Mexico weekly ledger., 1877-04-05
CONSEQUENCES OF A PEEvISH DAY,
BY T. S. ARTHUR.

By L. .. ldO Ii.
"Rachel, it is too bad to put me to
all this trouble; and you know I can
hardly hold my head up!"
Thus spoke Mrs. Smith, in a peevish
voice, to a quiet-looking domestic, who
had been called up from the kitchen to
supply some unimportant omission in
the breakfast arrangement.
Rachel looked hurt and rebuked, but
made no reply.
"How could you speak in that way to
Rachel, LucindaP" Mr.. Smith said, as
soon as the domestic had withdrawn.
"If you felt as I do, Mr.. Smith, you
would speak cross, tool" Mrs. Smith
replied q little warmly. 81 feel just
like % rag, and my head aches as if it
would burst"
81 know you feel badly, and I am
very sorry for it. But l suppose it is
as easy to speak kindly as harshly.
Rachel is very attentive and obliging,
and should be borne with in occasional
omissions, which you, of course, know
are not willful."
"It is easy enough to PREACH" re-
torted Mrs. Smith, whose temper, from
bodily lassitude and pain, was in quite
an irritable state. The reader will un-
sderstand, at least, n of the reasons OF
this, when he is told that the scene here
presented occurred during the last op-
pressive week in August.
Mr.. Smith said no more. He knew
that to do so would only be to provoke
instead of quieting his wife's ill-humor.
The morning meal went by in silence,
but little food passing the lips of either.
Hour could If hn Uhap tho +harpoop,ato
was ninety-four, at s o'clock in the
morning, and the leaves upon the trees
were as motionless as if displayed in a
vacuum Bodies and minds were re-
lakeland the one turned from foo as
the other did from thought-with an
instructive aversion.
After Mr.. Smith had left the house
for his place Of business, Mrs. Smith
went into her chamber, and threw her.
self upon her bed, her head continuing
to ache with great violence. 1t so hap
pened that a week before, the cham
bermaid had gone away sick,
and all the duties Of the
household had, in consequence,
developed upon Rachel, herself not
very well. Cheerfully, however, had
she endeavored to discharge these ac-
cuL.ulating duties, and but for the I'M
happy, peevish state of mind in which
Mrs. Smith INDUCED, would have dis
charged them without a murmuring
thought. But as she was a faithful,
conscientious woman, and withal sensi-
tive in her feelings, to be found fault
with worried her exceedingly. Of this
Mrs. Smith was well aware, and had,
until the latter part of the trying month
of August, acted towards Rachel with
consideration and forbearance. But
the last week in August was too much
for her. The sickness of the chamber
maid threw such heavy duties upon
Rachel, whose daily headaches and
nervous relaxation of body were borne
without a complaint, that there per-
Torrance was almost impossible.
Slight omissions, which were next to
unavoidable, under the cir
cumstances, became so annoying to
Mrs. Smith, herself, as it has been seen,
lahoring under great bodily and mental
prostration, that she could not bear
them.
"She knows better, and she could do
better; if she chose" was rather an I'M
charitable comment often inwardly
made on the occurrence Of some new
trouble.
After Mr. Smith had taken his de-
parture on the morning referred to,
Mrs. Smith went into her chamber, as
has been seen, and threw herself Ian
guidiy upon a bed, pressing her hands
to her throbbing temples, as she did SO,