Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-05-04

remained unchanged, they promised tha
she should become mine. | pleaded il
VAN for speedy marriage; tcare,
that the prize | had won might possibl
be lost to me, and, with all my natura
impetuosily Of temper, | sought to pro
cure Immediately what | hoped wouIc
perfect my day.drcam Of happiness
Their daughter, they said, was very
young, aud might possibly have mis-
taken a girllsh liking for a seriou
attachment. |, too, might be influenced
by a passing fancy.
yielded to what could not control
but there was source OF satisfaction
mingled with my disappointment.
saw that my wealth had 40 influence il
in their decision, and the fear which
had always haunted me of being mar
rIed from mercenary motives was de.
sroyed; at length | was loved, fondly
and devotedy loved, and for mysel
alone.
The year passed away more rapidly
than | had anticipated. Oh, what a
happy year was this Even now
lriendless and alone, II sorrow stricken
old man on the verge of the grave, !
look back upon that period as the sunny
time of my existence. In my dreams
| recall it, and once again those happy
days, with their bright hopes, their
blissful realities are mine.
Daily my betrothed grew nearer and
dearer TO me though modesty restrain
ed any protestations of love, her silence
was more eloquent than words. When
my wedding-say arrived | would have
made it the occasion of a grand festival ;
| wished the world TO witness my proud
joy; but my bride looked on marriage
rs 100 solemn, too serious II thing for
mirth.
A prouder, if not happier man, was
|, when, after we had finished the bri.
dal tour, she was at last installed as
mistress Of my magnificent mansion.
Fele after fete was given to her, and we
plunged into the vortex Of fashionable
matrimonial gayety. Fanny, however,
preferred the quiet pleasures of home
to the gay scenes into which she was
introduced; and so, in truth, did |, but
my vanity rejoiced in her triumphs.
Secluded as she had been from society,
she had none of the faults Of the init
ated, and ] was proud to contrast her
artess, unaffected mien aud modest dig.
aity, with the stately pretensions of
those around her.
At length the bridal parties we're over,
and in tie quietude of our home
our characters began gradually t.
unfold themselves to each other view.
| found that | was not mistaken in my
estimate Of my wiie's love. She loved
Inc with all the ardor of her warm, i'm
petuous nature; her faults were not
called into action, and she was radient
with all those good qualities which so
delight man. How very happy we
we're how very happy we might have
remained My moon of perfect love
was at its full. All was joy, all was
brightness; but the shadow descended
on my hearth, brought it there,
fed it, nursed it until the light of joy
was extuguished, until the sun of hap
pness had departed forever.
| have said that my temper was nat
urally violent; that | was obstinate {;
that ! was selfish. Previous to my
marriage circumstances kept this iufrm-
ity in check, and for some months after,
| controlled it. 1t had but slumbered,
it was not quenched; and |, who had
undertaken to correct this fault in an
other, now became its slave. The bonds
were soon broken; the first unkind
words were spoken, the words which
are so easily repeated after they have
once been uttered. The first quarrel,
the sad event in married life, had taken
place between us, and both felt that, ,
henceforth, that perfect love which we
had hitherto enjoyed could return no
more. Could we ever divest ourselves
of the memory of those cruel words !?
"But we might be comparatively hap
py, if this evil occurred no more !" so
said my weeping wife, when after pas
sion of tears she otferrd me her hand.
Things passed on smoothly for a
time but the bonds were broken, and |
ceased to check the ebullutions of anger
which the slightest circumstances called
forth. Before the second year Of my
married life had passed away became
that worse of all oppressors, a house.
hold tyraut. At any annoyance, no
matter how slight-if my meals were
not ready at the appointed hours, if a
paper or book was mislaid, l would
give way to expressions Of anger, of
which, afterward, | really felt ashamed,
knowios how unworthy they were of II
man and yet, When again angered, |
repeated them, aud more violently than
before.
My wife bore this with patience, but
her indulgence chafed me, and | some.
times uttered taunts which no human
being could suffer in silence. Then
came Il reply; and when this reply did
come, sad scenes occurred, would
work myself into an insane passion, and
utter words which in my cooler moments
| shuddered at and which invariably
drove her weeping from the room. And
yet soon after would she come aud beg
TO be forgiven for the very words which
[ had forced her TO utter. The demon