The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1877-03-29


gantly as our ncighbors. ! had heaps of
fashionable dresses and useless fnery;
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,
lIenry's position in business depended
solely upon the pleasure of the senior
partners. There were curious condi-
tions in their agreement with him; and
if they heard of his cmbarrassments, no
doubt il would injure him greatly, and
might make them consider themselves
justified in perhaps something far more
serious than Il remonStrance. o that we
had acted differently that the past could
be lived over again with our present eN-
perienCe
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 tavorite
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 inmost
heart knew | was equally if not actu-
ally more to blame than he was; for now
/ see clearly how true it was what Uncle
Joceyn said, that a wife can make or
mar her husband. II / had quietly set
to work at the outset, and advised him
Alright, all would have been well; but
now every day brought some hateful dun
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
tremblc all over.
"The crash could not be STAYED off for
long a criss must shortly come. So said
Henry one lovely June evening, when
we were sitting disconsolately discuss
ing all manner Of wild impossible
schemes. 1t 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
lovcliness, casting Il 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
Henry's hopeless tones repeating, "a
crisis can't be far of, Kate. What are
we to do, know not"
We tancicd the ama2cmcnt Of our
friends-the nine days wonder our mis-
fortune would cause, little dreaming
that our ending had long been conf
IDENTIFY predicted by them, and that our
hospitality had been roundly censured
and condemned by the very partakers of
it. Still less did we imagine that Mr..
Trevor, 50 far from being favorably Y i'm
pressed with our surroundings, had gone
away--fully aware as he was with the
exact amount OF Hcnry's income
shocked and sorry to see that Henry Ar
den had married wife with 50 little
sense and judgment; and no second
glance from his keen eyes was wanting
to prove to him how terribly beyond it
we were living. His observations had
satisfied him that serious embarrassment
must ensue; consequently he and his
partners had bestowed the desired post
and increased emolCments upon one who,
if he needed it less than we did, certainly
understood its value better.
So no one but my mother and Uncle
Jocclyn would be, surprised, though we
imagined so differently, as we sat on and
on in our pretty drawing-room talking
over the weary subject and pOndering
what we could possibly do. We should
have to sell off everything, to leave Am
berly Villas, and to begin lie over again.
lIenry's prospects, Of course, would he
seriously damaged, and we could never
hope to thoroughly regain the position
cur own folly had deprived us Of 1t
was not pleasant to think Of; but there
could be no shufiling out Of the question
now; it must be met and answered I'M
mediatcly: What were we to do? Moth.
ing very definite could I've arrived at
but one thing was quite clear-thC
change could not he far Oft,
can never describe the anxiety o.
the days that followed, nor can the agony
il cost me to write and tell my mother
that we were hopelessly, desperately in
volved, and that our difficulties were sc
great it was impossible for us ever tt
surmount them. What would She say
! What would everybody say? Worst o
all, what would Uncle Jocclyn say? Fo
the worst had come to the wOrst--OuI
house was our own no longer; Il man
strange and to me most terriblc--wa
comfortably making himself at home il
our kitchcn--in other words, had takei
possession How could Henry show hi
face at the office! How could | venture
out again
shall never forget the two days tha
followed after wrote and told my moth
er on the third, when was almost stu
peiied with the magnitude of our mis-
fortunes, and during lIenry's (poo
Henry certainly had the hardest part +
bear, for lie could not stay quietly a
home) absence had shut myself up in m
room, some one knocked at the door, an
in answer to my very subducd Com
in" it was gently opened, and not Sophy
as had anticipated, appeared, but til
, familiar friendly face OF Uncle JoCeiyI
"Mv poor child! !" he exclaimed
. "my little Kate and he folded me i
his arms with all the tenderness of
f father. al only heard of it all tn
, morning." he said; "and ! started o
' Immediately. Cheer up, Kate don
! grieve your old uncle by tears. Thine
can't be past mending; and wouIdn
q be here if | hadn't come to help YOU"
y And how he helped us Without
n word of anger or reproach he listened
!. Henry's and my story we told it ialtl
:, mlly, not sparin2 or attempting to ju
: tiIy ourselves for our culpable conduct
# and when all was confessed lie slmpI
wrote check for the full amount OF OF
# liabilities. The total was Il serious on
/, but we were saved not only from the di
% grace but from Ilcnry's dismissal from
d partnership which afterwards was I!
Al means of our possessing fortune tar b
% yOnd what we had ever III our rosie
II imagipings dreamed of
! BY Uncle JOceiyn's advice we subj
- Amberlev Villas and retired To mo