The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1873-11-12
! MISCELLANY.
TWO LIVES.
ia. / lesson. NgTSI

~
tbs 1 Lesson.
In the sequel to the homely, touching farm
ballad, i" Betsy and are out;'' the estrangcd
husband and wife come to understand each
other atlast. They have lived apart under
the same roof for years, and grown farther
apartas time Went on, but the cloud between
them is cleared finally, The mighty strength,
of their old love. is more after all than all the
quarrels and differences they have had, when
it comes to the actual point of separation from
each other, and taking his and her half Of
the goods, and going each his and her own
way. So in the pleasant sequel of the poem,
the old husband and wife are reconciled to
each other, and the sunset years of their lives
are bright with happiness and peace.
But how is it when the reconciliation new
or comes--when the silence of arrangement
is followed only by the eternal silence of
death? Alas! Alas!
Years ago two young people were married.
They were bright handsome young lovers,
and the path before them looked as fair and
smooth as the future ever can look to hope
FIJI, happy young couple. Their purses were
slender, but what of that Their hands were
strong, and their hearts were stronger. It
seemed to them on their wedding morning, MS
they stood hand-in-hand and looked down the
road before them, that whatever of bitterness
and trouble there might be for other people
in the world, no trouble could ever come be-
tween them. Just SO thousands Of young
L. L. 4
down the road, on their wedding morning.
These two young married people were very
different in disposition. He was born con-
sentative, she a born radical. He liked best
the old-fashioned- of his fathers, plain
and simple even to baroness, without any ex-
penlituic of money that could be avoided ibis
wife, on the contrary, liked beautiful things,
and wished to surround her home with taste
and comfort. But they never thought to
Walk OF these differences and adjust them be-
fore they were married. who does mi TX of
it indeed? The husband was rather slow,
stubborn and unimaginative, the wife was
quick, nervous, and fne-grained. The hus-
band read articles on the tariff, and the wife
read poetry. Neither could see how the 9th
er could read that sort of stuff. But they
never talked over this opposition Of temporal
ment and how each would yield somewhat to
the other, until gentle time should wear away
the sharp corners Of both, and their, two lives
become Elm harmony. Not they, indeed =
They never thought of that. Who ever does
think of it, I say & "a e eN evezFs
But they were quite happy at first. Love,
which is stronger than all else on earth, nay,
which is mightier and more enduring even
than old Mother Earth herself, guided their
feet overthe rough places in the road, at first.
As long as they were quite poor, they were
quite happy $ ~ &si-1 = 19I1As 2ts}s4&t4A7 +
After awhile, though, they became rich
enough to own property, and make bargains.
They were industrious and economical both of
them, aud worked faithfully together, and the
wife worked as hard as the husband When
they began to get ON well in the world, then
first it was that a little speck of trouble ap-
peared, sometimes. The wife had a shrewd,
clear head, and thought decidedly that her
husband could have made better bargains than
he did occasionally. She said so.s Her hus-
band, being conservative, was rather inclin-
ed to think that the wife was the weaker YES
sci, and that his particular wife ought to hold
her tongue, even when her husband did make
bad bargains. Sometimes it was about the
price of horse they differed, and sometimes
the sale ola. crop, and. sometimes again, the
wife would have dearly liked some pretty new
furniture while the husband preferred putting
their money out on interest. But still they
logged on comfortably together, in the main.
Two sons were born to them. When these
two boys, bright, spirited lads, both of them,
were old enough to go to school, the first real
troubles of this husband and wife began. The
wife wanted to give her boys liberal educa-
ton. She had craved it above all things for
I herself, in her own youth, and the eager de-
sire had never been gratified. 1t burned
again in her. breast for her children. The
father belived his boys ought to be brought
up as he had been, on hard work, pinching
economy. and with three winters country
sehooling. That was how to make stout hon
est citizens of boys, he said. He wanted nc
SON of his, brought up like . girl, or 2 city
fop.
This vas the first real bone Of contention
between the husband and wife. Many a hare
! word they had oyer it, and many and many al
angry, bitter thought. 1t ended as sucl
things always do where man has all.th