Louisiana capitolian., 1880-06-05
time / wanted. anything. People say

band is rich, but I often envy the fac
! tory girls their ability to earn and spend
their own money. And sometimes l
get so wild thinking about my helpless
ness thai if it was not for my children
think l should just drop into the
river and end it ALL
'Nettie! Nettie Jarvis! What are you
saying 2 cried the startled husband at
last, for the far away look in her eyes
as if she did not see him but was look.
ing to some higher power to help her,
touched his pride, if it did not his heart,
for he had a good deal of pride in sell
fish sort of way. He was proud to he
able to support his family as well as be
did. He was proud to think he did it
all himself. He was proud that when
the children needed new shoes he could
tell his wife to take them to Chrispen's
and get what they needed. And he was
very proud to call and settle the bill.
He did it with a flourish. He was not
one of the stingy kind-he liked to
spend money; and when Nettie, who
was once the most spirited young lady
of his acquaintance, came meekly to
him for dress or cloak, he was some
times tempted to refuse the. money just
to show her how helpless she was with
out him. Yes, he was proud of his
power over his family, and wanted
them to feel how much they depended
upon him. He would have felt ag:
.grieyed if anyone: had left his wife
a legacy, thus allowing her TO be
independent Of his purse. The
idea Of her earning money, as his
other work folks did, never en-.
tered his mind. He supported her.
that was his idea of the relations He
never had happened to think that it
was very good of her to take his money
and spend it for the good of himself and.
bis children He never had thought
that auyg other woman would have
wanted big 'pay fer doing it. HeshadI
even thought himself very generous
for allowing her Fhonsy to oget things to
make the family comfortable. T.. Things
began 10 look differently to him just
now. Could it be that he.wa not gen.
erous not even just to his wife! Had
lie paid her so poorly for the fifteen
years of faithful labor for him that if
she had been obliged to begin the world
for herself that day, it would have
been as penniless woman, notwith-
standing the house, and lands,and mills,
that he had so often told her were all
hers for he knew, as every one else did,
that not one dollar of all he had, would
the law allow her to call her OWL.
How fast he thought, standing there
at the office window looking at the lit
tie houses where the mill hands lived
Could it be possible that his wife envied
them anything' Could it be that he
was not as good man as he thought? ?
he had felt deeply the wrongs Of the
slaves whose labors had been appropri.
ated by their masters, and when a ne
gro who had worked twenty years for
his master before the emancipation freed
him, came to Jarvis Mills friendless and
penniless, the heart of the proprietor
swelled with indignation at such injus-
tice. He was eloquent on the subject
at home and abroad, and wondered how
any one could be so cruel and selfish as
to commit such an outrage against JUS
tice. He had called him robber many
a time, but now Donald Jarvis looked
to himself very much like that old slave
holder Massa Brown had taken the
proceeds of Cuttee's laSCr for his own
without even "thank you" for it.
True, when Cutfee must eat he had
given food, when he was sick he lad
given him medicine, and he had clothed
him, too, just as he himself thought
best Mr.. Jarvis had married a loving,
conscientious woman, and for fifteen
years had appropriated her labors. Her
recompense had been food and clothes,
such as he thought best for her. A lit
tie better than Cutfee's perhaps, but the
similarity of the cases did not please
him. He had expected his wife to be
very grateful for what he haG done for
her, but now he wondered that she had |
not rebelled long ago. Had his life
been a mistake9 Had his wife no more |
money or liberty than Cutiee Lad in
bondage9 Was Donald Jarvis no better
than Massa Brown?
His brain seemed tc be in a muddie,
and he looked so strangely that his wife,
anxious to break the spell, took his