far from 1t
The wind whistles around the house with more
than ordinary defiance and | trembie inwardly
for well do know, and well does 1t know, also,
the cracks and holes in my dilapidated dwelling.
Here it comes whis ling and roaring! With
whisk it turns my new wig askew; with another,
the leaves Of my book are auttering aud tapping,
as if they were in league with the bolsterous
thing. ! adjust my wig and refind my place In
vainl There 1t comes, again and again
rough blast down the chimney sends the smoke
pouring into the room, scattering shower of
ashes over my clean white curtains.
slam my book with petulant jerk, take up
my lamp and start on an indignant march up TO
bed. Creak, creak go the boards, as If they were
possessed. The door refuses to open; | Jerk
and pull spasmodically another blast of wind;
my lamp goes OUT still tug at the door 1t opens
suddenly, and down i go. Miss Jemima Boor
picks herself up, minus dignity, temper and
wig. / grOpe my way up stairs, stepping angrily
on certain shaking steps, and running splinter
into my hand from the broken banister. ] reach
nv room at last must leave the door open be-
cae the lock is out Of order; undress, creep into
bed, and cannot close my eyes, because there is
loose piece of plaster gaping just above my
hesd-more terrible to me than the sword Of
Damocles.
During the long hours Of that sleepless night
worked myself up to desperate resolution. The
case you see, was grave and urgent. l ran i'm
mnent risk of losing that bland, amiabe dispOsi-
ton which Gas know from the concurrent test.
mony of my most discriminating friends) is natu-
raj TO me. The house shall be thoroughly repaired
Not another night will sleep 10 il till it is!
arose at peep of day and noon found me do
mesticaied at Mrs. Robinsou's, just over the way.
am TO sleep on the lounge in her parlOr, for the
little woman possesses only two rooms and kit
chen.
| Immediately assembled all the carpenters,
GLACIERS, tinners bricklayers, painters ana paper
hangers with whom our village is blessed. My
house is being repaired and renewed outside and
in. / contemplate the changes thus going on
with-well, let the truth be told-wih somewhat
mixed emotions. / am slowly coming TO the con.
cluson that there is no such thing as perfect hap
piDess in this subunary sphere. Men are 80 in
tensely aggravating. especially carpenters, ga-
ziers, timers, bricklayers, painters and paper
hangers.
ore afternoon we sat-my hostess and lin
her little paror; ! at the front window, looking
across the street and watching that rascally John
Stocker, the carpenter. Good heavens! There
he sat in my restroom window swinging his heels
and smoking pipe-not a thought OF my work
in his head Now, the odiOus creature knows
10 one better-what hurry / am in and how de
test pipe. Yet here may be, for all he cares,
sleeping on Mrs. RObinsons lounge for month
| or two, and all the time my parlor-Miss Jemima
| Bloor's best room-scented with tobacco! /
wonder if the man expects to go TO Heaven when
| he desl wonder if he expects me to pay him
three dollars a day for smoking his pipe and
| swinging his heels?
All there comes Joseph Baldwin Just back
| from dinner, and-let me see-it's twenty i've
minutes past two. II had my way about wo-
mems rights, I'D put the men out OF this world
altogether; that would settle the question.
| What are they, after all, but an sggravation, a
| marriott and general nuisance
| Now, there goes Will Wiley, tTamping right
over my yerbens bed Has the man no eyes in
| his head or did his mother never succeed in
beating il into his dull brain that verbena bed Is
| not to be walked on, and that garden path is!
And, now | think of it, it was only yesterday
| found FIVE broken panes In my upstairs window
Yet that faithless. good for-nothing glazier had
sworn to me that very morning that he had taken
every sash out, from garnet TO cellar and lett al
| in perfect order. Lords Of creation, indeed
| Lords OF fddesticks Wonderful example Of
| superior inteect-was II MOTTO take win
dow sash out for repairs, and puts II back IN per
feet order with FIVE broken panes N it II Miss
JENNA Bloor were to sit in a maiden lady's best
room window and smoke pipe and swing her
beels-n she were to come from dinner TO he
work At twenty five minutes after two-if sh
were 10 60 tramping about on peoples verben
| u
five broken panes completely repaired-wou
she call herself lady Of creation and superio
intellect ask the world would she call hersel
lord OF lady of creation and su
At this point my indignant reflections wey
interrupted by soft splish-splash and subdue
htt,e fuuer Of sobs.
NV hostess had been knitting, with her con
Portable fat hands, bsby's hood for Mrs. Peter:
uext door.
A. looked up saw the tears trickle down o
her knitting needles till they shoDe and winked a
me in an impsh manner.
This little woman is my mental cushion-m
social rest. Mid, round and rosy in body, cryin
is the only luxury she seems thoroughly to enjoy
The tears roll over her plump cheeks as If the
were used to it, and leave them plumper tina
before The round. light blue eyes are slway
ready for a shower, and look all the rounder an
. buer after it is over. / never knew her 70 hay
. an original idea of any description. The though
1 of her whole life had been "her Willie" Mr.
Robinson, although a weak little woman enoug
. has had curious history Of her own.
She was an orphan; had married, at tweut
: William Robinson, sailor Of the town, and ha
moved into her present home with her husbar
! and an old uncle with whom she had lived befo
her marriage. Two months afterwsrd youn
William sailed for India. The appointed time 4
his return has passed; month by month went b
and still his wife looked for him who never cam
Alter two years the old uncle was laid at res
and the little woman was left quite alone.
How she waited and watched-watched
| through youth. all through mlQole h8e-Wdib
= and watched in vain through twenty long, lo
4 years.
u In all that time her one thought, when she 70
: 10 the morning, was OF" Willie her last thong
i as she laid down at night was of her lost husban
. Nightly long after we had gone to bed and s
: thought me asleep, her little figure would ST.
y from the bedroom and kneel in spot she b
= often shown me, where Willie had sald his goo
= bye, and there she would pray in soft low voiC
the words always the same. Ny God, take
home to my Willie oh, come and take me "
lie my husband, come and take me-" And IN
IS she would creep away to her room as quietly
As she came. .
d By the fireplace stood willie's arm chair;
E. in the pantry was Willie's cup and saucer, ca
As fully, tenderly washed every day. Over
ye mantepiece hung Willie's picture-to her that
a beautiful hero to me that Of a rather comm
es place Young man with blue eyes, light curl
I'd hair, large features and q turned-up nose.
en- seen love, devotion, infstuation-sl manner
y, mischief brought on through men-but never
Re all nv experience had encountered such compl
I'D merging of one life into another. To her Wi
al seemed 10 be- not all this world only, but all
er dreamed of in the world to come. She did
re think of him as on earth, but as in Heaven.
of The little wOman's mind and heart were Q str