Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1872-02-27
stlttt Storp,
,Fr.p >cr;!'uer', Monthly.
HOW \ WOMAN KEPT
HER HUSBAND.

Why ", sister married John GRAY.
| cuu.d uvvvl au, u,lvlsitua. Twas tNVuit-
t"o and sh, MAJ eigh,vru nheh the uiar-
iiagr took place Fhul had known each
other Just Que ear lie had been pas
siOnalch IA loVe with bel lrpm The tist
day of their meeting. She bat came
more SLOWLY ~ io,Ing him but love
him ,hs did. with love OF sucu dopth
and icrVor ~ are ruely seen. tie was
her squal in nothing except position aud
wealth lie had a singular mixture ot
the laults OF the opposite tsmperanenis
Tie bad the rrIiceut. dreamy. procTas,n'
aIing inertia of the bilious melancholic
man, side by .ide with the impression
able SeuSuousness, the sensitive scntimeu
t.,lism q! tho most sauguine nervous
type There i. great fascination in such
a combination, especially 10 II person oi
- keen. alert nature. My sister Was
earnest, wise, resolule. John Gray was
nonchalant. shrewd. vscillaiing. My
sister was exact, mc,hodical, ready.
John GRAY vas careless. spaSmudic. dit-
ton MY sister had afrcii"naleneSs.
lie had tenderness She wa- religious
Of soul; he had Il sort Of trauIccudenld
percePtiyity, - 10 speak, which kept
him more alive TO The comforts Of relig-
ion than to ils obligations.
My sister would have gone To the
stake rather than tell lie. He would
tell lie unhesitstingly. rather than give
anybody pam. Ny sister lived earnestly,
fully. actively. in each .momenl Ul the
present. Ii never seemed quite clear
whether he we're thinkiny uf today. yes
terdav, or to- morrow She Sas upright
because she could not help Ii. lie was
uprighl-when he ras uprighl,--becnuse
vi custom, taste. and the fitness OF things
What fatal discrepancies. what hopeless
lack Of real moral strength. enduring
purpose. or principle in such nature AS
John Grsy's Whel said these things
to my sister, she answered slwavs, with
"A quiet smile. IL love him." She neither
admitted nor denied my accusations oi
his character The strongest expression
she ever used. the one which came near
est to being au indignant repcslling OF
what bad said, WAS one day. when !
exclaimed:
Ellen. would die before ! risk-d
INV happiness in the keeping Of such =
man.
My happiness i, already in his keep
ing she said in steady voice. land !
believe hiS is in miae He is to Ice my
husband and not yours. dear; You do
not know him As do. You DO not un-
derslaud him"
But ii is not to give analysis OF her
character or OF his 10 give narrati'e
of their family history, that ] write this
story Ii is only one episode of their
life that shall try to reproducs here,
and do ii because believe that its les
son is uf priceless worth to women.
Ellen had been married fourteen years,
and was the mother OF five children,
when the events which ! Am about to
maIratc took place Tho years had gone
peacefully and pleasantly in the main.
Tie children. three girls and oae hoy.
we've lair and strong Their lite had
been very quiet one. Tor our village
was far removed from excitements Of all
kinds. 1t Was one OF the suburban villages
OF -, and most OF the families liy'
ing there were families OF merchants or
lawyers doing business in the town. go.
ing in early in the morning, and return
ing late at night. There is usually .
singular lack of social intercourse IN
such communities whether ii bo that
the daily departure aud return OF the
head of the family keeps rpa perpetual
succession of small crises os interest TO
the exclusion oil others, or that the night
finds oil the fathers and brothers too
tired 10 enjoy anything but slippers and
cigars, know not. but certain it Is that
all such suburban villages are unspesks'
bly, dull aud ifeless Thele is barely
feeling enough of good aeighborhood to
keep up the ordinary interchange OF com
monest ciyilitirs.
Except for long visits to the city in the
winter. and long journeys in the summer,
myself should have found life insup-
portsbly tedious. But Ellen was abso-
lately content. Her days were unvsry-
ingiy alike, a simple routine of moiheriy
duties and housek eeping CARES. Her
evenings were equally UNMARRIED. being
usually spent in sewing or reading. while
her husband. seven evenings out of ten,
! dozed, either on the sofa, or on one OF