The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-02-04
showed IN utter want OF interest in
what she was doing.

showed IN utter want OF interest i
what she WAS doing.
George, too, had his own discomfort
He had begun to feel the extravaganc
Of his young wife, and to rouse him
self to its consequences. His sister
had more than once spoken to him Of
this subject, and he had silenced then
by saying, cts no fault OF hers, and
don't want to trouble her."
George Goodwin soon began to opel
his eyes to the cost, but still he did no
interfere. He was afraid Of hurting
because he did not love; and, besides
he had promised Lavinia indulgence
and indulgent he would be if it ruined
him. 1t is not unlikely to do this.
A crisis had arrived with the arriva
of the second baby. George Goodwin
had invited hia sisters to the house, ant
Mr.. and Mrs. Jones had invited them
selves. The house Was full, and the
sisters stood aghast at the expenditure
which Lavinia directed through hel
mother. 1t was nothing but spend,
spend, spend, from morning till night
nobody knew how much, for it was not
ready money. In kitchen extravgance
had merged into waste---waste, under
Mrs. Jones's example, into dishonesty,
which George Goodwin detested and
abhorred more than most men, at least
more vigorously.
Meantime, in the dining.room, into
which the wintry sun was streaming,
George Goodwin had dashed down the
blinds and flung himself into the arm
chair, to think, and from thinking he
felt that it vas time to act.
He began to act. He made his way
to the dairy. A maid was there arrang-
ing the pans for the coming in of the
midday milking. In a quiet corner
stood a small hamper. 1t caught his
eye.
"What is that?' he asked sternly.
81 don't know, sir it was Mrs. Jones
as did it up"
"Ohp
He turned it upside down. A roll of
butter, fowl, some eggs and bottle
the latter mingling their contents
dashed down on the stones, the port
vine running in little stream along the
floor.
"Don't let me find any more of this.
/ shall hold you responsible for all that
comes in and goes out here" he said to
the girl, as he turned away in ten
times bitterer mood than before. The
things were his own, but he felt as If he
had committed q meanness in modelling
with them. He strobe off to find MIR.
Peck, the gardener, cow-keeper, pig
keeper, of the farm, to put matters into
his hands. Mr.. Peck, with very white
frock and very red face, was coming
out of the cow.shed with couple OF
frothing pals of milk. He did not
notice the farmer, for there at his feet
was tho farmers little daughter, her
careless nurse maid leaning on the
ferca talking to one of the men.
entity Pet, me want to see co moo
cows" said the child, running past him
into the shed, tho floor of which was
quite clean and nice. But Maggie, per
fectly delighted with the whlsking OF
the tails, made dash forward to seize
one, and was splashed from head to foot
over her plum colored velvet'dress AID
white hat and feather.
"Dear, dear y cried Mr.. Peck, sit.
ting down his pals and lifting her up
"dear, dear here you've been and
spoiled your fine dress"
GA great deal too fne," said the
father, coming forward. "Take her
into the cottage, Peck, ut stood not a
stones throw from the she'd" and sec
if your wife can't dress the child up in
that won't spoil so easily"
He took no notice of the nurse maid,
who followed Mr.. Peck to claim her
charge.
The nurse took the child to her mis-
tress.
Maggie was in q red cotton frock and
brown pinafore, and had, moreover,
been eating bread and treaole. She
had certainly rather more plebian air
than usual.
"I cant help her being such fright, !"
cried the maid !; "Miss Maggie would
run into the shed and get herself dirty,
and the master said she was deal too
fine, and ordered Mr.. Peck to put them
nasty, ugly things on her. Suall take
them off, mum?"
"No," said Lavinia, firmly; " leave
them for the present. Where is your
master?"
81 heard him say he was going over
to the grange, and l saw him ride
away" replied the girl. "The grange
was the manor. house in which lived the
owner of Georges land. He was riding
thither rs fast as his horse would carry
him. An1 for what purpose? For no
less a purpose than the giving up OF his
tenancy, if his landlord would take the
lease out OF his hands.
"You are too hasty, Mr.. Goodwin"
said that gentleman. You will lose by
il if you throw it up in this way.
Think little better OF it, and come
back to me again. If you are deter
mined to go away, I will endeavor to
meet you and give you tolerably fair
terms but | do not want to lose you.
He was obliged to be content with
this, and to return home ; but he was q
resolute man, George Goodwin, and not
likely to change his mind when he ha !
made it up. He had made up his mind
to leave England.
And all the while Lavinia lay longing
for her husband, longing and WAITING till
she grew faint and miserable. She
closed her eyes and clasped her thin
white hands, and prayed to be made
able to bear her life for the sake OF her
babes, and the tears oozed out from
under her closed eyelids and wetted her
pale cheeks. "She's fretting, 1 can
see," said the nurse to herself, "and
that's why she doesn't get on, nor the
baby neither; :" and she mentally be-
slowed very uncomplimentary epi-
thet on the master of the house, and
resolved that if possible she would
plant thorn or two in his pillow.
She waylaid him, accordingly, on his