The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1878-08-01
CHAPTER XVI

CHAPTER XNVL
The next day there was "A sheriff's sale
at the village, an uupretending collec-
ton Of primitive houses, consisting of
few dwellings, an unfinished church and
school-house, and the inevitable black
mith shop, tavern, groggery, and store.
o these had lately been added a cheap,
triangular building, Of which the base
nent served as a Jail, and the upper
part as a courthouse; for Morseviile
vas now a county town, aud men were
blessing themselves with the luxuries
Of civilization that enabled them to sue
and be sued, and thereby deprive their
wives and children of home, according
to the law.
Gerald did not attend the sale. For
the first day in nearly two years he was
sober, or as nearly so as a man could be
after having soaked his organism with
intoxicants almost continually for
more than fifteen years.
He now looked for me to return to the
old ways Of tenderness that had never
before failed him in bis hours of greatest
humiliation. But there comes a time
when even a worm that Is trodden upon
will turn.
Perhaps I did not do the wisest or hu-
manest thing. Certainly it would have
been no worse for me in the end if 1 had
meekly submitted 10 what seemed my
destiny, and thereby made the best of
circumstances. But may ere this have
disclaimed the idea Of being paragon
more than once through the course ofthis
DER true tale. If have, 1 here reiterate
the declaration. ! am only human, and
on the occasion I now refer to l was
desperate
To save my life, 1 could not again Vi
talize the old love into action. And as
it has never been my practice to do or
be aught else than my own honest self
with other folks, scorned to longer act
the hypocrite with my husband.
Gerald, ifyOu bad stay ed away from
the dram shop and kept yourself as
sober for the past decade as you are to-
day, we should still own homen'
said, bitterly.
Then my protector fell upon his knees
and cried aud begged for mercy, re-
minding me Of a whipped and repentant
spaniel.
1 spurned him with my foot.
"You loathsome reptileu' 1 exclaimed,
savagely. "For many year you have
gone on in the accursed indulgence OF
your fendish appetite, while your wife
and children have been your helpless
victimsl You thought, miserable wretch
that you are, that I would always re-
main a fool because 1 have so long beer
playing the role Of an idiot! You ART
worse than the midnight assassin! YoJ
discount a million highway robbers "
"Oh, for Gods sake, Ethel, spar,
meV' cried my lord, in abject humility
"I will spare you henceforth as yol
have spared your wife and children, sir
I shall mete out 10 you the measur,
that you have meted out to US. By
your wicked indulgence in intoxieatior
you have robbed me, and through 10,
my helpless little ones. I pray Al
mighty God to strike you deadw
know, patient reader, that all this
was fearfully and wonderfully wicked
know I did not demean myself as al
orthodox wife. do not care toattempt
anything in extenuation Of my fit o
frenzy, however, for had I ever IN m,
married years, which covered almos
the whole Of my life, been treated as al
orthodox wife ? Was not my lot a sorry
example Of the protected condition o
wifehood, over which so many men il
newspapers have so often waxed elo
queut?
ETHEL, what do you intend to d,
now? ?" asked Gerald, whiningly.
"What do you intend to do ?' was N,
prompt response.
Il was the first time had ever nerve
myself to ask this question. And righ
here let me pause in my narrative Will
assure the reader that the create,
mistake wife can make is the determ
nation too often INDUCED in by ID
young and ambitious conjugal beginne
Of voluntarily taking upon herself th
task of earning and providing the fan
ily's substance. Nature has alway
made the male the food provIder. fror
the bird TO the lion, and man is no Iegi
innate exception TO the universal rule.
wish 1 had begun my married Ii
with a fixed determination to do n
duty in my household, and let ever
thing like outside business take care
itself. By so doing should have qui
likely gone hungry and meagerly cl
sometimes, but I could have borne
had I only thought so, with much beti
grace when I was young and my ch
dren were little than I bore it in {
after years when my daughters we
verging upon the edge Of womanhoC
and my own strength had failed becau
Of my long struggle to ill double po
tion and bear double curse.
When one Of my daughters gets mi
ried I say to her, "YOu are about I