Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-03-12
Praise Your Wife.
A SKETCH FOR HUSBANDS.

Andrew Lee had come from his shop,
where he had worked all day, tried and
out of spirits, home to his wife, who was
also out of spirits.
"A smiling wife and peaceful home
"a paradise would it be said Andrew
to himself as he turned his eyes from
the clouded face of Mrs. Lee and sat
down with knitted brow and moody as
pect.
Not word was spoken by either
Mrs. Lee was getting supper and she
moved about with weary step.
Come she said at last, with a side
glance at her husband.
There was invitation in the word on
ly; but not in the voice of Mrs. Lee.
Andrew arose and went to the table.
He was tempted to speak an angry word,
but he controlled himselfand kept quiet.
He could find no fault with the chop
and the homemade bread. or the fra
grant tea. They would have cheered
his inward man if there had been only
a CLEAN of sunshine on the face of his
wife. He noticed that she did not eat.
Are you not well, Mary?' The words
were on his lips, but he did not utter
them, for the face Of his wife looked so
repellant and he feared an irritable re-
ply. And so, in moody silence, the
twain sat until Andrew had finished his
supper.
AS he pushed his chair back. his wife
arose and commenced cleaning off the
table.
This is purgatory = said Andrew to
himself as he commenced to walk the
floor of their breakfast room, with his
hands taxrust in his trOwsers pockets and
al; Of ock Tor h
After removing all the dishes and TAX
ing them into the kitchen, Mrs. Lee
spread green cloth on the table, and
placing fresh trimmed lamp on the ia
BILE, went out and shut the door after her,
leaving her husband alone with his un-
pleasant feelings. He took long, deep
breath as she did SO, paused in his walk,
stood still for some moments, and then
drawing paper from his pocket, sat
down and commenced reading. Singu-
larly enough, the words on which his
eyes fell were, Praise your wife They
rather tended to increase the disturbanc e
of mind from which he was then suffer
ing.
I should like to find some occasion
for praising NINE
How quickly his thoughts expressed
that ill-natured sentiment! His eyes
were on the pages before him and he
read on.
Praise your wife, man for pitv's sake
give her little encouragement; it won't
hurt her.
Andrew Lee raised his eyes from the
paper and muttered:
oh, yes that's all very well. Praise
is cheap enough; but praise her for
what! For being sullen and making
home one of the most disagreeable places
in the wOrld?'
His eyes fell again on the paper.
She has made your home comforta-
BILE, your heart bright and shining, your
food agreeable; for PHYS sake, thank
her, if nothing more she don't expect
it; it will make her eyes open wider
than they have for years but it will do
her good, for all that, and you, too.'
It seemed to Andrew as if this SEN
tence was written for him, and just for
he felt it also rebuke. He read on fur
ther, for thought came too busy and in a
new direction. Memory was convicting
him of injustice to his wife she had al
ways made his home as comfortable as
her hands could make it, and had he
offered the light return of praise or COM
mendation? Had he ever told her of
the satisfaction he had known, or the
comfort he had experienced He was
not able to recall the time or occasion.
AS he thought thus. Mrs. Lee came in
from the kitchen, and taking her work
basket from the closet, placed it on the
table, and sitting down without speak
ing, began to sew. Andrew Lee glanced
almost instantly at the work in her
hands, and saw it was the bosom of
shirt which she was stitching nea tly.-
He knew it was for him that she was at
work.
Praise your wife, The words were
before the eyes of his mind and could not
look away from them; but he was not
ready for this yet. He still felt moody
and unforgiving. The expression on his
wife's face he Interpreted to mean ill
nature: he had no patience. His eyes
fell upon the newspaper that lay spread
out before him, and he read the SEN
tence.
"A kind, cheerful word spoken in q
gloomy house is the little rift in the
cloud which lets the sunshine peep
through
Lee struggled with himself while
longer; his own ilI-nature had to be
conquered first; his moody, accusing
spirit had to be subdued. He thought
of many things to say, and yet he fear
ed to say them, lest his wife would meet
his advances with cold rebuff. At
last, leaning toward her and taking hold
of the linen bosom upon which she was