The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1877-03-30

Henry. and our cares were now assuming I
too serious an aspect to be easily set !
aside.
You have beautiful little house |
Kate" he said. &c had no notion Henry |
was such a rich man."
Hadn't you, uncle? ! said, trying |
to laugh unconstrainedly.
i am truely pleased to see you so
comfortable" continued Uncle Jocelyn |
kindly. "This room must have cost |
you a pretty penny, Kate and daresay |
you have a nest-egg somewhere as WE'LL"
ooh, it isn't very much" l answered, |
really referring to the room, but as he |
thought to the nest-egg; and imagining |
meant that the latter, though of small |
proportions, did exist, he responded most |
cordially:
Doesn't matter how small, Kate /;
| there's plenty of time to make it larger"
1t was no use undeceiving him, though |
at that very moment an OminOus en-
velope was delivered to me with the an
nouncement that the person who brought
| it was waiting for an answer, 10 which
returned the usual formula, that Mr. |
Arden went out, but would call in day |
or two. l tried to look as Indifferent as
! possible, but / felt Uncle JOcelyn's eyes |
were upon me, and my face cOlored pain
fully, nor did my confusion escape the |
kind scrutiny. / felt thoroughly con-
WINGED be had drawn his own conclusions. |
Soon afterwards lunch was announced, |
and we descended to the dining-room,
where SOphy my parlOr-maid had, to my |
horror, arranged some of our best china |
on the table, with the best intentions |
knew, meaning to impress my visitor
with our grandeur, but little imagining |
the real effect such superhuities would |
have upon my uncle. He noticed it |
directly, and admired it very much.
"Where did you get that figure ?" he
asked, indicating a lovely CHINA centre |
piece.
4" 1 am not quite certain" 1 replied,
carelessly; ave have had it for some
time"
"Was it very expensive ?" pursued |
Uncle JOcelyn.
go no, not very; at least l didn't |
think So" l answered, recollecting with |
painful throb that it certainly had not |
cost us much as yet, considering we had |
not paid for it.
need not give all the details of Uncle |
Jocelyn's visit. Suffice it ID say that it |
was a martyrdom that afternoon TO me
and it was positive reliefwhen his kird |
old face vanished and / found myself |
alone once more. He had gone away no
doubt thinking our lines were in very
pleasant places, feeling assured not only
of our property but of our happiness
Poor deceived Uncle Jocelyni He little
knew that l was just longing to throw
myself into his arms and make clean
breast of all our extravaganza and conse-
quent troubles. How l envicd him
going back to quiet peaceful ConingtOn!
How i wished Henry and l we're just
One-half as happy as he was!
However, our struggle then wss just
beginning, for we sank deeper and deeper.
1t was like a quicksand-the more we
struggled the deeper we got. We dared
not openly retrench-we lacked the moral
courage and our private attempts were
the merest drop in the ocean of that
mighty sea into which we had dritted,
simply and sorely because we had at the
outset ignored the golden rule, so inn
pressed upon me by Uncle Jocelyn, to
live within our means, and to pay ready
money. And what had allOur extTav-
agance done for us? We had large
visiting list, and / periodically paid
host of visits. always hoping to find my
friends from home. We had a pretty
house, and were able to entertain as ele-
gantly as our neighbOrs. / had heaps of
|
and Henry was as perfect as ever in my
eyes; but we were both miserable; debt
stared us in the face whichever way we
turned and how long we could keep our
creditors at bay was beginning to be a
source of considerable anxiety to US.
Henry's position in business depended
solely upon the pleasure OF the senior
partners. There were curious cOndi-
lions in their agreement with him; and
if thev heard of his embarrassments, no
dou bt it would injure him greatly, and
might make them consider themselves
justified in perhaps something far more
serious than a remonstrance. . that we
had acted differently that the past could
be lived over again with gu r present ex-
pcrienCe!
Once or twice thought of confding
our woes to my mother but ] dared not
intuitively knew that although in his
prosperity Henry was a great favOrite
with her, she would regard him very diff
ferently if misfortune came and / felt /
could bear anything rather than hear
him blamed, especially AS in my inmest
heart / knew 1 was equally if not actu-
ally more to blame than he was for now
/ see clearly how true it was what Uncle
JoceIyn said, that a wife can make or {
mar her husband. If had quietly set 2
to work at the outset, and advised him
Alright, all would have been well; bu. ]
now every day brought some hateful dun 2
or threatening letter. A ring at the bell !
would cause me to start and the sound |
of mans voice in the hall parleying !
with SOphy was enough to make me
all over.
"The crash could not be STAYED off for :
long a criss must shortly come. SO said J
Henry one lovely June evening, when !
we were sitting disconsolately discuss
ing all manner of wild impossible :
It was an exquisite night; the :
heat of the day was over not breath !;
Of wind stirred the delicate blossoms Of !.
the plants which adorned our balcony, =
and The moon was rising in all her liquid .
oveliuess, casting a cool light over the !.
scene Everything looked calm and =
quiet and peaceful; the pulse of the !,
great city were hushed there was moth :
ing to break the silence, except poor 7
Henry's hopeless tones repeating, A :
crisis can't be far of, Kate. What are :
we to do, know not !" =
We iancied the amazement of our =
nine days wonder our mis- :
ortune would cause, little dreaming :,
hat our ending had long been conf !,
ny anu bhob bhi / a.
had been roundly censured y
md condemned by the very partakers of a
t. Still less did we imagine that Mr.. q.
Trevor, so far from being favOrably i'm y
pressed with our surroundings, had gone :,
lway-fully aware as he was with the =
,xact amount OF Henry's income :
hooked and sorry TO zee that Henry Ar =
len had married wife with so little =
'ense and judgment; and no second q
ylance from bis keen eyes was wanting =,
% prove to him how terribly beyond it ;,
We were living. His observations had
atisfiCd him that serious embarrassment
must ensue; consequently he and his
partners had bestowed the desired post
md increased emolCments upon one who, al
# he needed it less than we did, certainly W
lnderst BOD its value better. TO
So no one but my mother and Uncle W
Jocelyn would be surprised, though we in
imagined so differently, as we sat on and d.
1n in our pretty drawing-room talking HI
,ver the weary subject and ponderiDg m
what we could possibly do. We should b'
nave to sell off everything, to leave Am II