Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-06-29
4 WIFE'S SECRET.

'The LaWrenccs are going Abroad" said
Robert Dana to his young wife one eve
ming. II met Tom to-day, and he said he
and Carry would sail on the Goth, and the
furniture be sold at auction"
ooh, how we shall miss them and what
pity to have that handsome old furniture
scattered among strangers! We have had
many happy times there, Robert"
"Yes, Annie; ii was there | first saw
you do you remember; you were playing
chess on that old Chinese chess table, so
absorbed that you did not see me come in
and | stood wondering who that little maid
il blue could be. don't like to have that
table sold at auction, dear | wish it would
occur to Carry to send it to us as fare
we'll present"
''That would be very nice; but as she is
not at all romantic she has no idea how
or why we value it."
81 suppose if offered to buy it, Tom
would not accept any pay and then we
should feel as if we had begged present"
eyes; and, besides, we can not afford it,
Robert"
at must have cost a hundred dollars
when it was new but presume it will
90 for fifty, as it is somewhat defaced
We must not think of it, though, dear
You know the last of our luxury fund
went for the Dickens reading, and we
agreed to have no more treats till fall. /
dare say we should not play very often if
we hadit-reading aloud is 50 much nicer"
Thus the brave, conscientious little wo-
man TUNED away from the tempting theme,
and it was not resumed between them
Annie Dana, however, had great fund OF
that tough quality which is now blamed
as "obstinacy," then praised as "frmness.
The more she told herself the chess table
was unat tainable, the more did persistent
inner voice reply, Il must have it !" But
how? Dozens of schemes occurred to
her, but none that seemed practicable
When she awoke in the night, the weary
question flashed back and with it, like an
inspiration, its answer. She would write
a story for tho Magazine, and SC
earn the neediul money. Had she not at
school, several years before, sent two OIL
three anonymous stories to a country
weekly, Just for the frolic of it, and had
they not been printed ? TO be sure, they
were not paid for. She would almost have
scorned money then, so deliciously sutficing
was it to see her own words in print. But
there must be the sordid reality of pay
ment now and how delightful to surprise
Robert with the table, show him her arti
Gle, and enjoy his approaching praise
But before this dizzy climax could bt
reached, much must be done. What SHOULD
she write about When find time q? How
bid Tor the table? And all without
Roberts knowledge? Absorbed in these
questions, she appeared sadly absent dur
ing breakfast, greatly to her husbands
surprise and mystitication. After she hac
put two spoons in his saucer, asked fo
butter when already supplied, and poured
maple syrup over her steak, he began to b,
alarmed, insisted on feeling her pulse, anc
inquired if she had slept well. Annie dis
claimed sickness, but admitted that he
night had been restless; and finally, t.
please him, promised to take nap durin!
the day. Never having concealed AM
thing from him before, the weight of
secret was far from pleasant; but she con
soled herself by thinking how well it woulc
all end. For the first time since she knew
him, she was glad to have Robert CO. 81
eager was she to be free to plan, perhaps
to write, her story. Her usual dutie'
about the house were faithfully performed
but the outline of romance was fitting
through her head all the time, and she was
glad when free at last to sit down at hel
desk.
For an hour her pencil few busily: ideas
thronged at her bidding; words came freely
to express them. The first sentence only
troubled her. Five or six beginnings were
made only to be scored out /; this seemed