The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1871-01-06
@isfFIIang.
FIEL's DELICATE CASE.

When Mrs. Eiel WAS q bride. all the
/ spectators agreed that she was a pretty
! and Interesting girl, who would make
q line woman when she came to fill
out. But she never did I'LL out on the
| contrary, Time, that stole her wears
/ away, robbed her of plumpness too; and
after thirty anniversaries of that we'd
ding day, she was considerably more
slender than at starting. She wore
eurls, and a black band round her fore
head and mittens-not knowing that
these things had long ceased to make
her attractive, and, on first intrOduc-
ton, would have struck you generally
as being somewhat Of guy: but bet
ter wife you would scarcely find in all
England, that is Infinitely. more i'm
portant than cOmeliness and tasteful
attire, as you Will own before you have
been married for a quartsr of century.
Excellent at all times, Mrs. F'iel cul-
minated at meals. Call no man happy
till you have seen him at breakfast : q
natural irritabiiity in Mr.. Fieps dispO-
sltiOn had been almost entirely cured
by little soothing comforts and tit-bits.
He was solicitor, with an Office in
London, and q senli-detached villa in
the suburbs, who had to leave the lat
ter at nine to reach the former by ten
every morning. This necessitated
breakfast at eight, but even at that ear
ly hour Mrs. Fiel saw to every detail
herself
1t would have shaken a very con-
firmed bachelor to have seen her table
one spring morning a few years ago
the linen was so white, and the tea so
blacS, the water-creSSe5 and FadisheS so
fresh, the marnalade and apricot jam
so daintily set out, the eggs so new
looking, the loaf 50 brown and crusty,
the dry toast so crisp and thin. And
when she heard the tread of her hus-
bands foot on the staircase, and the
flourish on his nose which invariably
heralded his approach, she rang the
bell for the appetising little covered
dish, which matched and fitted the
sIOp-basin, to be brought up. This
contained frizZled slices of ham or la
con, delicate and curied, s. sausage, a
kidney, or the savOry thigh Of chick
en-. May such be your only domestic
broils
a hale neat man, with sharp gray
eyes, and very good opinion OF him
self, entered and looked at his letters,
selecting and opening one al once.
Well, Martha" said he, " the Chip
Chou has arrived at last
4" You don't say sol Then Mr.. Lob
year will be here presently. VIII he
come to stay with us, do you think -
I don't know. You had better have
u bed ready; though ! expect he has
not come to England with the idea of
shutting himself up with an old man
and woman four miles from the Marble
Arch. Still, as everything will be
strange to him at first, he may accept
my invitation for a night or two"
"This Mr.. Thomas LObyear is rich
is he not ?'
"WilI be, l suppose. At present he
probably depends upon his father, who
has given me very liberal orders, ab-
surdly liberal orders, haYe lost all idea
Of the value of money. However there
is plenty of it accumulating, and 1t
does not matter to me-"
"Don't YOU think,U said Mrs. Fiel,
" it might be well to have Sarah hOme?1
"Sarah, ah, ah ~ laughed the lawyer.
" At your matchmaking, old lady
From what I am advised, ,he is proof
agairst YOUR attempts. Besides which
it would be something like breach Of
trust: old Lobyear has evidently got
other views for his son than marrying
him at present-at any rate to an En-
glishwOman.N
Why, he would never 90 and match
him with heather, with a ring
through her nose like pig!"
81 don't know that" replied Mr..
Fiel laughing; "if he could discover
new weed or a fresh variety Of black
beetle by it, he certainly wOuld.n
1t was OF good augury for Mrs. FiSl
when her husband laughed, and a bet
ter when he replied to her observations,
instead OF looking deaf and gTunting,
which he generally " did if she alluded to
his clients or their business; for it show
ed that he was willing to be pumped,
and Mrs. Fiel's thirst for information
was great, though it was rarely slaked.
In the present instance, however; the
lawyer thought he might require femi-
nine aid in the task which he had I'M
dertaken, and was therefore not unWill~
ing to admit his wife into his conf
denee.
"Ah,U said she, ''that was i curious
idea for rich man, to Danish himself
completely, aud give up ClVilised lifer
for the sake Of studying botany and
butterflies in Japan. For poor man,
indeed, it would be explicablc if he ex-
pected to make something by it in the
end; but from what you say Mr.. Lob
year has more money than he knows
what TO do with as it IS"
Yes; he was well OIL originally,
and got a good property through Us
wife besides.'
F" All, poor man / daresay grief ioT
her death gave him craze"
Fudge - exclaimed Mr.. Fiel some
what rudely. Z" He was glad enough
to be free to go hunting on his favOrite
hobby. II she had lived another car,
il is my opinion that he would have
bolted and feft her.
+" &h, we'll" said Mrs. Fiel, 8" il Is
fortunate thing for him, or at any rate
for this son, that he fixed on so good
man Of business as yourself 20 look af-
ter his interests"
"Well,'' replied her husband COM
pIacentIy, considering that the bulk
of his property is in houses situated in
a rapidly Improving neighb0rhOOd, and
that the tenants arc up to all sorts Of
dOdges to avoid having their rents rails
ed. perhaps an agent who was not sharp
might miss an advantage here and
there. For Instance, there was an APP
pIication for the renewal Of 3 lease the
other day, and ] discovered that the
tenant, who had been paying forty
pounds year, had undsrlet for the last
three years at hundred and ten.
sI.or, how sharp you are ~
We'll, was not born in Yorkshire
for nothing. I do not know of more
than one person who ever regularly
took me in-that young rascal, Tom
Scott, who robbed me five years ago"
80 All, that was very shocking said
the good wifel so0thingly; but then,
YOU know he was brought up in your
own Offices
Why, Martha, Do you suppose,
then, that nc learned dishonesty there
i neger expected an epigraIn OF tiiill
sort from YoaF mouth. 1 would have
YOU to know that could put at least
couple Of thousand q year in my pocket
from this Lobyear property alone,
without chance Of detection, if chose
to be dishonOTabie."
g am sure / never meant 10 call
YOU an epigram, or any other name,
cried Mrs. Fiel, astOlished ut this out
break. 81 only said that a breach of
trust was easy far scott because he