Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-04-07
THE SURPRISE.
By MISS HANNAH E. LUNT.

on our village, and our neighbors in the
small brown house, near to the corner Of
our Street, were more blue and dismal than
the day. Mr. James Symonds had scolded
his wife because his breakfast was five min
utes late, and because one button had come
off his working coat Breakfast was al
ways behindhand he was always late ct
his work, unless he hurried fast enought to
break his neck; his buttons were always
starting of for want Of a stitch, something
that wouldn't take half minute! When
Mr.. Symonds had said this he shut the
door hard, and went miserably down the
street.
Our neighbor's bad temper seldom lasted
ten rods beyond his home; bis repentance
often came before he was well started on
his walk and even while he was uttering
approaches he was dimly feeling that he
should be miserable that day-he always
was wretched when there had been fuss
at home. He always had visions OF Mary
taken suddenly i'll, and of the house filled
with neighbors trying to help her; or OF
Johnnie terribly hurt, or of the baby sick
with Group All such days he trembled
and turned pale whenever strange head
appeared at the top Of the open stair
way; and he would catch himself listen
Sng to any strange voice inthe shop below,
dreading lest messenger had come to
summon him Cd account Of some
fearful calamity. The shop was too
far off for him to go home to
his dinner; he always took that meal
with him in tin pail; and when he
had gone to his work in pleasant mood
he and half dozen fellow workmen sat
down together, talking over the news, and
comparing notes Of family expenses; or,
when the boys were away, telling
stories Of their childrsn's progress
IN walking, talking, etc. When, Is
it often happened, things went wrong in
the morning, Mr.. Symonds found that he
must do errands at noon; then, after hur-
1ying down . few mouthtuls, he went out
and walked all the rest of the hour. He
could not bear laughing and talking free
ly with his comrades while his wife was
unhappy Many time he would gladly
have gone all the way to his house just to
see that Mary and the children were all
eight, only he was ashamed to show her
how troubled and anxious he was and he
could no more have put into words his sor-
cow for i'll temper $50 he thoughD than he
could have changed to real angel, then
and there.
Mary, for her part, would have died
sooner than have helped him on with any
such confession She always shut her lips
fast together, and went about her work
with the air of a martyr, while her hus-
band was in. tho house The forenoon
was always passed in recounting to her
self the wrongs and injustices Of which
abe was the victim the number OF things
which she had to do, cooking, washing,
ironing, sweeping, mending with two
troublesome children always to look after
One just running about, the other in its
cradle; how could any woman see to but
tons, and get meals to minute, when her
hands were tied half the time! 80 at
home Mrs. Symonds dwelt on her troubles,
and worked her husbands unkindness into
the dishwashing, the sweeping, the clean
ing up generally, even into the washing
and dressing of the little ones. The sense OF
injustice met her in all the familiar objects
i'm her little kitchen and when she had
carried Johnnie up stairs, and had set him
in q high chair, out OF harms way, while
she made the beds, her enemy had goneup
before her, and meeting, tortured her
there. She wondered how it would be if
she were to die, whether James would then
he sorry; whether he would learn how
much she had had to do, and if he would
not feel that he had been all to blame? But
byand-by, when the Homework was done
UP, her hair combed and her dress changed,
as the afternoon grew on, she thought less
of herself and her troubles, and more of
Johnnie's little speeches-what pain it
gave her to think how little she had no.
ticed them al the time of the way baby
was beginning to hold things; and she
ionged to tell James these small marvels.
She knew herselftoo well to presume that
she would do anything Of the sort. Had
not her husband been cruel and unjust?
Was it not his place to make advances? He
should at least say that he had been wrong,
lust that, and she would overlook all. But
she would like to have one talk with him,
and show him how things really were; she
did think he ought to see that now he only
thought Of late breakfasts and missing but
tons never of her thousand duties and
cares. Perhaps, after all, it would be better
if she or one of the children should die
then these miserable troubles would come
10 an end; she shuddered as she said this
about the children, and didn't mean it at all.
Mary, too, had really her fears about some
thing dreadful happening to James or the
little ones, but she kept it farther away, and
pretended that she was courageous.
Late that afternoon James, going near
the front shop windows, saw man in 3
chaise below, leaning forward and talking
eagerly to one Of the firm. He could not be
mistaken; he saw his master point straight
up to the window where his own be- ch
stood, and he distinctly heard the :, s.
ton, "What does the doctor say" The
answer did not reach him, but James
turned deadly pale and sick he staggered
shudderingly back to his little corner, his
whole body resolved into the act of listen
ing He knew that the strange man was
coming to find him, and he only waited
TO hear the dreaded step upon the stairs,
and to hear one Of the boys delightedly
point out himself As = person of great
consequence, at that moment. A few
minutes went by; he had not heard the
pchaise driven of, but nobody came for
him. Half an hour had passed, when one
of the boys rushed excitedly in, to say that
the old building WAS really to be altered
now; he had heard Mr.. Cilley talk it ell
over with one Of the owners, and it was
all settled, he guessed; he should not
wonder if workmen were there next Mon
day. Then James Symonds blood ran
freely once more the man in the chaise,
the pointing up at his window, the ques-