Louisiana capitolian., 1880-06-22
DIVORCED.

experienced the rich blessings of moth
crhood and fathcrhool: had wept over
dead childs face together through
sun and shadow had walked together
and now they could no longer find peace
under the same roof: they were to be
divorced. Neither knew how they had
come to this. In the beginning there
had been affection and delight; but
after o time the husband began to COM
pare his wife with other women, and
found that this one possessed a'brlshter
eye, and that one more perfect curves
of cheek and chin, and yet another
neatcr foot and more taste in dress; one
sparkled in conversation, and her neigh
Dor sang till the heart was cnthra!led at
her tones; why had not the woman he
had chosen all these beauties and
charms. And she! She did not at
first compare him with other men, but
she wondered that he seemed to care
less for kiss from her, and That Ills
manner lost the same fine, impallmble
mir Of courtesy and Difference that love
,vokcs4 But the little rift within tic
luto was there, and it slowly wldcncd
through tho years till all the music that
began when they first loved had become
mutc-until one night, they sat full OF
memories of the past ccstacy that once
we felt, when life was an atmosphere OF
confidence and love: and these two,
brooding over the evening fire, made no
exceptions to this hard rule The ch'l-
dren had felt constraint, and vague
sorrow that was like u burden on their
hearts; 80 they crcpt to bed, and d'd not
whisper as was their habit, but lay close
10 each other and wondered in achId'sh
way at things they could not under
stand. The wife was mcndlnG the
clothes, as she had done, week alter
week, for fifteen years, The rocking
chair vibratcd or stood still, as her
thoughts moved hrr soul only she
carefully rcfraincd from glancing at the
still figure across the room, and kept
her face calm and Indifferent The ll'ls-
band reused ut last from his thoughtful
posture and looked at his wife. Some
thing in her attitude recalled the girl
he had woocd, when he had felt he must
win or life would not be worth living.
He looked again, and seemed to see the
face that had bent so anXiouSIy over
him when the fever burned in his VEINS
and his life lay in the balance. The
power Of the past was upon him, ana
when he spoke it sottcned his voice to
minor key:
do you want all the children, Mar
thar
She felt her heart almost sitting her,
for she had thought of tho children con
stantly, and longed to know what ar
rangement would be made.
Il would like to have them all, Ben, if
you are willing, but l have tried to learn
topart from oil Of them
you can keep them all. l did think
would take Bob and go to the mines,
but l expect he is better where he is
Martha Grant said nothing, only
looked at her husband, and then hastily
left the room.
He dropped his head in bis hands and
sat quite still. 1t was not so easy after
all, this severing Of the intricate growth
of so many years; and he felt that the
future did not look 50 fair, nor freedom
so desirable as he had persuaded himself
to believe. His children had often felt
the force of his anger, and he had some
times felt with envy Of the nonchalant
liberty of his bachelor friends; but now
he felt more pangs than he liked to en-
tcrtain when the final parting from his
children stood before his vision like a
perfect drawing. His wife might not be
the fairest or most accomplished woman
he know, but she had loved him, which
these women had not, and she had borne
many things for his sake which they per-
haps would not have borne; and he was
used to her and her ways. He always
knew that if he tried lie could rouse
her sympathetic interest in his troubles
and lis successes. Other women
might be less ugly, but could he, with
his gray locks and sober ways, ever hope
to win them' And would q fair woman,
tender and delicate, be suited to take
,pom herselfan successfully carry the
burden his wife would have to bcar9
Martha had been brave, strong woman,
and in all her trials-;md they had been
not a few-she had been patient as most
women. OF conrse her temper had
famed up ut times, but had he always
been mild! She had sometimes seemed