The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1877-02-21
REFORMING A HUSBAND.

Just what ! have been expecting for
about seven years" said Miss Pauline Worth
ington, looking up from an open letter in
her hand with frowning brow.
is not your letter from Herbert, Lina?'
questioned Mrs. Worthington, tiny. silver
haired old lady, with very gentle express
sion.
Eyes, mother, ESsle is very i'll, with low,
nervous fever and they want me to come
and stay till she is better. The carriage will
be sent at o'clock, mother" Then, more
emphatically: Il think il is about time
Bert's tyranny over that little martyr was
ended. He is killing her"
Lima! He is your brother"
II can see his faults il he is"
4 never heard Essie complain"
She never would. But look at her. Nine
years ago, when she was married, she was a
living sunbeam, so bright and pretty. Now,
pale, quiet and reserved, her voice is seldom
heard, her smile is seldom seen. A wintry
shadow of her former brightness! Now she
has broken down. You have never seen
her at home, but surely when she is here
YOU can see the great changei''
Yes, dear, she has changed; but family
cares"
HAS Louie changed so? She has been
married u years.
Mrs. WorthingtOn was silent. Louis'NaS
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 five children, and
yet Louie had gained in beauty, and GER
tainly in cheerful happiness since her mar
riage, even If the merriment of girlhood was
gone.
Henry appreciates Louiel" said Lima;
there lies the difference between her hap
piness and ESTES detection. IL there is any
domestic trouble, Henry and Louie share it
while Herbert shifts ii all upon Essie. He
is an habitual fault finder"
Perhaps dear Essie is not so good house
keeper as Louie. Herbert may have cause
to find fault
faultless housekeeper; but EsSie and her
house are the nearest TO perfection | ever
did see.'
You never spoke so before, Lima"
Because Louie and I thought il better
not to worry you with trouble beyond
your help / intended TO give him a lesson.
do, indeed. That is, if you can spare me
to go"
You must 60, dear. l shall get along
very nicely"
SO when Herbert Worthington sent his
carriage. Lima was quite ready for the four
teen-mile drive to her brothers house 1t
was most unlike house wherein any evil
spirit of fault finding should have found
an abode. Spacious, handsomely furnished,
with well trained servants and all comforts
wealth can furnish, it seemed perfect par
adise on earth TO visitors. But very demon
iurked there to poison all and this demon
II a 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 baby too. six months old and
ats wants i.lled all the spare moments Her
bert snarled and fretted over domestic short
ecOmIngs, but Lima perem ptorily forbade all
mention of these in the sick room, having
the doctors authority for saying the pa
tient's very life depended upon quiet
But wnen convalescence begun, Lima sent
Essie and the baby TO visit old Mrs. Worth
lingtOn and she took control of Herbert and
the children. and the household deter
mined TO show her brother how far he carried
the habit of fault findings. With all her Sc
verify, she did not believe he was himself
unawares of the frequency OF his quarrel
Gus com plaints and the exaggeration of his
fretful statements The first dinner saw the
beginning of the lesson Lima meant to teach
Herbert entered the dining-room, bis hand
some face dis6gured by its habitual frown
Henry and Louie were seated.
soup" said Herbert lifting the tureen
cover; perfect dish water"
Susan" said Lima, sharply, to the sery-
ant, before Herbert could lift the ladle;
take that tureen to the kitchen and tell
Jane the soup is not fit to eat"
Susan promptly obeyed. Herbert looked
rather rueful at the vanishing dish. He was
especially fond of the soup, and the savory
fumes of the really delicious fish were tan
talizing. All dinner time Lima kept up a
ding dong at Susan about that abominable
soup. till Herbert wished he had said
nothing about it. But his Imagination de-
tected a burnt flavor in the pudding he
could not refrain from mentioning, and be-
fore he could demonstrate, that dish had
ollowed the soup
''TIl get this house in some kind of order
before leave il, said Lima, very emphati-
.cally.
before you leave it," said Herbert,
sharply. ''DO you suppose you are a better
housekeeper than Essie2 Why. have not
a friend who does not envy me the exquisite
order of my house and my dinner table"
Herbert, Won surprise me. Only yester-
day heard you 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 sulki-
ly. But not an hour after, finding streak
of dust in the sitting room, he declared en-
phatically that il was not fit for pig to live
in. What was the consequence Coming
into the room the next morning he found
the curtains torn down. the carpets taken
UP, the floor Uttered with pals soap and
brushes, and Lima in a dismal dress, her
hair tied up in a towel directing two women
who were scrubDing vigorously.
Good gracious. Linap he cried. what
are you doingr
Cleaning TIA rom
'Why Essie had the whole house cleaned,
only the other day." he added, contemptu-
Ously.
"WeII." said Lima, slowly. 81 thought
<y;. -..~,-s, . -.,o-s-aI IF rco ..lpss myself but