Mexico weekly ledger., 1876-10-05
AGAINST HER WILL.
BY MARY A, DENISON.


The scene was a prettily furnished
room in the home of a thriving city
merchant, the drdns0tis per n the
and determined, as wives sometimes
are, and a husband equally determined.
"There's no use urging me-, Everett
said Mrs. Archer, driven to the point of
desperate resistance, 81 tell you once
for all, no earthly power can move me.
You may go if you wish, I shall stay
here"
"But, my dear, do listen to ~reason,''
urged the husband, show can I help
myself. Now that my partner is dead,
the business demands my presence.
No one can attend to it as I can, and it
will take me at least a year to get
Strengthened. Then Walters writes me
that the climate is delicious, and the
surroundings beautiful" r.
Mrs. Archer tapped her foot. Now
there are ways of tapping the foot that
are quite as significant as language it
self, and this was a motion that was
easy to interpret; Mrs. Archer was
really and Tnqualifiedly angry. She
always vas when Walters was men
toned, and though ordinarily rather a
handsome woman, at that moment her
face looked positively d~isagreeable.
"That Walters!" she articulated
petulantly-she is perfectly horrible
/ never did like him. Why can't he
stop urging you to 90 to that heather
place? I wish he would die"
"Wouldn't alter the matter the least
in the world, my dear, if he died to-
morrow. Indeed, in that case it would
be imperative on me to start as soon Us
the news came, as he. is taking care of
business for me, SO don't he foolish,
Emma, but show your usual good judg-
ment." .-.a- g . 4 IL, -. ,
. "Foolish! yes, women are always
foolish when they don't see just as you
men do" retorted Mrs. Archer, more
angrily than before. "You know,
Everett, that when l make up my mind,
all the coaxing in the world won't
change it. OF course,if you mast go to
California, you must, but you will have
to leave me behind"
"What will You do, aloneP" s'@
"Just stay. Luckily the house is
mine, so l can't be turned out Poor,
dear papa foresaw some such time as
this :" and Mrs. Archer applied her
handkerchief to her eyes.
Emma, you talk as if we were bank
rupt," said Mr.. Archer 8impatiently, as
he walked the floor, his arms foldedand
his face sad. He could not give up the
prospect of a business that paid much
better in that remote region, than his
city affairs, which he couldle in good
hands. He mad always been aware that
his wife was devoted in her attachment
to particular localities, but had not
dreamed that she would so determined
ly oppose his wishesi in this matter. The
house could be rented just as it was and
bring in a fair income. He had Hoped
to make the trip seem like 9. holiday,
journey and visit, and that his wife
might in time like the new home better
than the old, but her infexible resistance,
disheartened him.
p AS time wore ON less was said about
the matter. He trusted to her affection
for him to bring about a better state of
things. Of aourse, he could ] not be
j%ourneying back and FORTH, as she
seemed to expect, thus wasting time
and strength, but his heart ached when
he thought of the lonely hours in store
for him. He was a genuine home low
er. His wife and children were the
dearest things in the world to him, bat
in this wish of his he was doomed TO be |
thwarted.
On this n subject his wife was ut
terly unreasonable.
While they were talking the matter
over one day, Mrs. Archer in tears as
usual, Ethel, the eldest daughter, a
beautiful girl of fourteen, came dane
ing into the room. She paused sud-
denly, oppressed by the atmosphere,
to see traces of weeping in
her mothers face. !