South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1876-12-01


has broken down. You have never
seen her at home. bat surely when che
Is here You zee the changer
yes, dear. she has changed; bot
family cares"-
HAS Louie changed so! She has
been twelve years married."
Mrs. Worthington was silent. Louie
was her oldest child. and presided over
the home In which her mother had been
. crippled prisoner for fifteen years.
She took all the household cares. and
had i've children and yet Louie had
gained in beauty, and certainly in cheer.
fnl happiness, since her marriage. even
If the merriment OF girlhood was gone.
Henry appreciates Louie r. said Lii.
ma, .'there lies the difference be: tween
her happiness and ESTES detection. II
there is any domestic trouble Henry
and Ionic share il, while Herbert shifts
it all upon Essie. He Is an habitual
fault finder"
Perhaps. dear, Essie is not so good
housekeeper as Louie. Herbert may
have cause to find fault.
"Once in ten times he may. never
saw faultless house or housekeeper
but Essie and her house are the nearest
approach to perfection ever did see."
You never spoke so before. Lima"
Because Louie and thought it bet.
ter not to worry you with trouble be.
yond your help. I intend to give him
q lesson. do, indeed. That is If you
can spare me to go?''
"You must go. dear. I Shall get q.
long nicely"
So when Herbert Worthington sent
his carriage Lima was quite ready for
the fourteen mile drive to her brother
house. 1t was most unlike q house
wherein any evil spirit Of repining or
fault finding should have found an a.
bode. Spacious. handsomely furnished,
with we'll trained servants, and all com.
forts wealth could furnish, it seemed
a perfect paradise on earth TO visitors.
But very demon lurked there to poi.
son all. and this demon Lima had come
to exercise.
For the first fortnight Essie took all
her time and care. the gentle spirit
lowering very near the portals Of the
eternal home. There was q baby, too,
six months old, and its wants filled all
the spare moments. Herbert snarled
and fretted over domestic shortcomings.
but Lima peremptorily forbade all men
ton OF these in the sick room, having
the doctors authority for saying the pa
TENTS very life depended upon quiet.
But when convalesccnce begun Lima
sent Essie and tie baby to visit old
Mrs. Worthington, aud took control of
Herbert. the two older children and the
household; determined to show her
brother how far lie carried his habit Of
absurd fault finding. Will all her SC.
verify, she did believe he was himself
unaware of the frequency OF his qucru-
lous complaints and the exaggeration
Of his fretful statements.
The first dinner saw the beginning of
the lesson Lima meant to teach. Her.
bert entered the dining room, his hand.
some face disfgured by its habitual
frown. Harry and Louie were seated.
Soup" said Herbert, lifting the tn
reen cover. perfect dish water! -
Susan" said Lima, sharply, to the
servant, before Herbert could lift the
ladle take the tureen to the kitchen
| and tell Jane the soup is not At to eat -
Susan promptly obeyed. Herbert
looked rather ruefully at the vanishing
dish. He was especially fond Of soup,
and the savory fumes Of the really de-
licious dish were tantalizing. All din.
ner time Lima kept up n ding. dong at
Susan about that abominable soup, till
Herbert wished he had said nothing a.
bout it. But his imagination detect.
ing burnt flavor in the pudding. he
| could not refrain from mentioning it,
and before he could remoD strate, that
dish had followed the soup.
"fll get this house in some sort OF
order before l leave it, said Lima EN-.
phatically.
Before you leave it, said Herbert,
sharply. "Do you suppose you are a
better housekeeper than Essie? Why,
have not friend who does not envy
me the exquisite order OF my house and
my dinner table"
Herbert, you surprise me. Only
! Yesterday heard yon say you did wish
there was ever anything fit to eat on
( the table"
! Zone doesn't expect every word to
be taken literally" said Herbert, rather
/ sulkily. But not an hour later fndinv
n streak OF dust in the sitting room, lac
declared emphatically IL was not ft for
pig to live in. What was the conse.
quence? Coming into it the next morn.
ing, he found the curtains torn down.
the carpets taken up. the floor Uttered
with pals, soap and brushes, and Lima
in dismal dress. her hair tied up in a
towel, directing two women who we're
scrubbing vigorously.
Good gracious, Lima" he cried,
what are you doing?"
Cleaning this room"
"Why, Essie had the whole house
cleaned only the other day." he added
contemptuously.
We'll" said Lima slowly. "I thought
this room n marvel Of neatness myself.
but when you said it was not At for the
pigs. | supposed you wanted il cleaned. %
The room was well enough" was the
IL