The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-11-18
Striking Silver.

/! than the want of making better appear
ance. There was always enough to eat
in the house-good plain fare; and if she
had been content with good plain clothes
there would have been enough to wear
But so long as Mrs Meanss new silk that
would stand alone rustled by her and dark
ened her vision. SO long as Miss Purcell's
black lace shawl spread itself like IN
evil cobweb to catch her wishes, or Mr.
Broyne's landaulette and his thorough
bred chestnuts flashed and splashed by,
she felt all the cramp and ache of power
| ty-shc. who had :; new silk once III ten
| years perhaps, whose standby was an al
\ lJaca that had been turned, who made her
own bonnetS, whose highest expectation
! in the line OF the toilet was 4 tiny black
| lace barbe, and who never expected to
| have n diamond ut all. s'Ride.' ~ said Mrs
| Matthews, us Mrs Broyne drove hy--'thc
longest ride I'll ever take will be my ride
to the churcl-yard p
Poor Mrs Matthew's! She WAS very
much dissatisfied with her lot in life Yet
she had married Mr.. Matthews thinking
it would be bliss enough to be his wife
even il she had to live in two rooms And
so it was-at first. But then babies came,
and bills and that wore out and this grew
| shabby, and acquaintances prospered and
went beyond them, and they moved into
u new neighborhood where there were
wealthier people, and slowly the lron en-
| tered her soul and rusted there She be-
came indignant with fate, and she mani
tested her Indignation by wearing Il dingy
calico, that might have been a pretty one,
with soilcd crayat knotted around her
neck any way it happened. when it might
have been a clean collar, with her hair
| twisted in a careless knot-going about al
together sipshod and slovenly, and some
times dropping down and crying in the
midst of her work and her dirt.
As for Mr Matthews, of course this did
not make him very comfortable; some
times little angry, sometimes a little
sad, he did the best he could, Vet so fire.
qnently found home a dismal place that
il ii hadn't been Tor the children. he would
have spent his evenings at the tavern, or
IN the corner grocery along with Il lot of
other lonngers. II dare say"' snapped
Mrs. Matthews, when. thoroughly dis
heartened, he once made such an eXclam-
alton. "Children, indeed OF course I'm
nothing! It's no consequence that I've
beeh shaving all day and am at home
;lonel | don't know that had any rca-
son to expect anything else, though =
Nevertheless, Mr. Matthews did not 90
10 the grocery or the bar, but sat Mt home
with his newspaper and his box Of tools,
andof late months with certain maps and
books. over which, in spite Cf sllndry
calculations about mems worh being from
sun to sun. and womens work beng
never done, he pored every night till long
alter the house was still, and while Mrs
Matthews sat opposite, the sock which
she was darning still stretched over her
five fingers, and her rather frowzy head
fallen forward iii u doze-eyery night,
that is, when he was not out with dark
lantern prowing over the great field be
hind the stragl ling little orchard the
great field whose bones stuck ont of the
earth in old lichened surfaces of drearv
rock, where Mr. Matthews had found he
could not even pasture COW. and which
with It's singular contorlnation--a huddlc
OF low mounds. like bubbles suddenly
stlt1encd out OF the seething Of some gi-
%aDtic caldron-would have reminded Il
reader Of poetry OF nothing so much as
OF that savage region through which
"Chl,le Roland TO the dark tower came"
Oue morning Mr. Matthews dressed in
lis best, packed into a handbag a num-
ber of small and heavy articles that he
had kept in a locked drawer, much to the
wrath OF Mrs. Matthews, who thought ii
was high time of day if keys We're to be
turned against her in her own house; and
telling his wife he should not be ut home
for u couple Of days, the good man kissed
her and stepped on board the ears, and
left her in II flood OF tears
What had he gone to the CITY for? What
right had he. out OF their little means, to
take the money fora two days lark What
did it all portend? Mrs. Matthews had
visions dart before her eyes that she did
not dare 10 call by name--insanely jeal-
Gus visions Of her husband, her staid hus-
band OF Il dozen years, in the company OF
some gay and lovely charmer and though
She dspelled the visions, she redoubled
her tears Mrs Matthews's tears were
tears of anger us we'll as grief. But night
and darkness and lonesomeness and an
unaccountable dread OF burglars where
there was SO little to steal lad Il soitening
effect She was somewhat less angry with
her husband, but began to pity herself in
tensoly. The next day she attended to
her duties in a lachrymose frame, with Il
very red nose; the day was longer and
luller than any day she remembered; she
found herself looking forward to the NOR
row; and by the morning OF the third day
she was quite ready to give Mr. Matthews
a warmer welcome than he deserved after
keeping 4 secret from her A little Of the
old Eve overcame her as she saw him
| walking up the lane; she had half mind
to set open the door and be off to the
ncighbor's-she was dressed in the pref
test toilette she could get up-and let hlm
have u cold reception; but on the whole
she was so glad to see Kim, and so curious
concerning his journey, that she hustled
the old Eve behind her, and ran to the
door as she used to do when they We're
first married.
Mrs. Matthews had her reward. When
the children had their romp, had nearly
reduced to ruin the toys the indulgent
father had brought, had quite demolished
the tatly, when Wybe had been snatched
from the contemplation of the new game,
and all were safely tucked away to their
dreams, then Mr. Matthews took from his
pocket several mysterious papers and
spread them on the table beside his wife,
with his hand over them. MY dear, y
said he, "you have seen me wandering
with my lantern at night over the great
field out behind us, and spelling in my
books and maps in here. And you have
been very good" said Mr.. Matthews to
his guilty wife, "about not vexing me
with questions, and letting me keep the
matter to myself while choose. and now
am going to tell you what it all means. .
"You arer'
zone day picked up out there Il bit OF
stone Of very curious appearance said
Mr.. Matthews solemnly. 'lt puzzled me
good deal l scratched and Clipped
away in the same region, and found more
of it traced it for some distance across
the field; l found seam; drilled it here
and there | put an average of the broken
bits in that locker drawer. and took them
to the city with me in my sachel day be
fore yesterday. But didn't feel justified
in the expense OF that trip till had those