The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1881-11-01


In short time he perceived that Miss
Braithwaite favored him above all other
pretenders to her hand, and he began to
consider the advantages of rich wife.
His profession hitherto had been
failure; his one thousand pounds were
nearly spent; his three sisters were all
on the point of marriage, condition
which might modify their sisterly in
stincts, and his mothers income would
not support him a month-wouldn't it
be the best plan to accept the good for
tune so evidently within his reach
Elizabeth was handsome and inclined
to favor him, and though she had the
reputation of being authoritative in
temper and economical in money mat
ters, he did not doubt that she would
finally acknowledge his power as COM
pletely as his mother and sisters, so he
set himself to win Miss Braithwaite, and
before Christmas they were married.
True, he had been compelled to give
up great deal more than he had liked,
but he promised himself plenty of post
marital compensations. Elizabeth in
sisted on keeping her own house, and as
Steve had really no house to offer her,
he must needs go to Braithwaite hall as
the husband of its proprietress. She in
sisted on his removing his office to
Braithwaite small village, offering
none of the advantages for killing time
which large village like Leeds did
and she had all money scrupulously set
tied on herself for her own use and un-
der her control.
Steve felt very much as though his
wife had bought him, but for little
while the eclat of marrying an heiress,
the bridal festivities and foreign travel
compensated for the loss of freedom.
But when they returned to Braithwaite,
life showed far more prosaic side. Mrs.
Gaskills economical disposition became
particularly offensive to Steve. She in
quired closely into his business and did
not scruple to make unpleasant witty
remarks about his income. She rapidly
developed, too, an authoritive disposi-
ton, against which Steve daily more
and more rebelled. The young couple
were soon very unhappy.
The truth was that great transition
was taking place in Steve's mind, and
times of transition are always times of
unrest and misery. The better part of
his nature was beginning to claim a
hearing. He had now seen all that good
society could show him; he had tasted
all the pleasures money could buy, and
he was unhappy.
She had DO ennui and no dissatisfac-
| ton with herself. There were her large
houses to oversee, her garden and con-
servatories, her servants and charity
schools, her toilet and whole colony of
pet animals. Her days were too short
for all the small interests that filled the
day; and these interests she would will
ingly have shared with Steve, but to
him they soon became intolerab lie bores.
Under such circumstances he might
have found his work in the ordering
and investigation of his wife's large
estate, but Elizabeth was far too cautious
to trust her business to untried hands.
Her fathers agent was her agent; her
banker managed all her investments !;
her parks and farms and gardens were
all under the management of old and eX.
perienced servants, who looked upon
Steve merely as I" Missiles husband"
In the second year of his marriage lie
began to have some thoughts which
would have astonished his wife, could
she have thought it worth while to in
quire what occupied his mind in the
long hours when he paced the shrubbery
or sat silently looking out of the win.
dow. But Steve was now ready for any
employment that would take him out Of
the purposely dependent life which he
had so foolishly chosen for himself.
One day geatly to his surprise Eliza
beth said to him:
"Steve, have letter from cousin
of mothers who lives in Glasgow. She
is going to Australia and wants me tC
buy her home. She says it is a great
bargain and wrote to Barret to go anC
see about it. have letter this morn
ing saying he is too i'll to leave his bed
1 wonder if you could go and attend t
it."
Any thing for change, Steve show
ed very proper business.like inter
est, and said: