The Van Buren press., 1876-05-06

DIT OIL W0mahklhu as II would be posi-.
bic to lind Petite and graceful, charm
ing in figure, face and manner, she was
the light Of her home, Us well as of So
ciety.
And yet, pure, innocent. lovely MS she
was, the breath Of envy did not pass her
by. Disappointed rivals declared that
she was selfish. heartless, and recklessly
Manning 5 Vast wealth would Be H as 's's'N:a' va
ter spilled upon the desert sand," by her
vanity and wasteiulness
out the gentleman in question did not
seem to be troubled with any of these
misgivings, for be was seldom long alb
sent from the side of his sparkling little
wife, and his tender devotion was the
subject of remark wherever they went,
while the love light which danced in her
eyes whenever they chanced to meet his
was not to be mistaken for anything but
genuine love for him personally, and not
for his fortune.
But was she "selfish and heartless,
and recklessly extrayagant 7" Certainly
not selfish and heartless, Extravagant
Perhaps some who only looken on the
surface might think So But extrava-
gance is a relative term. She did love
jewels, and fine laces, and spent great
deal of money on them. But then she
had splendid allowance, and could afford
to do it. Her husband not only encour.
aged her in such outlays, but was contin-
ually making her gifts, unasked, of rare
diamonds, or priceless old point. What
would have been folly in poor man was
not so with him. He liked to see her
adorned like queen, and he did wong
to no one in SO adorning her. Is it not
moreover, as much the duty Of the really
rich to spend, as it is of the poor to econ
omize How can the poor live at all if the
rich live meanly?
They had been married now, five years
and in all that time had never exchanged
hard word Prosperity, too, had con
tinued to smile on them Only on hen
last birthday. her husband had given Mag
gle superb necklace of diamonds. AS
she kissed him for the gift, she had said
4" All, though / love these gitterins
things love you Horace, Thousand
times better.
The 9th of November, 1872, will long
be remembered in Boston In = single
night hundreds were made homeless, and
hundreds of others were ruined in for
tune. In that terrible confagration Hor
ace Manning was one of the principa
sufferers Nearly all of his world,
wealth vanished in few hours, and hun
dreds who were dependent on him fo
their daily bread, were thrown out of EN-
ployment, with their months wages un
paid
For thirty hours he neither slept no
tasted food, but stood and watched thu
terrible conhagration Then, bowed ant
broken, he sought his home, and ther,
groaned ont his agony, which he could nc
longer control.
Horace, husband, why will YOU Civ,
way tins All is not gone while YOU ar,
left and Maggie and will help'you bea
it," "
So spoke hls fond wife, drawing hi
| throbbing head upon her bosom, ant
kissing with quiyerng lips the deep lines
which those long hours of suffering hat
stamped upon his brow.
What is the loss of fwealth," she con
tinned, compared to what the loss o
health, or the love we bear each othel
would be -
"Ah, but yon don't know, my darling
how dreadful it is to be poor. You hav,
never known care What would thes
little white hands DO towards earnin.
your daily bread y
They can do great deal. And be
gin to think that thtir very whiteness is
shame to me. They ought to hav,
known, long ago, how to wash and iron
bake, brew, and sew, and have made read,
for such an emergency as this. Your an
ticipated poverty does not daunt me il
Tho least it but draws me closer to vot