Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1873-05-31

he said, little petulantly, 81 NIGH
have known it would have ended
| like this, if l tried TO reason witt
you. Women can't be logical if they
tryI"
''If this is the way you are feel
ing, Harry" said Nina, ''Pm afraid
you will disaPprove of what L ven
tured to do to-day. Mr.. LiscombC
was here to ask about the rent o.
your little store on Sixth Avenue
1t was for that lame brother of his
an honest, hardWOrking young shoe
maker, who was very ambitious Il
go into business himself. lie hal
scraped together enough to pay
nine hundred dollars, the first year,
rent"
'But l raised the rent TO twelve
hundred"
81 know you did, Harry; but
knew-at least l supposed-yoJ
would be willing to do charitable
action for one so piteously afflicted
by Providence; SO 1 told Mr.. Lis
cOmbe that poor Giles could have i
for the former rent of nine hun
dred."
fThea you did a foolish thing,
said Mr.. Melton, rising and begin
ming to pace the room in evident an,
noyance, ga very foolish and ill-con.
sidered thing indeed. l must send
my clerk round to Liscombe's the
| first thing tomorrow morning.
/ can't afford to make q present oi
three hundred dollars year to Giles
Liscombe, Just because he's a Grip
pie. pay my taxes, ] contribute to
the charity funds of the church, and
can't and won't do any more"
Nina listened IN silence; to her II
seemed as if some strange transfor-
nation had come unexpectedly over
the whole spirit and temperament
of the man she called husband. Pres
emily she rose up.
"1Will put little Mary to bed, :"
she said quietly, and stole away up
stairs, with the other children 81
lently following her.
'sPapa isn't nice tonight" said
Johnny, as he took his spelling-book
10 the nursery table. "Mamma,
what makes him so CROSSE"
F'Hush Johnny" said Mrs. Melton,
whose loyalty admitted of no doubt
or question; ''papa is tired"
Johnny was not altogether salts
fed with this version of affairs, but
he fell back on the "words of sylla-
bles," without asking any more
questions; and Nina returned down
stairs, taking up her needle work,
and quietly seating herself by the
shaded gas burner, as she saw that
Harry lay on the sofa, apparently
asleep, with the newspaper over his
face.
Once or twice, as the clock ticked
softly in the stiffness, and the indis-
tinct hum from the street below
hoated in through the half-opeI
window, Nina let the work fall to
her lap, and unconsciOusly drifted
away upon the tide of grave and
| troubled thoughts which seemed tC
eddy round her heart.
They were making money, the
firm of Melton & Chisdale. She had
heard people say so, time and again
she had been congratulated upoT
the success of her husbands bust
ness, and had smiled back a pleased
response. Old uncle Darwin Field
when he had made his weeks visit
in the city two years ago, had con
templated Harry Melton's luxuri
GUS home with grave Wistfulness
and said to her:
Remember, Nina, my gal, tha
riches have wings, and don't get too
sot on sich things"
She had thought the old man in
terfering, almost impertinent, at tn,
time; now his words came to hel
like half-forgotten prophecy.
"Can it be possible" she thought
as her sad eyes gazed out into tn,
starry armament of the summer
night, "that he too has caught thl
worst infection of money making
that he is growing avaricious anC
mean and grasping? Oh, no; no
/ Harry never could be thati''
The work lay unheeded on he
lap. She had no heart to sew now
Up to the present moment, Nini
Melton's life had been one of unin
terrupted smoothness and sunshine
Could it be that the shadows, s,
long withheld that she had Learned
to doubt their actual existence, S,
far as she was concerned, were com
ing at last?
Suddenly Harry Melton starteI
from his slumbers, and sat upright
gazing with beWildered air rount
the room.
''Nina, wife are you there?'' h
said, in a strange, husky tone.
81 am here, Harry"
E'Thank goodnessI Then it wa
only a dream"
"What was only a dream?"
"COme here, and / will tell you
wife. Here, close to my side
Heavensl" he muttered beneath hi
breath, as he passed his hand uRea
| silly over his wet forehead, f'hoV
real it seems yeti Where are tn
children?"
''Up stairs. Mary and Nina ar
asleep, and Johnny is at his lessons
81 have had the strangest medic
of dream you ever heard, )" he wen
on. "Nina, L think 1t must hay
been intended for a warning to mt
1t seemed to me as if l were Dead
L had not passed through the MOI
tai strife of dissolution, and yet
was standing in the gloom and my:
terry of that other world that lies be
fore us all. You understand me
Nina?''
81 understand you, Harry" sh
answered, her soft, wondering eve
fixed upon his face.
"And you and the children wer
with me also, and yet not with m,
that was the strangest mystery {
all. You seemed to stand afar off i
beautiful green meadows all mist
with the sunshine that was aroun
you, and the children were gatheI
ing flowers at your feet flower
such as l never saw in any mort,
gardens; and there were many otl
ers there, and the air was full Ofml
sic whose strain L could faintly hea
And l was fastening toward yo
when my footsteps were stopped /
wall-a wall built of shining pieel
of gold with a sentinel standing b.
yond, in white, glittering raimen
with sword whose brightness da
zled my very eyes,
"Let me passI" l cried 'let me .
TO themw and pointed eagerly {
the green meadows where you q
were.
''Neverl'' the sentinel answers
This wall divides you from the
) forever-the wall you yourself haI
= built up, IN your shOrtsight6
| greed and avaricer
: "And then knew that the go
pieces Ofwhich the wall was bui
= were those l had saved from Il
wretched purse of those who we
. poorer than L. Giles Liscomb
= hard-earned money, and the re
5 for poor old AuntDOrcas' house, al
5 the little 1 fain would have I
3 | ken from Mrs Rarhouy5s boo,-5 a.