The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1877-02-16
Theory and Practice.
BY FRANCES f. wADLEIGH.

Gregory Maxwell laid aside the even
ing newspaper and listened quietly to
his wife's words. When she had fin
ished her communication he exclaimed
in a tone of vexatiOn:
Heretofore have always considered
you and your cousin two of the most
sensible women l ever knew, but now
Alice advances this mad project, and
you uphold her in il! did think you
both had more sensev'
"But, Gregory, what is Alice to do :?
She and those two children cannot live
on four hundred a year. What else can
she do for a livelihood ?"
"DO as other women do, suppose,
teach, or something"
"Teach! You know very well that
there are now hundreds of applicants
for every vacant school; zee how long
Laura Martin has been out of employ
ment As for sewing or needlework of
any kind, Alice is mot proficient with
her needle, and seamstresses are miser-
ably paid"
"Surely Alice might have consulted
some one; L would have been glad to
advise her."
"Perhaps her faith in your advice is
shaken; you know you almost insisted
on her investing her money with Har-
vey Brothers, when she wanted to take
part of it and set up store with Laura
and Amy Martin as assistants
Mr.. Maxwell bit his lips in silence;
be remembered that he had done so,
and that his wife's cousin, following his
volunteered advice, had lost twenty-five
thousand dollars by Harvey Brothers
failure, which had sadly crippled his
own resources. Seeing that he made
no reply, his wife continued:
"Alice has no father or brother to
support her, and even you would not
advise her to marry while her husband
lives, worthless though he is"
"But to go upon the stage! To be an
actressW
at is the only thing she has a talent
for, and you yourself have often said
that had she been brought up to the
stage she would have made a name
long ago. Mr.. Stanbury offered eigh-
teen hundred as assistant editor of the
Shining Light, but she has no gift for
literary labor, and knew that he only
offered it out of charity"
"Of the two evils l do not know which
is least. The idea of lady-a we'll
born, tenderly nurtured lady-in an edi-
tors office! Seems to me, women now
a-days are crazy for publicity. If sis
ter of mine were TO 90 acting or editing
paper, [ would disOwn her."
Mrs. Maxwell laughed as she replied;
''There is no danger of Ella Villars
ever doing anything that requires the
least strength of mind"
mo, thank Heaven! My sister has nc
unfeminine strong-minded notions; she
is pure, true woman, devoted to hel
home and her child"
"And so fond of her home that she j:
constantly on the alert TO leave it for {
better one with second husband whC
has wealth and position" thought Mrs
Maxwell; she was a prudent woman
however, and only said, laughing, ant
in jest:
"Then if Mr.. Stanbury wants me a
his assistant, you will not let me go, il
spite of hard times eh ?"
81 would get divorce tomorrow i
you did," answered Mr.. Maxwell, re
turning to his newspaper.
Months passed, and grew into years
Gregory Maxwell, formerly a wealthy
man, had been seriously incOmmOdet
by Harvey Brothers failure; scarcely
had he recovered from that, when othe
pecuniary disasters befell him, an,
finally brought him to ruin. Two year
Z
had undermined his health, aud at last
when in Australia, whittier be ha
gone to endeavor to retrieve his falle
fortunes, he was taken very i'll wit
brain fever. For months he lay i'll
during that time the little money h
had left his wife was exhausted, an
long before he could return to Nev
York she was destitute of everythin
except what kind friends gave her, cal
ing it ''a loan."
She was proud, and, knowing that
would be months before Mr.. Maxwe
could repay those who had aided he
themselves in straitened circumstance
determined to find some means of carr
ing money for herself and two litt
ones, boy six years old, and a gi
three years his junior. She could nC
sew well enough or rapidly enough [
compete with the many who earne
their bread thereby; she tried to get
position as governess or teacher, bI
soon found that that involved weeks
weary, pr0fitless waiting; she wro
tales and sent them to various mag
zines, but they were all politely returnt
as unsuitable to our purpose" or b
cause 1--WE are already OverstOcked."
place in a store, hard to obtain as an,
thing else, would have ruined her q
ready delicate health, and paid her on
enough to board herself and her chi
dren at some second rate boardin
house. "What can l ?" was Il
question size asked herself a hundrr
times day, as so many of her siste
women are continually doing.
Educated simply to adorn society al
to marry, she had done both; now,
the day of necessity, of what use W
society to her, and of what present n
cuniary assistance was her husband 4?
In this emergency, the editor of d
Shining Light again found himself
need of an assistant, and, having gre
confidence in Mrs. Maxwellis discretio
energy and literary ability, offered b
the place, convincing her that 8
would really earn her salary.
She accepted the work gladly enoue
smiling sadly as she recalled her hl
bands denuBciation of such work, a
saying to herself:
"How little did he think that the
would coon come when both he anC