Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1879-10-01

II injured my dIgeslion and disturb
cd ny sleep I ior II forced me to take
to pieces all my pet theories about
women, aud make them over again.
Her inirequent letters told nothing
OF her real llie they were full ol
glittering generallties about pictures
aud cathedrals, aud now and then q
bitter jest on the hollowheas OF lite
Married happiness seemed TO pro-
yoke her to special wrath. The trail
Of tho serpent was over oil her
thoughts When pressed her about
her own health, she wrote, "l am al
ways well enough to bear my burdens,
such M they are. Nothing can kill a
woman, you know"
But ono or two travellers who saw
her at Heidelberg (where sho had
fixed herself, to DO near her brothers,
|
who were in the university brought
word that she was white and wan,
aud only tho shadow Of her former
self.
~ have been bored to death lately"
she wrote once, "with the devotion OF
Cousin George and his new wife,
They may be called yagabonds, hay
ing no visible means Of support but
love is to be food and drink aud
lodging, to say nothing OF clothes.--
The doluded woman thinks she has
power to keep him always at her feet,
aud it would not surprise me at oil il
he were already, in his heart, little
weary of her. Women are 80 easily
deceived that / wonder men have
taken so much pleasure in doing it
through oil ages. ! begin to favor
the French custom Of selecting wives
and husbands for ones children, in.
stead of leaving them to their own
devices in tho most important matter
Of their lives. The only objection
lies in one of old Fuller's nutshells {:
'Tis to be feared that they who mar
ry where they do not love, will love
where they do not marry but people
will do that any way, and, after all,
love is only the right side Of gfief.'
When George Deane and his "de.
luded wife" came home / charged
them, on their honor, to give me a
true and unvarnished account of Mrs.
Deane's condition Of body and mind.
They had been so rapt up in one an
other, that they had not seen much
change in her as to manner, but they
had somehow got it into their foolish
heads that she had not lived happily
with her husband, as she would never
talk OF him even to her children. l
speedily disabused their minds Of that
notion, for, as I have said before, Isa-
bel and her husband had never ceased
to live in their honeymoon till his
death. N
Isabel had been BROAD about FIVE
years when she sent me golden curl
of her daughters hair, braided with
iron-gray, which she insisted was her
own. l sat twisting it about my fng-
er with my heart full of rebellion
against the evil fate that had taken
her clean oat OF my sphere, when l
had counted on double share of her
society for the rest OF my lite.
"This is the conclusion Of the whole
NATTER" I SAID TO myself, for want of
anybody else to say it to. "Blessed
be those who expect nothing, for they
will not be disappointed"
And on that instant the postmaa,
darting up the steps in the rain, held
up letter to my window. 1t was a
very thin letter, and held only these
words:
Miss DESNrsoN II you will come round to
the Russell street Infrmary as soon as pos
sible after receiving this note, you may do
some good. and greatly oblige, yours truly.
MARIA STONE, Matron Of Infrmary.
Doing good in hospitals had never
been my forte, and ] was morally
certain that had never laid eyes on a
woman OF the name of Maria Stone,
Besides all this, it rained as) if it
were the first day of another deluge,
and most likely the letter was meant
for another Miss Dennison Denni-
son being common name, and the
prefix Miss commoner still. and grow
ing more 30.
| am ashamed to say that hesita-
ted some minutes, with my rubber
shoes in my hand but curiosity,
rather than bencvolence, finally carried
the day, and l went forth, on long,
wet walk to Russell street.
care you Miss Dennison = said a
woman, who seemed to be waiting to
let me into the infirmary.
ayes" f. ...