The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-06-25

women; and yet you nave let Il youuS ueI-
icate wife carry it on e-handed, and,
as far as l know, have never demonstrated
with her on the slow suicide she was COM
mitting. Such havoc as three short years
have made 1t ought to make man
ashamed, if his feeling are not ironclad,
to so overwork woman he has vowed to
love and cherish"
Ridgeway Redeemed at his unclos plain
dealins, but he was not disposed to admit
that he was the one so much to blame.
II tell you, uncle, Phebe has not the
faculty of getting along with her work
that some women have 1t takes her
longer than it needs to get every meal, l
am sometimes almost surprised.
'It certainly does take her longer than
it need to- l have plainly seen that, and
now, young man, I'll teach you lesson
You are to rake hay tomorrow, | believe.
I'll fix you a rake, and I'll see you use it.
And the irate old man smashed all but
three teeth out of good rake and handed
it over to his nephew. "Theres your i'm
plement. and I'll come out and see how
you get on with it. There'll be no shirk-
ing, either. Everything | have seen Of
your indoor home conyenienccs have been
siast u tstat ofSder. Your wife works with
a three-toothed rake from morning till
night. 1t is good TO be saving and lay up
money, but not if you must grind It out
of the life blood of those who should be
nearest aud dearest to you. No more new
rakes for you antil see different order
of things in the house Let Phebe make
out list OF ali she needs as We are togeth-
or this evening, and then do you draw
cheek and foot the bill.
"Why, uncle, you never kept house.
You know nothing Of a woman's demands.
1t would sweep every cent l have.
'Let it sweep then. Money gotten dis
honestly as that was had better 90 to the
place where it wss stolen from You have
been robbing your wife Of her life power,
her health aud her happiness these three
years. Il is time you begin to make your
reparation, l have preached economy to
you, it is true, but | never preached dis
honesty. If you can't keep your wife in
dccen, way, break up aud let Phebe 60
back to the good home she came FROM.
You can 20 into a store in the city aud
make your own living.
What dssolate picture Il was Leave
bis pleasant home, his wife aud boy, and
take up with the old solitary lodgings in a
boarding house He felt lonesome At the
bare suggestion. Uncle Aleck went on:
Il should like to give your wife this
piece of advice The next time you even
hint about what is needed in the house
keeping, aud what Is net, and suggest Sc
trenehment here and 9 cutting % there,
want her to walk cut and give orders TO
YOUR hired man; tell him how much grain
ke must give the horses, how much salt to
the sheep; how he must scrimp the wheat
when be soWs it, aud the corn when be
plants 1t. She may tell him to tie uP the
broken harrow With string, aud not go
to the expense Of getting il mended, aud
shall insist on his going ahead II the plOw
handle is broken--it Is too trlhing thing
10 stop the work for that All the fault
find with Phebe IS that she did not DO this
long ago. If she had given you good
setting down on the start, and taught you
to mind your business, il woHld have been
4 blessing all around.
Il was aprcIty plain dealing, bat It vas
a great eyc-opener to the young man, lie
sat upon the piazza for an hour IN the moon
light and thought, and thought W hat
ever his mediiations were, cue thought
was uppermost-he must gain ground with
Uncle Aleek or his ehasces were slim.
Tha, li,tle talk had, as Mark Twain would
say. knocked more e0nceIt out Of him
than st Of sea sickness. Humble PIC
may not be very pla,able, bat 1t Is some
times lust the diet to bring one around
right. Slowly and soberly the young man
"eame to himself, and then the foremost
thought was-"What n wretch have
been; eau Phebe have a spark Of love or
respect leit for meY'
There mast have been something good
in the youth. or that loyal heart could not
have held fast iH her affection for him
through thick and thin, as she had done.
Uncle Alecks visit was a godsend 10 her
He saw a new order Of things established
in the house, aud hung the three t0oihed
rake in conspicuous place IN the barn a
a standing objeet-lesson. Phebs scarcely
knew how TO get meals in Der renovated
kitchen. but her face was as bright as her
new saucepaus.
Pbebe soon won back her roses, aud
went about her duties blithe a a singing
bird. She would always laugbinsly head
her husband Of whenever he began to al
lude to the old times, aud "set down
naught in malice" but charged the whole
10 0our youth and inexperienee.
When Uncle Aleck came back the next
wear to the christening Of the "litile Caro-
| line" he made out to her the deeds OF
some valuable property, and added cod
ieil to his will in which the ivory picture
was bcqueathed to the namesakc Of the
fair lady who, to him, was always young
and beautiful