The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1872-07-18

llic-ail INC Pleasures Ol socloty-tO
shrink with me into indigence and
obscurity! To tell her that | have
dragged her down from the sphere
in which she might have had CON
slant brightness-the light of every
eye-the admiration Of every heart!
How can she bear poverty? she has
been brought up in all the refine
meuts of opulence. How can she
be'r neglect? she has been the idol
of society. Oh! it will break my
heart-it will break my heart
/ saw his grief was eloquent, and
| let it have it's flow; for sorrow re-
lieves ltscli by words When his
paroxism had subsided, and he had
relapsed into moody silence, | re-
sumed the subject 6eStly, and urged
him at once to break his situation at
once to his wife. He shook his head
mournfully, but positively.
'But how are you to keep it from
her? 1t is Necessary that she should
know it, that you may take steps
proper to tho alteration of your cir
cumstances. You must change your
style of l'ving-nay," observing a
pang to pass across his countonanco,
"don't let that alllict you. lam. sure
you have never placed your happi-
ness in outward show-you have YET
warm friends, warm friends, who
will not think the worse of you for
being less splendidly lodged; and
surely it does not require q palace to
be happy with Mary -"
81 could be happy with her" cried
he, convulsively, Gin hoyel! Icould
60 down into poverty and dustl |
could-I could-I could-God bless
her-God bless her!' cried he, burst
ing into transport OF grief and
tenderness.
| "And believe me, my friend" said
|, stepping up, and grasping him
warmly by the hand, "believe me she
can be the same with you. Aye
more: it will be a source Of triumph
and pride to her-it will call fortl
all the latent energies and terven'
sympathies Of her nature; for sh'
will rejoice to prove that she loves
you for yourself. There is in ever,
true woman's heart spark o
heavenly fire which lies dormant il
the broad daylight Of prosperity; bu
which kindles up, and beams anC
blazes in the dark hour of adversely
No man knows What the wife of hiI
bosom is-no man knows what q
ministering angel she is-until ht
has gone with her through the fiery
trials of his world"
There was ething in the
earnestness i'll my manner, and the
igurative style oimy language, that
caught the imagination Of Leslie,
| knew the auditor | had 10 dea]
with; and following up the impress
sion l had made, | finished by per.
suading him to 80 home agd unbur-
den his sad heart to his wife.
| must confess, Notwithstanding
all / had said, | felt some little SO.
liciludo for the result. Who car
calculate on the fortitude of one
whose life has been II round of pleas
ures? Her gay spirits might revolt
in the dark, downward path of hut
mility suddenly pointed out before
her, and might cling to the the sur
my regions in which they had hither.
to reveled. Besides, ruin in fashion
able life is accompanied by 50 many
calling notifications, to which in
other rank it is stranger. In short
| | could not meet Leslie the next
morning without trepidation. He
had made the disclosure.
"And how did she bear it?'
"Like an angel! 1t seemed to be
rather % relief to her mind, for she
threw her arms around my neck and
asked If this was all that had lately
made me unhappy. But, poor girl,
added he, "she cannot realize the
change we must undergo. She has
no idea ofpoverty butin the abstract
she has only read of it in poetry,
where it is allied to love. She feels
as yet no privation; sho suffers no
| loss of accustomed conveniences nor
elesances. When we come practi-
cally to experience its sordid cares,
its paltry wants, it's petty humilia-
tions-then will be the real trial"
But" said |, "now that you have
got over the soverest task, that OI
breaking it to her, the sooner you
let the world into the secret the
better. The disclosure may be NOR
fying, but then it is q single misery,
and soon over; whereas you would
otherwise suffer it, in anticipation,
every hour in the day. 1t is not
poverty as much as pretensc, that
harnesses ruined man-the struggle
between u proud mind and an emp
ty purse-the keeping up of q hol-
| low show that must soon come to an
end. Have the courage to appear
poor and you disarm poverty OF its
sharpest sting" On this point l
found Leslie perfectly prepared. lie
had no false pride himself, and as to
his wife, she was only anxious to C m
form to their altered fortunes.
Some days aiterward he called up
on me in the evening. He had dis,
posed of his dwelling-house, and
taken small cottage in the country,
few miles from town. He had
been busted all day in sending out
furniture. The new establishment
REQUIRED few articles, and those OF
the simplest kind. All the furniture
of his late residence had been sold,
excepting his wife's harp. That, he