The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-01-04
The c L0dGer.

IlIE6 i ~ Ia uafC ~ cuN SublSi
though Mrs. Smith aud little Lucy are no
doubt ENJOYING Themselves With tn oiu
folks, / shall not be at all sorry when tLes
come home tomorrow, for am lonesome.
and no mistake about it. ! had no idea
should miss them So"
And he looked at the vacant chair. from
which his wifc's happy face used TO greet
him with o smile on his return from his
DAYS work, and the high chair next his
own, where little Lucy took her supper
and told her papa all the news of the day.
Mr.. Smith had been married six years,
and this was the first occasion that his wife
had left him during all that time. She had
row gone to pay o visit TO her parents 10
the country ,aEa had taken her little dauGh-
ter with her. Having iinished his supper,
Mr.. Smith drew his chair near tho fire, and,
lighting his pipe. was soon lost In thought.
He looked back over the last six years ;
what happy one they had been although
he had to work hard. very hard, for a liv-
ing for his family. Then he thought Of his
wife, what q helpmate she had been to him.
He remembered how he had first met her,
a pretty fresh.colored country Pirl, as mod
as he was himself How mt last they had
determined to get married, and fight
their way through the world together.
Then came the question, ".Where
would they liveE They first thoLcat of
boarding; but Mrs. Smith was a good
housewife, and would like to have a home
OF her own, no matter how poor and hum.
BILE. Then they thought Of taking Il small
cottage. But to get one at a rent that they
were able to pay, they would have to 90
some distance. from the business part OF
the city, and it was found that Mr.. Smith,
in order to get to work in proper time,
would ho,,o ~ Iaoy,a homo cnpn affair * in
the morning, and not return until late IN
the evening for coming home to dinnerin
the middle Of the day was out OF the ques-
ton. At length u brilliant idea struck
him.
There was n certain block in the city
where the first floor wa let ont for offices
and the upper part for housekeeping ana
lodging purposes. This was thc very place;
It was near to his place of business, and he
could 90 backward and forward without
wasting too much time. Mr.. Smith accord.
inrly rented two rooms In "Smarts block"
and furnished them AS well as he was able:
1t was here that he had passed SIX years OF
his married life, and here ii was that he was
now sitting smoking his pipe, ana thinking
of his absent wife and child.
Mr. Smith was up betimcs in the morn
ing. Last night he had felt rather lone
some, but this morning he was as cheerful
dl llltl i v IS lll L AifN it'S 'tAN S''N
child would be home in a few hours. he
had eaten Il hearty breakfast prepared with
his own hands, and was just goina to work.
when there was Il rap on the door, and the
letter.carlier handed him q letter. Ills
first thought was that it was from ms vile.
"uopc nothing has occurred to prevent
them coming holnc to-day" he said To INN
self, and a blank look settled on biz face ut
the prospect.
But no, the handwriting was unknown
to him, and he read rs follows:
"-Mr. Smith, S,nart'S B!ock:
Dear Strive shall be Obliged by your
calling at our office at your earliest con-
venience, rs we have an important matter
OF business to consult upon.
Yours faithfully,
JoHNsoS 6 PIrER,
Attorneys at Law. DC"
What on earth can they want with me-"
thought Mr.. Smith, after carefully reading
the letter. u have no lawsuits on hand.
Perhaps, though, some one has died and
left me a fortune" ,
This last thought had rather Sharpcneu
his curiosity, and he determined to ell on
Messrs. johnson & Piper without delay.
lie was shown ut once into Mr.. Johnsons
private office. There was another gentle
man he was introduced to as Mr.. Piper.
MIR. johnson was u bald-headed, beneVo-
lent old gentleman. who ut once opened
the conversation. "Well, Mr.. Smith, that
is q sad business-a very sad business. u
course, in our profession we have often
very painful duties to perform, but we feel
them none the less. We are lawyers, MIR.
Smith, but we have u feelings like other
men, | assure YOU"
Poor MIR. Smiths spirits fell. All thoughts
of the fortune vanished; he began to feel
YER; uneasy indeed. "Although," con-
tinued MIR. johnson, with a most benevO-
lent look, Z" our instructions are very posi-
tive, We really are in hopes that you will
see the ACCESSIBILITY of avoiding all unneccS-
sary publicity, and come to some arrange
ment. The main difficulty in the case seems
to us to be the custody Of the child. Mrs.
Smithinsists Upon keeping that"
"In Heavens name" interrupted Smith,
who could stand it no longer, "what are
YOU talking about! There must be some
dreadful mistake"
"Be calm, my dear sir-be calm. There
is no mistake, 1 assure you. You are Mr..
K. Smith, Of 'Smart's Block 1 believe?>
Poor Bob confessed tina. he was. Every
well, them" continued the other, "let us
talk the matter over calmly. l was under
the impression you were prepared for TIL.
interview. Did you not understand Mrs,
Smith to say so, Mir. Piper!"
"Certainly," replied the other, raising
his head for u second from a mass of papers,
and then continuing their perusal as in
tently as ever. Poor Smith was getting
more and more uneasy. What was going
to happen? :.
II will state the case plainly to you,"
continued Mr.. johnson. AIRS. Smith has
retained US as her legal advi>ersin this mat
ter. and our Instructions are to institute Il
suit for divorce Immediately if we cannot
make some satisfactory arrangement, pecu'
MARY and otherwise, with you, with d view
to q separation. We have examined the
evidence we are prepared to bring forward
very carefully, and our advice to you, MIR
Smith, is this-it is q friendly advice, l as,
sure you-sive up your claim to the child"
Mr.. Smith could stand it no longer.
Jumping up from bis chair, and looking the
other steadily in the tace, he exclaimed
Enough Of this, sir. You must be crazy,
or attempting to drive me so. What are the
grounds Of complaint against me?
"Several the principal one is drunken
ness. You must remember we are in a
State where there are laws for the protec-
ton of womcn-Iaws to relieve them III
cases (unhappily too frequent) where, after
marriage, they lind they are tied to brutes,
and not to men,"
Poor MIR. Smith looked back over the six
years of bis married LIE. On three occa.
SiCDs Only COu1u uc lcmculUrt IuuuigllS LOO
freely. and then his wife, with great good
humor, helped him to bed, and was silent
On he;snbject next morning. small matter
for adiyorce, certainly. Yet cases that he
had reaa of would force themselves on his
mind, where women, determined to sepa-
rate from their husbands, soon found rea-
sons to do 80, and obtained divorces on the
slightest grounds.
The more he talked with the lawy er. the
more he felt that this was one Of those