The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-07-16
THE WIFE'S DREAM.
BY E. A. H.

A cosey, prettily furnished sitting
room; singing birds in gilded cages, a
plump Angora cat on the velvet rug be-
fore the file, wise-looklng pug stretched
lazily on the flowing skirts of pretts
woman's pretty dress Truly, sweet,
domestic picture. But stop! Surely that
is froWn between those prettily-arc ed
brows, and the full swell of the under
lip is very like a pout. And, as I live,
there are two great tears on the long
black lashes! And now she breaks out
into torrent of petulant, impatient
words:
'The same tiresome things, day after
day-frst breakfast, then kiss Charley
good-by, then directions to look for the
six O'Clock dinner, and after the needle
work-how hate tor calls, made or
xreceived. in which one is treated to full
account Of Mrs. Blanks extravaganza, of
Miss Honiton's t1irtations, of that horrid
Colonel St. Cyr, so awfully fast, my dear,
and so distressingly good-looking.' How
tired I am Of it all And there is Char
ley. Who would have believed he could
change so in so short a time? He no
longer cares for ball, theatre or opera,
but dons dressing gown, smoking cap and
slippers directly after he has swallowed
his dinner, lights that horrid meerschaum,
and passes the evening behind a news
paper, enveloped in smoke-clouds O.
dear! wish / had not been in quite such
hurry to get married. O, 90 away, BIZ
jour- and with her slippered foot
she thrusts the teasing pug from her.
A rap at the door, and to her sharp
''Come i'm servant appears, bearing a
card. Madam looks, Hushes, says Il will
be down directly" and flies to her dress
ing-room, brushes her flushed chez. with
cooling powder-puff, pats the brown
waves of her hair with two pretty dimpled
hands, chances at herself in the glass,
smiles, and descends to the drawing
room
A tall, gentlemanly- looking man rises
and comes forward as she enters.
''Mrs. Thornton"
= That is all he says, but the tone and
the manner are most impressive, and
thrills through the heart of the wife as
Charley's words and tones used to before
he took to neglecting her for DRESSING
gowns, sleepy-hollows and meerschaums.
= Well, they talk of the weather, the last
new opera, ETC., etc. Commonplace sub
jects enough. But why should his eyes
cause hers to waver and droop, glad to
shelter themselves behind the white lids.
Why, at parting, is the little white hand so
hastily withdrawn from the close, warm
pressure of his9 Why, latter he has gone,
does she gaze so tenderly at the hand she
had so hastily withdrawn, raise 1t almost
to her lips, and then suddenly let it drop
at her side? Why? can tell you that.
She loves Der husband with her whole
warm, passionate heart. And for year
or more has been living on husks. He
considers his whole duty done when the
table is bountifully supplied, the wife
we'll dressed, and he does not waver in
his allegiance to her. Possession has
dimmed the bright lustre of his love,
and so, the wife's heart is hungry for it,
and this old admirer whom she gladly
threa over for Charley, is welcome to. day
for the sake Of the ripple he makes on
this dead-sea monotony, down which she
- is slowly drifting. And his eyes cause
hers to d,eop, and his hand pressure
causes her heart to throb, because there
is love in the eyes and tenderness in the
hand pressure.
She does not care one 1ota for this RAY
,'anmjngton. Still, she has hungered
=, long, that this crust is not so unpala.
table to her as it would once have been
There, sir or madam, you have the explar
nation. AS tor you, Mr.. Jones or Robin
son, is there SO mvch difference between
your conduct and this Charles Thornton
ofwhom 1 write, that you can afford tt
pass the lesson by, as hot applicable tt
you? If so, Mrs. Jones or Robinson IS tt
be congratulated She is happy WON
an, and God bless you, sir, say I, and
wish there were more like you. 49,
Now am not going to make Of this
handsome Ray Remington a fend in
arnate. No, he was simply what oulc
De termed genuinely good fellow
which means he was witty, generous, g
warm friend, nobody's enemy, and lit.
. lie, just a little weak, and impulsive
'nough to follow up his own desires and
nclinations, recklng little Of the cost OF
Consequences to himself or others.
de had been very much in love with
retty Mrs. Thornton before she became
1rs' Thornton-when she was pretty
lou Tremaine-and had asked her to
hange her name for that Of Remming-
on. But pretty Miss Trema1ne was very
auch in love with some one else, and a
wv months thereafter made herself and
lat other supremely happy by going