Sharp County record., 1880-06-24

feel how much they depended upon
him. He would have felt aggrieved if
any one had left his wife 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 their 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
his children. He never had thought
that any other woman would have
wanted big pay for doing it. He had
even thought himself very generous for
allowing her money to get things to
make the family comfortable. Things
began to look differently to him just
now. Could it be that he was not gen.
erous, not even just to his wife! Had
he paid her so poorly for her 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 a penniless woman, Notwithstanding
the houses, and lands, and mills, that
he had so often told her were all hers;
for be knew, as every one else did, that
not one dollar of all he had, would the
law allow her to call her OWE.
How fast he thought, standing there
at the Office window looking down at
the little 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 appropriated by their masters,
and when a negro 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 indigna-
ton at such injustice. 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 justice. He had called
him a robber many time, but now
Donald Jarvis looked to himself very
much like that old STAKEHOLDER Massa
Brown had taken the eproceedS of Cuffee's
labor for his own without evena "thank
you'' for it. True, when Cuffee must
eat he had given him food, when he was
sick he had 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 Ia
bors. Her recompense had been food
and clothes, such as he thought best for
her. A little better than Cuffee's per-
haps, but the similarity did not please
him. He had expected his wife to be
very grateful for what he had done for
her. but now he wondered that she had
not rebelled long ago. Had his life
been a mistake? Had his wife no more
money or liberty than Cuffee had in
bondage? Was Donald Jarvis no bet
ter than Massa Brown
His brain seemed to be in muddle,
and he looked so strangely that his
wife, anxious to break the spell, took
bis arm, saying, "Let us 60 home,
dear, tea must be waiting for u.s." He
took his hat in dreamy way and they
walked home in silence. The children
ran joyously to meet them. The yard
was so fresh and green, and the flow
ers SO many and bright, that he Won
dered he had never thanked Nettie for
them all. Hitherto he had looked upon
them as his, but now he felt that his in
terest in them was only few dollars,
that would not have amounted to any
thing without his wife's care. His
children were tidy and sweet and
everything around and in the house had
that CHEEKY look that rested him so
after the hard, dull day at the mill.
They sat again at the table, which had
been source of comfort and pleasure
to him so many years, and he wondered
how he could have enjoyed it so long
without even thanking the woman who
had provided it. True she had used
his money in bringing it all about, but
how else could his money be of use to
him! Who else could have turned it
into just what he needed day after day
for years? And he began to have an
underlined feeling that it took more than
money to make home. He glanced at
his wife's face as he buttered his last
slice of bread.
1t was not that of the fair, rosy bride
whom he had brought to the mills years
before, but at that moment he realized
that it was far dearer to him, for he
knew that she had given the bloom and
freshness of her youth to make his
home what it was. His daughters had
her rose-leaf cheeks, his sons her youth
full vitality, all had her cheerful, win
some ways, and comforted him now as
she had in those days when, hardly
knowing what care meant, she had lived
for him alone.
And a new thought came to him.
"Who was comforting her now when
she had so much careP'' Was that not
what he promised to do when he