The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1871-05-24

l
wife, who sat, with bowed and aching
head, by the curtained window. 1t
did not sound like the voice of her hus-
band, and she did not look up. She
would wait until he came to kiss her,
as he always did before he went away.
and then she light be able to speak !
to speak upon his bosom, where she
could hide her face-but she dared not
trust her voice now. She knew she
should cry if she spoke, and she would
not have her husband see her do that
if he were angry with her. But he did
not come to her. He turned away
without another word, and was gone.
| Andrew Thurston knew that his
wife must have heard his question,
and as she did not Immediately an
itself in a slam of the door as he went
out. He pulled on his gloves very
vigorously, and stepped Off with
measured strides. But not long so.--
The fresh morning air famed his brow
with cooling influence, and he began
to think. He missed something. For
til first time since he h a d been
married he was going away from home
without his wife's kiss. Surely 81 cloud
and something very much like storm
had come upon their peace. He was
unhappy and the more he meditated,
the mere unhappy he became.
"Eilie was to blame," he said to him.
self But this did not heal his wound.
81 may have been hasty," he acknowl-
edged, after further reflection. "But
stiIl'' he assured himself, "she irritated
me-"
Thus lie reached u point very far
from soothing or satisfactory in its in
tluence. He was forced to acknOwl-
edge that he had allowed himself, in a
moment of irritation, to speak hastily
and uukiudly. When he entered the
train he took his seat in corner, and
lpulled his hat down over his eyes. HI
did not wish to converse. When h
, reached his office he was moody an(
u tacitnrn unlike the Andrew
ThurstOn whose custom it was to come
in with smile and cheerful saluta
ton.
,o A little thing it was, to be sure, bu
it gave him great pain. A mote is
tiny particle, but it becomes thing o
painful moment when it is lodged il
the eye; and the heart that is mad
tender with devoted, living love, i
as sensitive to notes as is the eye
;, Hitherto the current of Andrews love
" had flowed on unbroken and nm
troubled, but this incoming of obstruc
- ton had produced turbulence, a
=, destructive of peace and happiness
:, for the time, as though the very foun
tain of love itself had been broken UP
In short he was brought to the self
:, confession that there could be no NOR
:, Joy for him until this cloud had passe
:, away. And how should that be done
How should the sunlight be let j
!, again upon his hearthstone? He wa
proud, and he did not like to max
confession of his fault. Would Ia
=! wife make the first acknowledgement
II He hoped so, for thus the evil migl
"a" be put away.
:. As he sat alone in his Office, he toe
' up paper, and sought to overcon
!, his unhappy thoughts by reading. I
- -, could not fix his mind upon the tire;
' of long article, SO he read the sho
t,:a paragraphs; and at length his e.
caught the following: "Where the
:, has been misunderstanding betwe
near and dear friends, resulting
mutual unhappiness and regret, I
one who loves most, and whose sen
'''lo of right and duty is strongest, "
make the first advance toward recc
'us- Citation"
'is Andrew Thurston dropped the !
eo per, and rose to his feet. 1t was
though voice from Heaven had 81
ant ken to him.
Il do not love the most" he soil
wife, quized; 'but am the strongest, &
e. should show my love by my works.
He,lo0ked at his watel-it was
: to most noon. 1t was not his custom
What return home till evening. but he co
p not remain and bear the bur-
rred through the other hours of the 4
cart, And he marvelled, as he put on
EN- hat and drew on his gloves, how e
ould the resolve to do this simple thing
that let the sunlight into his soul.
and
ause Ellie Thuiston, when she knew
lisite her husband had gone had gone "
ould out kiss-had gone without gil
this her time to rccover her stricken Sc
sank down and wept; and it "
said, long time before she could clcarly.tl
,se to or reflect. She had been left aln,
alone with pain and sorrow, and
l she was utterly miserable. She biz,