Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1873-11-29

the effect of honest Tom Henderson's
( bit of hAttery.
And how did it affect his wife?
In the twilight, as she stood in the
milk-house, hurriedly doing up her
work, fitting here and there, there
was q brightness IN her dark blue
eyes, a compression of the lips, and a
red spot on each cheek, and as she was
nOdding her hoad and talking to her
self very earnestly.
Thine was" she whispered, "when
| Henderson couldn't have said that of
me. The dear knows, did use TO
almost grow tired of his words of
praise. was his choice of all the
| girls he ever saw. I've many time
| heard'im say that Cad Weldon, now
Mrs. Ray, had a real pretty facc-nO
| expression in it-and to-day ne said
| looked old enough almost to be her
mother. Ahal Mr.. Henderson, well
sec it's only love and care for you
and yours that's made me so forget
myself and fall into careless ways.-
I'm Just as good looking to-day as
! Cad Ray is-if | do say it myself
weH see!" and the angry little wo-
mans cheeks grew redder, and her
eyes almost snapped in their glitter
ing brightness as she turned the safe
ty-Yalve and began 10 sing. That
was her safety-YalTe, when her ten
stoned nerves could stand no more
she sang and was relieved without n
food of tears.
From under the messy roof of that
tidy little spring-house welled out the
iubilant words of an old hymn to the
inspiring air of Pisgah.
The. next morning, after the chill
dren started to school and her work
was all done up nicely, she washed
herself and carefully brushed her hair
and put it up in a pretty way, with a
rose and n spray of myrtle at the side
of the coil. She had brushed it until
it shoue with luster. Then she put
on a neat light-print dress, and lace
collar, fastened with beautiful gold
pin, a gift of her girlhood.
The gold hoops that her mother
had worn long ago, of antique patterA,
looked beautiful a-neaF the dark
brown of her hair. She had not
touched those gold hoops for years
her children had never even seen
them.
Then she clothed her feet in neat
CATERS, and put on her wedding ring,
and her nearest neighbors would
hardly have recognized the careless
slattern in the bright eyed, sweet
faced woman of to-day. The change
pleased her-it made her smile invol- |
unfairly, and that smile was her
charm-always had been, why couldn't |
she wear it, too, if her heart was full |
of a Joy so new and Sc rare and beau !
tiful.
The whole woman was completely /
metamorphosed. The change beauti- |
fled her, and the little bit of revenge |
was harmless and--so slCeet!
When her husband came home at |
noon, he stopped in the doorway and
stood still an instant, then he whistled |
a long, w-h-e-w!
She turned around in an innocent /
way, and-the expression of his eyes |
was the same as when he was a de-
voted, admiring lover.
"My wife," he said, and he folded /
her in his arms, aud his face twitched,
and he laughed in a pleased, hysteri-
cal way.
Her eyes filled with tears, and there
was a stihed sob on his bosom, but it !
was the best sob she'd ever made, it
meant a great deal.
''I've been too thoUghtless and care
less about myself, Tom," she said.
81 thought so much of you and the
children, that 1 never cared how /
went. | didn't think of myself"
"You are so sweet, little wife, so
beautiful, said Tom, holding her off
and looking at her, while she blush9d
and struggled to get away.
e Nh,k r,-,e N ,,a,.- /
era in Hetty Henderson's life. She
never so neglected herself again, and
instead of growing older, it does seem
that as the years glide by she grows
younger.
When the children came from school
that evening, one at time, they said,
"Oh, where have you been, mother ?"
or "Where are you going, mother ~
and little Rosy, who had never seen
the jewe1ry before, or a collar, or
rose in her mothers hair, said, in a
subdued whisper, "What is the mat
ter; you look like the pictures of the
pretty ladies in the magazines ?" and
she felt of her face as though the
vision before her might melt, or van
ish into air under her touch.
We must confess that we believe
there is a little spice of mischief in
it, when carly every morning Hetty
takes time enough to pin on a white
collar and brush her hair smoothly /
off her brow, and remove every sign
of the careless sloven from her attire.
She knows very we'll that a neatly
dressed woman has the advantage
over one who is not appearing we'll
This shows itself in the springy step, |
and the sef-assurance that gives her |
head a queenly pOise. So the two
lady visitors, who cared more for her
good dinners than they did for Hetty |
herself, taught her lesson we'll worth |
remembering, and her married life |
viii be the better aud the pleasanter |
for it as long as she lives.