The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1871-10-27
BLOOMSBURG, PA. FRIDAY, OCTOBER q. 1871.


, remarks as she wanted her to make
The way was open for Aunt Hannah
to say what she wanted to say in reply
She was too shrewd and too judicious
to complain to any wife about her hus
band for she knew that any true wife
would bear it better to be told OF her
own faults, than to be told of her hus-
bands. She said:
Il have seen so many young wives
and mothers situated Just as you are,
and feeling just as you do, 1 understand
all about 1t. Such women begin wrong,
and git everything in their households
to goin' wrong, and then they groan all
the rest of their days for what they have
brought upon themselves. The fact Is,
Mary, you commenced to spoil Fred as
soon as you was married, and if you
don't turn right about you'll finish the
job, and very likely ruin your children;
and do vast deal of harm to your own
sex, besides"
Mrs. Fisto no longer looked dull or
pale. Her face was flushed and hor
eyes were wide open. She was thor
oughly aroused. She exclaimed:
| 'Ispoil my husband, and ruin my
childrod! I do harm to my own sex |!
Really, that needs some explanation.
If any one else had said that to me
should feel indignant. But you, Aunt
Hannah-you can't mean anything uu-
kind. For PHYS sake tell me what you
do mean. 1 don't understand you at
all. ! have done the best that knew
how to do for my children and if any
wife ever tried TO bo dutiful wife and
tried to please her husband, / am sure
that have.'
| Mrs. Fisko's voice faltered in the last
sentence, and as soon as she ceased
speaking she burst into tears, wrung
from her by the thought of the many
dimes she had failed to please him, or to
get one appreciative word, notwith-
standing all her trying. Alasl scores
of wives beside her have she'd scalding
tears in secret for the same reason. And
yet, husbands should not be blamed,
altogether, for this state of things.
Aunt Hannah was right in thinking
that the trouble comes, In the main,
from wives not beginning right.
After few moments, Mrs. Fiske sob
bed out: Do excuse me, Aunt Han
nah, I'm not weeping for anything that
you have said-I must unburden my
self to you, Aunt Hannah-you can be
trusted-you never violate confidence
| must tell you that do not enjoy life
at ALL feel unhappy a good deal OF
the time-some of the time am per-
fectly wretched.'
Here the thoughts Of her wretched-
ness so overcame her that she broke
down entirely, and wept passionately
Struggling to regain her composure,
she soon added
you said that for whole year yol
had wanted to talk TO me. l hav,
, wanted Tor more than year to contid
> my troubles to somebody. The las
, house, 1 almost made up my mind tC
tell her how l was feeling; but father
and Frederick are so different thought
she couldn't understand it. was afraid
that she would blame him, and
couldn't bear to hear any one do that
Then ! thought that l would have
confidential talk with some of m,
young married friends, and see if they
had any such troubles to contend with
But pride and self-respcct kept me from
doing that. | felt that it would be low
| ering the dignity of our household tc
f admit, to any one, that the wheels o
, our domestic machinery didn't run
smoothly. You think that my trouble
arise from my own mismanagoment.
beg Of you to show mo wherein l have
> mismanagcd. Now that the ice il broll
, en-, we may as we'll have an out-and ou
talk, as you said. You may ask mo any
, question that you please. 1 am willing
to tell you anything that will assist yol
in advising me-
Y a less discreet woman than Aun
| Hannah, probably, would have availeC
. herself of the opportunity to question
/ Mrs. Fiske concerning her husband
/ | Aunt Hannah knew better. She kney
a that in ninetynine cases out of a hun
J, dred, true women regret afterward 70
[ any communication of that sort, the,
@ have been led to make in some hour c
II bitterness; and that they seldom fail
!, feel that the questioner took an ungen
| erous advantage Of them.
@ She replied: 1t is not necessary 70
e you to tell me anything. / think | ur
I derstand your case, perfectly. You
It git by your troubles, after awhile,
It you have patience. and perseverance
n You see, you and Fred didn't 6egi
right. I'll tell you story
# Mrs. Fiske was all attention. Aur
r. Hannah's stories were always to tn
10 point.
?| 'I've often thought commence
O Aunt Hannah, that you and Fred bot
d acted as though you was brought up b
!, an old doctor who kept our school TIL
D. winter that was ten years old. SchoC
a used to keep every other Saturday
i. them days. Saturday afternoon WI
v spent in recitin' the Commandments
II the Lords Prayer, and the Catechisn
80 In addition to that, the doctor require
r. every scholar in the first class to lear
AZ a few verses from the Bible, or son
III passage from some favorite book of hi
o. He hardly ever gave two scholars Il
d. same passage. But one Saturday !
ID had every girl, ia the first class, lea
" and recite something that John Milt'
ne says Eve said to Adam. l learned
he hearin' it over so many times. TT
" was il
N "My Author and Disposer; what thou bidst,
Unargued, obey; SO God ordains;
UT God Is thy law, thou mine To know no more
er Is woman's happicst knowledge and her prals
1t The doctor said that Milton wrott
in great many beautiful things but he &C
'r- sidered them four lines, the finest lii
IS, he ever wrote. lie talked long til
n TO tho girls about it, and he said that
is | hopnl thny unulI all fool I;lya ~