Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1868-02-19
). were hustled out. Mrs. Marshall turned to her

es were hustled ont. Mrs. Marshau turneu 70 her
husband.
"All is over. Mary, and we are ruined"
" Not quite so bad, Henry. My little legacy
which you would make me invest for pin money,
viii maintain US almost. We can keep house up
on that, as many people do upon Less
" The house Mary That is ours no longer"
Mrs Marshall paled under the shock Of tLis It'd
ings. But she commanded herself and neither
cried out nor tainted. The loss Of her home was
a sorrow Of which she had never dreamed All
her visions of self-denial and heroism faded away.
The castles she had built in which she, the deyot-
ed wife, was the central figure, all toppled down,
and she saw now only poverty and distress.
There was nothing 70 say. Silence comforted
them They had touched the depths. and, uncon-
sciously TO themselves, were ready to rise again.
The servant brought in a note In defiance Of its
inlunctions Mrs. Marshall placed il ia her hus-
bands hands soon she had read it. 1t read
thus
MS husband saws that your husb,nd is Fom,ntcally
honest A y.rr goid f4uit and yon may be proud of
him You musts,y uofhing 10 b m or ~ am one else
but demand ~ optr csusidcration ~ the creditors be
fore you rleRse the house fton YOU right = dover
would ok IN upon Yoi but thilk wold rather y
see sy~ny as b'st fden tbs eyeriag am fpre /
should " sh 20 see no one
Mr. Marshall banded the note back without a
word of comment Just now the children came
bounding in, fresh from their run, which was mis-
called a walk And so closed the day on which
that misfortune which, common as it is. must ever
grieve the sensitive Bankrupt that be was. he
still felt rich in his wife and she was proud Of him
for she saw in him the soul Of honor, and resolved
that hs too should be proud Of her.
III.
Two or three tsys had passed. Mr. Marshall
had gone daily TO his store assist the lunt-
ants in investigating his stock and books. and to
answer sucn iuq1ires as might arise. The work
fItafsa
mine what terms they would offer him
lie was at home, aud cheerful, for he felt that
the worst was over. He had done even more than
was required of him. aud his intercourse with the
gentlemen who represented his creditors had been
Of the most cordial aud pleasant nature. The
worst ills we can dread, death and dishonor ex-
cepted, are more than bali conquered when we
fairly encounter them.
Marshall could not help thinking of the NOR
row, when he should know the whole: but he
struggled with himself to keep the subject at bay
HIS suspense was sooner relieved than he expect
ed. for a package was handed IN the nature Of
which he could not bur know. Still 1t lay, with
the seal unbroken till the children were disposed
Of for the night.
" Now. Mary" said he "et us know all "
His hand trembied in spite Of himself as he broke
the envelope, and its contents scattered on the
floor.
Mrs. Marshall assisted TO collect them The
first document which arrested their attention was
check for one thousand dollars. drawn ia favor OF
Mrs. Marshall or order They looked at each
Other a moment in surprise, aud then took up the
other papers. They were schedules, lettered A
and B, aud so on, with due formahty. All these
they passed over, aud opened the note which, they
rightly judged should contain the marrow of the
matter.
The chairman of the creditors, in behalf OF the
rest, stated; Z" that the assets, exclusive Of the
real estate, would fall about ten thousand dollars
below the amount of claims the real estate, since
Mrs Marshall had so honorably waived her right
OF dover, was worth twenty thousand dolars.'
Mr. Marshall ceased reading, and gave his wife
glance which was worth more to her than the
dover right in a kingdom. lie then went on to
read, in a broken voice
The as.ig7ees thought it but right and to &C.
kaow edge he norAol- deahog as her husbin1 would
40 d'uh have done undr othsr aud more favorable
cifcumstances "
81 never should claim any such thingln she
I cried. We have bat one purse
" 1t is all very proper in the gentlemen, not
wlhstanding," said her husband =" But let us
read the rest of it,
"' II Mr. Marshall sshes to ,emsin in the house'''
Mrs. Marshars eyes danced with JOY.
--he "a7 20 bt eAeoId z m5-tgNge fir hlf its
e''imtied value. And the creditors viii VI h'Ih re
gard for his in'er y, cate release IN fnl iom All
i'm"nd-, inasmu-h as hey receive doilar or d 'il"
And wskeep our house after all :" cried Mrs.
Marshall actually embracing her husband.
Which you, it seems, were ready to sign
away, in spite Of good advice! How did they
know that. pray?"
" l think can write said Mrs. NJ, bridling,
and looking p7ettier even than she did on her
weddIng-day.
" So it seems said her husband
But we need not repeat all the fond things that
passed lest our bachelor eaders should think them
nonsense.
| On the next day all the legal forms we're exc
cuted. And Henry Marshall resumed business,
with his old stock and new cousignments, paying
often in anticipation Of the sale the inventory
/ price OF his effects For be hal made the most
devoted friends OF his creditors, and his wife was
/ quoted to the wives Of all OF them as a model
woman. So indeed she was.
/ The children have no; learned to this day what
allied Pa and Ma during those dreadful days. But
they know that everything is all right now, and
that sunices them. The house is redeemed already,
or rather Mrs Marshall holds the bond and mort
/ gage, and for her own money has an honest claim
on the properly " which nobody deny