The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-08-21
cIRcUMsFANFfAL EVIDENCE.

4
for interfering between man and wife"
81 don't want thanks" said Mrs.
Glenn ST think of myself. II Mr..
Glenn should conduct himself SO while
was away should think any one nv
very best friend who let me know about
1t. To have creature like that steal
ing away ones husbands affections and
other women keeping their mouths shat,
why it's awful-perfectly awful /"
1t would be wiaking at sin, my
DEAR" said Mrs. Martin.
Aseuredly,' said Mrs. Glenn.
i've often thought all that show of
affection didn't amount to ANYTHING"
said Mrs. Martin. "Mr. Martin never
kisses me when he comes home to tea.
I've seen Mr.. Willis do it right on the
front doorstep, and then calling her
dear so often. All hypocrisy. And
to see her 30 set up by it And NV
dear husband thinks this and NV
husbands opinion is that and INV
husband likes me to wear pink, and all
that, as if she was the only wife that
was made much of in the world N n
s nse -
"And i've often said to myself
there'll be q waking up for You, Mrs.
Willis, said Mrs. Glenn, "And now
you see IL mas come.
"And very glad you seem to be of
it." said Mrs. Bright. The poor soul
had been too happy. For my part it
always pleases me to see domestic hap
piness; and my advice is, don't tell
her. It may be some mistake, you
know. If it isn't, you'll only make her
suffer-
" Pride goes before a fall" said Mrs.
Glenn. tim only an instrument, I'm
obliged to do the work. set before me,
even if it humbles her."
"And you'll go with us, Mrs
Bright ?" said Mrs. Martin.
" Not I, )" said Mrs. Bright. First
~, l think, in the face of ell your ev-
idence, that Mr.. Willis is too good
man, and too fond of his wife, to de.
ceive her SO ; secondly, if 1T is all true
wash my hands of helping to break
that sweet little heart. And if I
thought / could talk you out of going
l would. Just wait week or so /; think
about it awhile, do
Mrs. Martin shook her head.
Mrs. Glenn smiled sarcasUically.
you always shirk anything disagree
able, my dear, she said "You have
| a nature that impels you to take life
easily. l have been forced to put nv
shoulder to the wheel too often, not to
do it willingly"
Sand I've often said," said Mrs.
Martin, that revere Mrs. Glenn for
that very thing"
They walked out of the room. Mrs.
Bright shrugged her fat shoulders.
f" A couple of old slander-mongers,
she said land now they must try to
make little Eve Willis uncomfortable.
Mrs. Bright, Mrs. Martin and Mrs.
| Glenn boarded, with their husbands. at
the fashionable establishment of Mrs.
Roger Black. Mr. and Mrs. Willis
lived next door, and all of them at
tended the same church. Either the
latter pair were peculiarly fond of each
| other, or were more disposed to show
their fondness than most people are; but
| certainly they were known as a model
| couple. He was a handsome, tall.
| black whiskered man of forty, She was
a petite blonde of twenty-five or twen-
| ty-three. Evidently, no man was so
/ wise, so great, so perfect in her ewes as
her husband. Evidently no woman was
so charming to him as his wife.
| Now, there are good many women
| to whom this sort of thing is gall and
NORWOOD. They cannot bear to see
it, and they break it up if possible. All
the tiirts in the congregation had tried
to do this and had failed. All the sour
matrons whose married lives were spent
in spats and squabbles sneered at the
happy pair, ''and declared that this
wouldn't last long. But it had lasted
for five years; and not a flaw had been
discovered in the conduct Of either,
until, one bright summer, when Mrs.
Willis having left home on visit to her
sister, very pretty young lady arrived
at nelghboring hotel, and Mr.. Willis
! yes, Mr.. Willis, no other-was seen to
devote himself to her In way that was
positively shocking. YES, positively
terrible. For Mrs. Glenn and Mrs.
Martin, who took to going about in
waterproof cloaks and hoods after dark,
had not only seen Mr.. Willis take ice
cream with this young lady, but were
ready to swear that he kissed her at
parting, and on more than one occasion
was seen to put his arm about her
waist.
This had gone on for three weeks
when Mrs. Willis returned home; and
now, as the young lady was unpacking
her trunks in her pretty room next door,
the two watchers had determined 10 in
form her of her husbands infidelity,
and no task could have been more
pleasant to them.
Dressed in their best, and armed with
parasols and fans, they watched Mr..
Willis departure from the house with
eager eyes, and then fastening down
stairs, almost ran up the steps of the
house next door, anxious to meet the
happy faces they hoped to change to
one of misery.
Mrs. Willis came smiling down stairs
to greet them.
Thank you for coming to see me SO
soon," she said. cit does seem as
though I'd been away from home q
whole year Mr.. Willis says it seems
five to him-and yet I've been enjoying
myself ever so much"
"I'm glad to hear it, " said Mrs. Mar
tin.
"Yet happiness is feeting," said Mrs.
Glenn.
They spoke so solemnly that Mrs.
Willis thought that something unpleas-
ant must have happened to one of
them.
every one well, I hope ?" she said
more gravely.
"QGite, said Mrs. Martin. with a
sigh.
Anything new ?" said Mrs. Willis.
"Nc," said Mrs. Glenn. " People |
are as wicked as ever, and that is as old |
as Satan"
''Mrs Black has been over charging |
her for extras, or the chambermaid has |
let the milkman kiss her, thought Mrs.
Willis.
"And what fine weather we are hav-
ing" she added aloud.
" Yes" said Mrs. Martin, with little
groan, 81 often think OF those lines in
the hymn:
"Where every prospect pleases,
And only man is vile"
How vile man is sometimes" said
Ms. Glenn.
"Ah !" said Mrs Martin.
81 shouldn't wonder if Mr.. Glenn had
been flirting with some one," thought
Mrs. Willis.
CT have the photographs of all sister
Sara's children said Mrs. Willis. "Ill
show them to you if you like. They are
pretty creatures"
''Thank you, Mrs. Willis, said Mrs.
Glenn "but our hearts are very full
of serious thoughts just now. We are
too much of evil hearts to care
to look at innocent children's faces. We
have come to tell you something, Mrs.