The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1875-11-12

home from his stroll till midnight, nav
inc found pleasant friends and forgotten
the rest, and his wife did not dine ut all
unless there were 4 chance cracker III
the closet, then the restaurant was grad
ually given up for IN %improptu Kitchen,
where charming dinners were prepared
from little or nothing; and Mr.. Farley
thought he liked that best. 1t certainly
cost him less. for half the little et-cetcraS
of the dinners, the fruit, the CONNECTIONS,
some peculiarly choicc-madc dish, were
supplied from hcrown earnings without
= word. These occasional dinners We're
not quite SO charming, 10y and by. when
there were more to eat the daily ones;
and when Mr.. Farley missed the colored
ices or the wonderful Charlotte, for
which his wife had no longer the spare
fivc-dollar bill, he thought it Il very sin
cular omission, and spoke sharply of
her NEGLECT, and mentioned the unfaillng
beauty of Mrs. So-and-so's table bitter
w.. Poor Mrs. Farley, hurt tothe quick,
never plucked up 50 much rs the wish
to tell him that Mr.. So-and-So saw that
his wife had the cans to provide I'M
failing beauty, and expected no bricks
without straw.
Yet such things hurt her more than
his general indifference. The clothes
she had at marriage she turned, made
over dyed and made owe again, and
replaced them by her earnings when all
was done. Never once did Mr.. Farley
ask her if she had any thing to Wear, or
propose procuring any thing, or give a
glance to see if she had any thing; yet
when he praised Miss Chooses toilet or
Mrs. Chooses taste, she knew that, II
she had beauty herself, his eyes would
rest on her long enough to see if the
beauty were well clothed. 1t Wa>nthlS
fault that he loved beauty; il wasn'thcr
fault that she had none; but it was an
other pang that She was always feel
ing, a sore spot he was always irritating.
The truth about it was, that he spared
himself trouble, knowing she would do
her best TO please him and his pride.
Every summer, Mr.. Farley took his
Journeys, the first one with her; tn"
second summer, there was Il baby, and
she never went again. What she lived
o. in those absences, and with what she
took care of her babies, heaven knew,
and Mr.. Farley did not. Nor was 1t
only through the vanitic> of pretty
clothes and pleasant Journeys that her
flesh was mortified. If there rare
concert. it was not she who went to It;
opera was an unknown region to her;
such things were needed to feed the ar
fists genius. 1--WE can't both 60 he
would sigh. '.Thcn you must 90 alone,
dear" she would answer; and he went.
When at dinner, too, she denied herself
the dainty to which Mr.. Farley was
helped repeatedly, the act was unob-
served; when she sat up, night after
night, with Il sick child, Mr.. Farley
slept the sleep that we hear belongs to
the Just; and when the child died, it
was she that had to make all the heart
breaking funeral arrangements, because
Mr.. Farley's nerves were too ellcate tor
| such cruel encounter.
Yet Mr.. Farley had 4 conscience. 1t
was his conscience that made it neces-
sary to ac~centuate any unworthy thing
which he found in his wife, and to lay
stress on it with whomSoever happened
to be present. If she uttered Il mild
ssOh, | wouldn't" at some imprudent
act. a quick word at some unbearablC
vexation, it was his part to catch up and
dilate upon it until the nearer could not
but be convinced of egregious wrong on
her part. To put her in fault was the
sole excuse for himself, and he usedthe
excuse. But though at first, hurt and
leased beyond power Of repression, she
allowed him to succeed, at last she made
no answer, but maintained absolute
silence, and only wished she were out
of sight, out of hearing, out of the
world.
One day, 4 friend who had seen toe
much of their inner life took it upon
himself to demonstrate. Mr.. Farley as
sured him of his error, spoke of hi:
wife's peculiaritieS, declared not only
that he had been forced to this course
but his wife really preferred it to ;
rendered one, which d~etracted from hel
singular ideas concerning the dignityo
woman as q mate and not a pet-eX
nlained so mnch away. in short, tina