Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1872-07-20

PGho4isH llau suDsldGu, and lie had
relalsed into moody silence, l re,
samod the subject 6eAtIy, and urged
HIM at once to break his situation al
once to his wife. lie shook his head
mournftllly, but positively.
But how arc You to keep it from
her. 1t is Necessary hat she should
know it, that You may t,ke steps
proper to the alteration of your cir
cumstancos. You must change youl
style of lying-nay," observing a
pang to pass across his countenanco,
don't let that aGllct you. Tam cure
you have never placed your happi,
ness IN outward show-you have yet
warm friends, warm friends, who
will not think tho worse of you for
being less splendidly lodged: ard
surely it does notrcquire D palace to
be happy with Mary -"
"I could be happy with her" cried
he, conyulsiyoly, "in hovel! Icould
20 down into poverty and dustl
could could could-God bloSs
her-God bless herl" cried he, burst
ing into a transport of grief and
tenderness.
"And believe me, my friend, said
|, stepping up, and grasping him
warmly by the hand, "bolicye me she
can be the same with you. Aye,
more: it will be II source of triumph
and pride to her it will call forth
all ths latent energies and feryent
sympathics of her nature; for she
will rejoice to prove that she loves
you for yourself. There is in every
true woman's heart a spark OF
heavenly fire which lies dormant i'll
the broad daylight Of prosperity; but
which kindles up, and beams and
blazes i'll the dark hour of adyersity.
No man knows what tho wife of his
bosom is--no man knows what a
ministerlng angel she is-until he
has gone with her through the fiery
trials Of this world"
There was something in the
earnestnoss in my manner, and the
fgurative style otmy language, that
caught the imagination Of Leslie.
[ knew the auditor l had to deal
with; and following up the impress
sion had made, / finished by per
suading him to so home agd unbur-
den his sad heart to his wife.
| must confess, Notwithstanding
all ] had said, | felt some little So
Hcitude for the result. Who can
calculate on the fortitude of one
whose life has been Il round Of pleas
urcs? Her gay spirits might revolt
in the dark, downward path Of hui
mility suddenly pointed ont before
her, and might cling to the the sur
ny regions in which they had hithcr-
to reyelei. Besides, ruin in fashion,
able life is accompanied by so many
calling notifications, to which in
other rank it is a 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 euuhappy. But, poor girl, ="
added he, "she cannot realize the
change we must undergo. She has
no idea ofpoverty butt the abstract; !;
she has only read of it in poetry,
where it is allied to love. She feels
as yet no privation; she suffers no
loss of accustomed conyeniences nor
elcgarces. When we come prscti-
cally to experience its sordid cares,
its paltry wants, its petty humilia-
tious-then will be the real trial"
'But," said | "now that you have
got over the scverost task, that OF
breaking it to her, the sooner You
let the world into the secret the
better Tho disclosure may be NOR
flying, but then it is u 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 pretense, that
harnesses II ruined man-the struggle
between a proud mind and an emp
ty purse-the keeping up of a hol-
low show that mus 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 pridc himself, and as to
his wife, she was only anxious tocon-
form to thoir altered fortunes.
Some days aIterward he called up
ON me in the evening, He had dis
posed of his dwelling-houso, and
taken a small cettage in the country,
u few miles from town. He had
been busted all day in sending out
furniture. The now establishment
required few articles, and those of
the simplest kind All the furniture
of his late residence had been sold,
excepting his wito's harp. That, he
said, was too closely associated with
the idea Of herself; it belonged to
the little story of their loves; for
some of the sweetest moments of
their couriship wore those when he
had leaned over this instrument, and
listened to the melting of her voice.
| could not but smile at this instance
of romantic gallantry in doting
husband.
He was now going out to the cot
tage, where his wife had been all
day experimenting its arrangement.
My feeling had been strongly inter
ested in the progress of this family
story, and, as it was fine evening,
l offered to accompany him,
Ho was wearied with the fatigues
of the day, and, as he walked out,
fell into a fit of gloomy musing.
"Poor Mary!' at length broke,
with q heavy sigh, from his lips,