The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1877-04-06

biOhi auu was consequently cross"
If, in the great hereafter, any mothe
of family of exacting scions shall finC
that she did not in lifetime do suffieien
pennace for the peccadilloes of the body
to insure her home far more beautiful
and attractive than the Fiddler's Greer
can ever be to bachelors, it certainly
will be because her sins of omission anC
commission far transcribed the blackes
crimes in masculine catalogues.
After while the protected and sup.
ported subordinate of the Smith family
was SO far through her pressing work
that by dint of hurrying till half dis
tracted, her pies were in the clumsy
oven and she was ready to ease the
clamor of the incipient Smith by seat
ing herself on the nail keg and supply
ing the bantling with feverish nourish-
ment Now she could talk and be
heard.
"Any mother has work enough to
do" she said, "who must take the sole
responsibility of rearing and caring for
children. I must not only do all this
unaided, but must do all the house
work, laundrying, and sewing, and in
addition attend to a business to support
myself, the ehildIen, and my lawful
master-a business that is in itself of
sufficient magnitude to employ the en-
tire time and energies of an ble-bodied
man."
II am sorry to hear you complain of
your lot" said Mr.. Handel, soIemnly.
"Hhe Lord loves a meek and uucom-
planning spirit"
II believe the Lord loves Justice, u
was Edna's decided reply, "else He is
not just God, and if you can make me
believe He is not just, L will take no
stock in Him, if die for itT
Mrs. Smith! wonder He does not
strike you dead ~ exclaimed the minis
ter, with an unction that was sublimely
awful.
"Why?"
Edna opened her eyes to their fullest
extent, as she asked the question with a
look of earnest eagerness.
1--WE are not to question the ways of
Providence. They are past finding out,
my dear madam"
"Then we are not to blame if, falling
to find them out, we fail to obey them,
are we?"
This question was asked with a genu-
inc, Irresistible frankness that made the
smile in spite Of his horror.
81 don't look at these things as 1 once
did," said Edna. 81 have outgrown the
old notion that many usages which our
nature innately rebel against, because
incompatible with our happiness, are at
all necessary for our spiritual good. In
short, l believe that the evils we labor
under are the result of human imperfec-
tions rather thau the will of God.n
ter?"
"Ihe truth, Mr.. Handel"
"Please explain"
"That is just what I am trying to do,
SIT. When was young, unsophisti-
Gated schoolgirl, with no more real
knowledge of the ways of married life or
the laws of the world for wives than
baby Idaho possesses now, 1 yielded to
the romantic nonsense of the atmos-
phere L breathed, and fancying myself a
heroine, elOped and became a wife. I
did wrong, fOolishly, wickedly wrong,
and L knew it before twenty-four hours
had past. From that day to this have
repented, and have constantly tried to
atone for my folly, acting, of course, ac-
cording to the laws of men, and leaving
the higher laws of my moral conscious
ness to take care of themselves. I have
worked, as never woman worked before.
to make man of John. 1 simply can
not do it. There is no material in his
makeup upon which to form the foup-
dation to build manhood. He grows
more and more addicted to vices, and I
am but pandering to them by furnish
ing the means from my own labor to in
dulge his evil appetites. I cannot tell
you how shrink from the public con-
tact of the world. don't want the ad-
ulation of multitudes, nor do 1 care at
all for fame. But 1 cannot go on in this
way. L must do something to change
the current of my life. AS I live to-
day l am no better than poor Sue Ran
dolph, the only difference being that
the law is on the side of my most loatb-
some subjugation, and custom is the
chain that cempels her to follow a lif,,
of no greater shame"
"The ornament of a meek and quiet
spirit is in the sight of God of great
price," said Mr. Handel.
"FfddIesticks," was the impatient re-
joinder. "You might just as wisely ask
the victim of the rack and thumb-screw
to be calm and meek and cheerful and
resigned, as to ask me to be meek and
quiet in spirit nder these bondsp,
"But you took your husband for bet
ter or for worse, you know
~ did not know or think ANYTHING
about better or worse when took him
or, rather, when he took me, sir. ri
was penned up away from the society of
men, in school for girls, where we
we're left to our own imaginings con-
Al