The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1874-07-15
ABBEVILLE, s. c., WEDNESDAY, JULY Is, 1874

) IL l. Ios AOs L.
WINGED a little as though the pre-
bing gave him new pain.
"In the first place." pursued th
old man, with culver of emotio
in his voice, "do you love you
wife %
"Love her? Yes, passionately.
"And do you think she love
you in return %
81 don't think anything about
Il know it i" "
"You know she loves you?"
eyes"
"Then you must admit that tn
trouble of this morning came from
no ill-feeling at heart. -
"Of course not"
''It was but a surface squall, fo
which you, at least, are very sorry
"A moments hesitation, an(
then-Yes, yes, I am heartily sor
ry."
"Now, mark me, Clarence, ant
answer honestly; don't you think
your wife is as sorry as you are p
ri cannot doubt it." s
"And don't you think she is suf
fering all this time?" II ,s
eyes"
every well. Let that pass. You
know she is bearing her part Of the
burden"
"Yes-I know that" -
"And now, my boy, do you com.
prehend where the heaviest part o1
this burden is lodged ?" rgss
Clarence looked upon his inter.
locutor wonderingly.
eff the storm had all blown over,
and you knew that the sun would
shine when you next entered your
home, you would not feel so un-
happy ~ 8
Clarence assented.
"But," continued Mr.. Wardle,
"you fear there will be gloom in
your home when you return p
The young man bowed his head
as he murmured an affirmative.
''Because," the merchant added,
with touch OF parental sternness
in his tone, ''syou are resolved to
carry it there" "
Clarence looked up in surprise.
"I-I carry it?''
"Aye-you have the burden in
your heart, and you mean to carry
it home. Remember, my boy, l
have been there and I know all
about it. I have been very foolish
in my lifetime, and I have suffered.
1 suffered until I discovered my
folly, and then I resolved that I
would suffer no more. Upon look
ing the matter squarely and honest
ly in the face, I found that the bur-
dens which had SO galded me had
been selfimposed. Of course such
burdens can be thrown off. Now
you have resolved that you will 60
home to your dinner with a heavy
heart and a dark face. You have
no hope that your wife will meet
you with a smile. And why? Be-
cause you know that she has no
particular cause for smiling. You
know that her heart is burdened
with the afliction which gives you
80 much unrest. And so you are
fully assured that you are to find
your home shrouded in gloom.
And, furthermore, you don't know
when that gloom will depart, and
when the blessed sunshine of love
will burst in again. And why don't
you know? Because it is not now
in your heart to sweep the cloud
away. You say to yourself, 4 can
bear it as long as you can Am l
not right?"s
Clarence did not answer in
words.
ct know T am right" pursued
The merchant; s'and very likely
your wife is saying to herself the
same thing. So your hope of sum
shine does not rest upon the will
ingness to forgive, but upon the
inability to bear the burden: By
aud-by it will happen, as it has
before, that one of the
.wain will surrender from exhaus-
ion; and it will likely be the
weaker party. Then there will be
! collapse and a reconciliation.
Generally the wife fails first be-
meath the CALLING burden, because
her love is keenest and most sensi-
i've. The husband, in such case,
acts the part Of a coward. When
he might, with a breath, blow the
cloud away, he cringes and covers,
until the wife is forced to let the
sunlight in through her breaking
heart" ....
Clarence listened, and was troub-
led. He saw the truth, and he felt
its weight. He was not fool, nor
was he liar. During the silence
that followed, he reflected upon the
past, and he called to his mind
scenes just such as Mr.. Wallace had
depicted. And this brought him