Middletown transcript., 1874-09-05
reached the full amount Of his salary


reached the full amount Of his salary
But the end came at last. One morn
ing seven years from the day of their mar
riage, Mr.. and Mrs Blakely were about
leaving for the opera. when the bell was
rung violently Mr.. Blakely started and
turned pale
What's the matter ?" asked his wife,
who saw the singular change in his coun-
tenance.
Mr. Blakely did not answer, but stood
listening at the door Mems voices were
now heard, and the heavy tread Of feet
along the passage There was start a
hurried movement by Blakely; then he
stood still as riveted to the spot
Who are they and what is the mean
ing of this ?" asked Mrs. Blakely in
alarm At the same moment two men
entered the room
" You are arrested said one of them,
" on charge of defalcation
Mrs. Blakely shreked, but her hus-
band..stood still and statue like, his face
of an ashen hue
=" George, George? This is false, ="
said Mrs Blakely, recovering herself, -
You certainly could not stoop low
enough to commit crime "
" 1t is true he answered in low and
despairing voice. Then laying one of his
fingers on the diamond pin that glittered
on her bosom, he added, speaking to her
privately:
- You gained that at the price of your
husbands dishonor You demanded it !,
| demonstrated, and said could not af-
ford SO costly an ornament You repeat
ed your demand, and |, weak fool that |
was, permitted the contraction of debt
that could only be cancelled by dishonest
means. thought when | married you,
that had obtained wife whose virtues
might help me upwards towards Heaven,
but you have only proved tempting
fiend, dragging me nearer and nearer the
brink of destruction, over which | now
fall to hopeless ruin. | have robbed the
bank, but it was for you"
Then turning to the officers he said in
calm voice
" am at your service"
The words of her husband had stunned
Mrs. Blakely. She never saw him after
wards. That night he passed to higher
tribunal Than an earthly one, and she was
left in poverty and disgrace.
The story is one of every day life. -
George Blakely is the representative of a
class. Not all of them rob banks, or de-
fraud their employers But all of them
do support idle, extravagant wives in cost
ly establishments-costly in comparison
with their means-spend more than their
earnings or profit, and fail in the end to
pay their obligations, and thus become
disgraced.
A modern young lady, fashionably edu-
Gated, and with modern notions of style,
fashion and modern equipments is alto
gether too costly an article for a young
man of small means or u moderate salary
Diamond pins, rich silks and laces,
rosewood furniture, six, seven, eight or
nine hundred dollar houses operas, balls,
fashionable parties, Saratoga and Newport,
and success in business are altogether out
of the question.
If young men would unite in matrimo-
ny, they must look in another circle for
wives.
A girl who is independent enough to
earn her own living as teacher or with
the needle, is wife worth a score of the
butterflies of fashion, and rising young
man ,'who,has only his industry to rest upon
for his success in life, is a fool to marry
any one. Useful industry is always hon
orable, and difference of sex makes no diff
ference in this particular