The Hickman courier., 1874-05-16

! household care she had none. Her life
had been passed in perpetual pleasure
seeking, with no call for sacrifice.
But the letter, the iatefHl letter, told
the tender husband that the wealth he
had held SO carelessly for years was
gene in one great commercial crash !;
one hour a man of riches, the next a
pauper. It was ali gone, his lawyer
wrote, and the sale Of EImsgrove, his
home, would scarcely over the liabili-
ties incurred in the past three years.
Edith Edith! That was the cry of
the mans heart. His darling who had
| been shielded from every rude blast,
who had known onlythe brightest side
\ of life under his card, who had married
him for money, R}rhsps
Had she married him for money &?
The thorn, once phnted, stuug him
sorely. He was notR vain man, but he
| had thought his 1--we so devoted, so
| true, had won zHurn. Money had
been to him, / hisiife. SO small con-
sideration, never fesling its want, that
he had never taken & into considera-
ton. except to. 6e YES ssa his ns,,J to give i've,
hatefuf thoueasz rose. 3 sd presseu- MN
sorely, that Edith marrGsd him for what
he had lost, and could give her no
longer.
A rattling at the doorhandle, voice
calling his name, reused him from his
moody misery, and he drew back the
bolt to admit Edith
Just in time TO dress for dinner -
she cried, coming in. 81 stayed down
stairs till the last minute. Shall L ring
for Mary, Edward, or" She looked
in her husbands face. Edward, what
is the matter ?"
An impulse, cruel one, prompted
him TO test her then and there, and he
put his lawyers letter in her hand. In
a moment, before she had smoothed the
crumpled sheet, he repented, and drew
near her to catch her if she tainted, and
to console her if she wept. She read
it all. The light of merriment IN her
face softened to sweet, earnest gravi-
ty, and some of the rich color faded
from her cheeks. Her voice was very
tender as she said, I'm so sorry for
you, Edward. You will miss your
librOy, your books. Perhaps we can
save some of them for you"
But you, Edith" he said, amazed.
"I? Mr.. Morrell tells you, espe-
cially, that my property is safe. A hun
dred year" she said, with a silvery
laugh. Chow little it is, compared
with what you had but have seen a
time before when a hundred a year
seemed positive wealth"
But, Edith, child you do not un-
derstand. / have lost every thing. l
can no longer give you diamonds, laces,
velvets. I cannot carry You from place
to place, wherever the whim sends us.
II can give you nothing"
His faoa wac ozhv xubita and his aveS
rested upon his wife with piteous, inn
ploring look, as if entreating her par
don for some wrong. She put her arms
about him, and drew him down beside
her upon a sofa. Then she rested her
head upon his broad shoulder, and put
her hand in his before she spoke,
Edward, my husband" she said,
gently " do not grieye for me. never
owl ed jewels till you gave them to me.
I was brought up in school of COM
parative poverty The income my
father left me was gathered together at
a cost of privation and hardship l can
never describe to y9u. When my father
died you came. 1 was never in house
SO .hes&tifa! as Ems = kIlI,lEiI ,lEiIsrysr EIrgsr had
spoke. nv faraei had given me an
education, and my eachers were fond
of me, but he seldom spoke to me.
was a desolate child"
Edith Edith her husband said,
tenderly.
"Then you took me home. You
spoke to me so gonly; you cared to
have me near yoL You e lith's
tears we're falling fas-" You loved me.
You, so noble, so god, SO rich, stopped
down to love poor lBtle me. Edward,
nobody ever loved ne IN all nv life but
you. You gave me every wish OF my
heart but all She pleasures, all the
indulgences, were ndhing beside your
love"
Edward Lancaste was too much
moved to speak. Never before had
Edith torn the veil rom her heart as
she was doing now, and the certainty
he was rapidly gaming that she had
given love for love vas a happiness too
overpowering to fndvent in words.
And yet," Edithsaid softly, "there
was always one wish ungratified. Do
not think / underulue all the sacri-
fees YOU have made for me. / appre-
ciate the care for methat has made you
leave your home, your books, to take
me about in the gayworld. saw that
it made you happy to have me dress
hac1somely, to have me invited lnts'
society and enjoy its pleasures. But IN
all these three yeaB l have scarcely
seen yOu. L have cnved home where
we could be all in all to each other
where no claim to the gay world should
come between us. Not a grand home,
with servants to penorIn each task, but
a home your wife cOuld beautify with
her own hands. Now we will find one,
my husband. I an le4ging to show
you hcw nicely / car cook how daintily
L can clean a room. While you read,
will work and in the evening we will
sit together in our tiny sitting room,
and be far happier than we are IN these
crowded hotels. And, Edward, If we
are very saving, we can buy back your
books. There are all my jewels, surely
they will buy some"
edith, stop My own happiness be-
wilders me. You love me like that !
You will be happy in a poor home cook
ing and working for me-"
Edith lifted her shining, dark eyes
to the noble face bending over her, and
drew dewn her husbands head till her
lips touched Ls.s.>
"I love YOU T love you - she whis-
pered. "I,oye will make all labor
light if it is for youl
There was CONSERVATION in the CAV
circle of Edith's friends when, the next
dav. she was missed from among them.
Speculations were wild regarding the
sudden disappearance of the brilliant
star of society, and many were tue pity
ing words 1avished upon her when
Edward Laneaster's losses were known.
But the little wife neither knew of the
pity nor asked sympa by. Her husband
accepted a professorship in a college,
and a little house was taken and fur
nished for the home Edith craved.
The beauty that had made Edith a
star in the most brilliant circles of soci-
ety lost nothing in her husbands eyes
when it was the home-light after his
days of college work. In her quiet
dresses, without glittering gems, Edith
was as lovely as she had ever been in
her costly ball or dinner toilettes and
the little hands that could rest idle in
luxury, glitter with valuable rings, ans
flash over the piano keys, were busy
from dawn to sunset in the house-work
that women find ever waiting them.
Edward Lancaster was never very
poor. and Edith never knew again the
wants and cares of her girlhood but
the wealth he had lost was not restored,
o,5 ,,a1-a,. raorretfed. By its loss he bod