The Placer herald., 1870-11-26
STEPHEN APPLETON'S WIFE.

When Stephen Appleton had lived some
thirty-fiv years a bachelor ne bethought
him that it would be we'll to get married,
and looked about him accordingly for wife.
Had others looked for him, they would prob
ably have chosen self-contaned, decorous
person past thirty, and would not have been
particular as to looks, inasmuch as Stephen
was no beauty himself and never had been.
He, however, greatly to the surprise Of ev-
cry mortal who knew him, walked up the
church isle one Sunday morning with very
pretty girl upon his arm, and, after the ser
vice, introduced her to his friends among the
congregation as his wife. She looked great
deal more like his daughter, and was a
blushing, smiling, loving little creature, who
must, so far, have had happy life to have
brought out of it so many dimples.
So she had indeed. A half dozen bright
eyed sisters and mother, who was only an
older sister in years, had cried bitterly when
Stephen Appleton had marched off from
their country house with one of their num-
Der on his arm, and had gone so far as to
ask each other confidentally, "What Tilly
could have seen in that old fellow?" And
certainly it seemed almost a mystery that
such wooing should have prospered with such
a merry girl-a wooing without many Of
those accessories which women hold 80 dear,
of praises and caresses.
Probably poor Tilly thought they were all
to come after marriage 'He's not hand
some, perhaps lilly would say; ''but he's
very progressing, and he has such mind. ="
And it seemed to her that he needed some
one to look after him, to sew on his buttons,
and tie his cravat, and properly prepare his
tea, which he had a custom of making
wretchedly for himself in his dusty little
study.
So she left home and love, and plunged
into the maelstrom of welded life with
man who had SO strongly imbued himself
with the idea that woman was his inferior,
that he thought it waste Of intellect and
time to love one overmuch, and to study her
tastes and fancies for moment, if they con-
Aicted with his own.
She, the inferior, had, on the contrary,
said to herself, 81 must try to adapt myself
in every way to Stephen" and had thought
also that she would never find happiness in
anything which did not please him. She
had joyfully accepted all the wearful lectures
offered, and refused to enjoy her favorite
pastime. the polka, when she discovered he
disapproved of it. And now, in her plain
little home, she hopefully and smilngly took
up the dull routine of woman's household
drudgery, and made all fresh, and sweet,
and pleasant, and fed her genius and hero
daintily, and saw to his stockings and but
tons.
He hardly knew it. He never awoke out
of his hard and cruel self-absorption sufficient
ly to be aware of her constant thought for
him. He gave her so much money week,
and found that it sufiiced. She had home
and clothes; that, it was his theory, was
what woman married for.
He knew she was pretty, but it was his
right to have as pretty wife as he could
get. And she adorned herself with ribbons,
and twined flowers in her hair, and took
thoughts about her cuffs and collars, in the
vain hope of being told just once that those
pretty things became her.
Woman's vanity should never be encour-
aged, was one of his theories. Other men
looked at her admiringly; other men limited
what she would have given worlds to hear
Stephen say. But she received no such
homage from him. She had no kind word
of appreciation, no kisses, no endearments.
In the morning mandate was given con-
cerning dinner. In the evening he ate it
with her; and though he had no fault to find,
never praised dish. After the meal hc c