The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1870-09-01

Sis too great to be broken in upon by
woman's chat, or woman's fidgeting; and
she had retired quietly.
She never tapped at those panels again
nor did she ever hint at any wish for re-
creation-at any desire TO enjoy play or
a concert, even at the natural longing for
a moonlight walk. The inferior creature
had some pride in her composition. No
more would she WOO her husband than
she would have wooed him when his
bachelor fancy first selected her to be his
future housekeeper. A proud woman
had rather miss attention altogether, even
from the one to whom she is married,
than ever seem to ask for it.
Men will not believe it, but many a
woman has died of such life as TiIly
led. The case was not so bad with lilly
as it seemed, however. Under all his alb
straction, and coldness, and critical supe-
riority, lurked a tenderness that Stephen
would have been ashamed TO express
His neglect arose from absorption in his
pursuits, rather than any repugnance to
his wite's society. And he did not pro-
vide her with amusement, because he
firmly believed that woman could be thor
Ougbly satisfied with sewing and fancy
work and for this reason he gave her
no praises, nor recognized her toll as
labor of love, but as an employment as
delightful 10 her as his profession was to
him. And the facs that lac never praised
her beauty was due to his theorizing also.
Woman, the weak, vain animal, must be
guided, lest she should 60 astray .; and
always lovers talk had disgusted rather
than pleased him, >and he bad vowed
never to yield to any weakness whatever.
And SO he called her Mrs. Appleton, and
she dared not call him Stephen and wien
sometimes his long arms would fam have
encircled her and drawn her to his bosom.
he refraned for shame of folly, and she
was too proud and too deeply panied even
10 touch bis shoulder with her palm un-
asked.
One day he caught her reading certain
love poems, and took the volume from her
hand, pleasantly enough, for he was sell
dom rude, with all his coldness, and furled
the pages over.
"a man wrote this" he said. ''Praises
of woman's face Yearnings for her
presence! Why, man should be all
sufficient for himself. Love makes man
weak, contemptible-love that these poets
set 80 much value on. l think you had
best not read this thing, child, it is full of
folly"
Then he tossed the book upon the table
tue treasured volume over which her
girls eyes had gloated befUre ever she met
this husband of hers, saying, "Would
that some man would feel thus TO me
talk or write SO to snd of me !" believing
that there was love life before her in the
extatic future. He went up into his
study and laboratory, where some strange
metallic compound was filling the house
with its fumes, and where for days he
had been tolling for the purpose of com-
pleting an invention of which be had
dreamt long, long something
as dear to him as ever the philosophers
stone could have been to any old alche-
mist. TIlly took the book from the table,
and walked towards the bright fire with
it. She rent the pages, full of her own
girllsh pencil marks, from top TO bottom,
and heaped them on the red GOALS.
"Rest there, rhymed lies that deluded
me - she said fiercely. "There is no
such thing as love. You mocked me
with the falsehood. l believe it no longer.
Burn, worthless jingle, that mean nothing.
Would that l had never been fooled by
you'll
And tongues of flame, yellow, red and
blue, licked about the paper, and Kissed
and cracked over the shriveliing lantern
cover lilly watched the work of de-
structioD, and had seen tie flames die out,
and the red train of sparks which children
call ''peopIe going TO church, travel over
the crisp finder and drop off it, with the
big "parson" and ''clerk'' following after,
when cry she had never forgot, smote
her cara something indescribable rum
bled and shook in The house, suddenly
full of dust and hot metallic odor and
rushing by a sort of instinct to her hus-
bands study, she found him lying among
the debris of his apparatus, a senseless,
motionless, disfigured thing, that could
neither speak to nor look at hor. An
explosion had taken place, and the inven-
tor was the victim.
AT the sight of him lying there. dead,
as she feared-utterly undone, at least, as
she doubted not-all Tilly's love returned.
She took the disfgured face to her bosom,
as she had never dared to take it before.
She kissed that from which any one else
would have shrunk with loathlng, and
knew that the poet had not lied, but that
love was the one real thing in this mad
dream of life-and that once born, 1t died
not.
'.Tell me what | can do for him." she
said, after those who came to her aid had
done their best. ''Let me work for him,
or shall die There is nothing l am
not strong enough to accomplish, if only
| he is better for it,
And there was work enough before her,
as she found-work such as she had never
~ 49,.