Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-08-07
That Wife of Mine.

dream, l opened my heavy eyes and
looked up to what seemed for mo-
ment a glimpse of Paradise. There
were the dark green leaves of the
low bushes, among which | dimly re-
membered dragging myself, tired and
faint it seemed a year ago, and there,
thrown upon their background, a
girls face, with soft, sunny hair and
great earnest eyes. "Was she hand
some?" you ask. No, / suppose
not. | don't think there was a sin
gle pretty feature in her whole face ;
still it always seemed lovely to me,
and that morning, as | looked up at
| it, her face was an angels.
was as nearly worn out as man
could well be, and every thing looked
black and dreary enough, even in
that bright summer time.
l was only a tramp then-not rag
| ged dirty tramp such as you drove
out of your yard yesterday, perhaps,
but tramp nevertheless, and kind
word and pitying face were now
strange things to me. l had been
what, thank God, / am, to-day, a
lawyer, with-for a young mana
good practice back in my eastern
home, but love for drink-yet not
altogether drink, but with it a reck-
less expenditure, running into debt
had brought me down.
I remember the day that the final
crash came, and how hard | tried to
avert it, not waking to realiztion
of my situation until it was too late.
1t seemed impossible that /, always
so favored, should be, could be pen
niless, and if not absolutely beg
gar, still certainly in beggar's S
friendless position. Unable to re-
main where / was known, for fear of
my creditors, struck off into new
regions, and begged-yes, that's the
word-begged for work, any honest
work, and begged for it in vain. |
did get odd jobs here and there, but
nothing lasting, only just enough for
me to live along from hand to mouth
and sometimes it was poorly
enough, even at that.
The night before, with fever
burning in my veins, / had left
Ridgefield-left without supper or
money-and all the long night had
trudged onward, down the great
white country road. Sick, with the
hot fever coursing through my veins
and parching my tongue; faint and
hungry, foot-sore and weary from
long travel, disheartened, and caring
but little whether / lived or died,
just as the sun came up / sank into
the cool looking bushes by the road
side and lost all consciousness.
care you sick, sir?'
The question was repeated with
even more earnestness than before.
81 fear l am," l said, pressing
my hand to my throbbing temples to
still the pain.
"Where are your friends, poor
MANI"
There was look of pity in those
great, earnest eyes, that, if l should
live forever, I could not forget.
"Friends !" / echoed; the words
sounded almost like mockery to
me. "Did you ever know such men
as I, to have friends? %
"What have you done-are you q
criminal?"
1t was said with the action of a
startled fawn, and I hastened to an
swer: ga criminal? Yes, of the
worst kind, SO people seem to think.
I am guilty of being poor
s'Oh, is that all ?" What a relief
there was in her voice sick as / was
/ noticed it. ''We are poor, too
mother and /; but still we have
friends, and will never leave any one
sick at our door without help. Car
you walk at all, sir?'
81 will see," said family, and in.
spired by new courage, with hole
on the thick bushes, l managed tC
gain my feet and staggered, rather
then walked out into the road but
when at last / got into the sunshine
the old dizzy faintness came over
me and in a swoon [ fell forward il
the dust.
For days following 1 was conscious
of nothing but pain-a throbbing and
aching head, feeling throughout Of
hunger and suffering. l had closed
my heavy eyes in the heat Il dust
and even as | lay there, aftel
day, seemed to be breatRA tht
same dry air, suffering with hunger
burning with fever, and without wa
ter to quench my thirst. When al
last I opened them l saw cool
white curtain swinging to and fro be.
fore an open window, and now anC
then | could feel breath of fresf
air upon my cheek, and out beyond
could see, where the curtain was
caught up, rain drops dropping an(
glistening among the leaves. fell
as if in fairy land as l handled the
clean, white coverlet laid over me
and / looked at the few cheap pict
ures and the neat simple sweetness
of the room.
'sWhere am p' unconsciously
spoke, in my surprise and wonder