Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-02-14
naiscella
From sribnors Monthly Tor February.
now ONE wOaAN KEPT HER HUSBAND.


could understand | was twenty-five and she
was eighteen when the marriage took place.
They had known each other just one year.
He had been passionaiely in love with her
from the drst day Of their meeting. She had
come more slowly to loving him but love him
she did, with love Of such depth and fervor
as are rarely seen. lie was her equal in moth.
ing except position and wealth. He had a
singular mixture Of the faults Of opposite tom
peraments. He had the reticeut, dreamy, pro.
crastinating inertia Of the bilious melancholic
man, side by side with the imprcssionablc
sonsuousnes., the sensitive seutimeutalisn Of
the most sanguine-neryous type. There is
great fascination in such combination, es-
pecially 10 persons Of keen, alert nature.
My sister was earnest, wise, resolute. John
Gray was nonchalont, shrewd, vacillating. My
sister was exact, methodical, ready. John
Gray was careless, spasmodic, dilatory, My
sister had a1ectionateness. lie had tender
ness. She was religious of soul he had a
sort of transccndental perceptiyity, so to
spe ,which kept him more alive to the COM
forts q religion than to its obligations.
Ny sister would have gone to the stake
luAIAA ANaN AtiA 70 Aifs ilN MNAlA ANAA u AAN
unhosItatingly rather than give anybody pain.
My sister lived earnestly, fully, actively, in
each moment Of the present. ltneyer seemed
quite clear whether he were thinking Of to.
day, yesterday, or tomorrow. She was up
right, because she could not help it. He was
upright-when he pas upright because Of
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 Gray's {!
When | said these things to my sister, she
answered always, with quiet smile, love
| him. She neither admitted nor denied my
accusations Of his character The strongest
expression she ever used, the one which came
nearest to being an indignant repelling Of what
had said, was one day, when | exclaimed
Ellen, | would die before | risked ny
happiness in the keeping of such a man"
My happiness is already in his keeping,
said she in steady voice, "and believe his
is in mine. He is to be my husband and not
yours, dear; you do not know him as do
You do not understand him."
But it is not to give analyses Of her char
acter or of his, nor to give narrative Of their
family history that write this story II is
only one episode of their life that | shall try
to reproduce here, and do it because be.
lieye that its lesson is Of priceless worth tc
women.
Ellen had been married fourteen years and
was the mother of five children, when the
events which | am about to narrate took
place. The years had gone peacefully and
pleasantly in the main The children, three
girls and one boy were fair and strong Tneii
life had been very quiet one, for our village
was fer removed from excitements Of al
kinds. 1t was one Of the suburban Villages
of --, aud most Of the families living ther,
were the families Of merchants or lawyer
doing business 10 the town, going in early il
the morning, and returning late at night
There is usually ? singular lack Of social in
terc0lrse in auch communities whether i
be that fhe daily departure and return of the
head Of the fau lily keeps up perpetual sue
cessin Of small crises Of interest to the ex
clusiog Of others, or that the night finds al
the fathers aud brothers too tired to enjo,
anything but slippers and cigars, know not
!, but cor ain il is that all such suburban villa
ges are lnspeakably dull and lifeess. Their
is barely feeling enough of good neighborhoo
to keen rp the ordinary interchange of com
monest clFilihes.
!, Except for long visits to the city in tn
winter, aad long journeys in the summer,
: myself shonld have found life insupportabl
} tedious But Ellen was absolutely content
Her days we're unvaringy alike, a simpl
routine Of mo,herly duties and housekeepln
, cares. Her evenings were equally UNMARRIED
being usti1Hy spent in sewing or reading
, while her husband, in seven evenings out 0
ten, dozed, either on the sofa, or on one Of th
= childreu's little beds in the nursery, His ex
r quisite tenderness to the children, and hi
quiet delight in simply being where they were
= were the brightest points in John Gray's char
/ acter and life.
: But such monotony WAS not wholly goo
for either OF them He grew more and NOR
J dreamy and inert. She insensibly but con
G tuuay narrowed and hardened, and, withou
e dreaming Of such thing really came to b
e less and less part of her husbands inne
S life Faithful busy, absorbed herself in tn
, cares Of each day, she never observed tina
. he was living more and more in his childre
S and bis reveries, and Withdrawing littl
from her She did not need constant pla
9 and interchange of sentiment as he did. A
+ fectionate, loyal, as devoted as she was, ther
g was a side of her husbands nature which sh
q had not seen or satisied-perhaps nevC
= could But neither of them knew it.
At this time Mr. Gray was offered pos
ton of Importance in the city, and it becam
, necessary for them to move there to liy
$ How l. rejoiced in the change. How bitterl
9 regretted it before two years had passed
Their city home was beautiful one, an
/ their connections and associations were sue
: as TO surround them at once with the most d.
q sirable companonships. At first it was har
h for Ellen to readjust her system Of living ar
to aceustom herself to the demands and Il
= pleasures Of even q moderately social lii
IS But she was by nature very fond Of all sue
l. measures, and her house soon became one
It the peasantest centers, in quiet way, Of Il
y comparatively quiet city. John Gray all
VI expanded and frightened in the new atmo
81 phere he had always been a man of inf
ence among men. All his friends,-eyen h
e acauantauces, es,-loyed him, and asked his a
d vice 1t was singular thing that man
inert and procrastinating in his own affair
snOulu De 50 suTtNu uuu piaNelSai anu ihh
II entail in the affairs of others, or in public a
IS fairs. This, however, was no stranger thi
u many other puzzing incongruities in Jof
e Grays character But since his college da.
70 he had never mingled at all in general SOC
is ETY. until this winter, after their removal
s. town; and it was with real delight that
1t watched his evident enjoyment of people, ar
their evident liking and admiration for hir
His manners were singularly simple and d
rect his face, which was not wholly pleasiI
a in repose, was superby handsome when an
IF mated in conversation its inscrutabo ref
d cence which baiiled the keenest Observable
II when he was silent, all disappeared and mel
,e ed in the glow of cordial good.felowsh
n which lit up every feature when he talke
r grew very proud of my brother as watc
At ed him in his new sphere and surrounding
,e aud also enjoyed most keenly seeing Ell'
\. in wider aud more appreciatye circle.
N spent large part of the first winter in the
= house. and shared all their social pleasure
u 4 l.l.