Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-30
ST. GLOBE MORNING

| that we should De wed. She Thought
that, once he was settled down, hewo0ld
be steady and keep to his work, and
| thought the same.
| just at that time my mother died
my father had gone years before and
this put off our wedding for six months,
though it gave me comfortable little,
well-furnished residence to offer as my
portion to my husband, and very proud
1 was, for his sake, of my possession.
(. Shall tell you more, or hide the rest.
screening my husbands faults?
would, but that I think my unhappy
hfe may prove warning to those who
acted as foolishly as did, in refusing
to listen to the good advice I received,
and in binding myself so thoroughly to
; the weaknesses of the man was SO soon
to make my own for life.
For, in opposition to Mr.. Smiths will,
/; we were married, Harry and I. The old
man was not angry with me, but most
kind all through.
! "No, my dear child" he said. CT
feel as if I should be doing you wrong
| IT l gave my consent. You know Harry.
now, as well as I do, and your marrying
him will not make him better man."
F.! "Oh, yes, indeed-indeed it WILL" I
cried.
"God bless you, my DEAR" he said,
kissing me tenderly, 81 hope it will,
but I won't be party to the matter"
But you won't be angry with US,
Mr.. Smith :" I said, imploringly.
! with youa No, my DEAR" he said.
"Nor with Harry %
"We've been angry with Harry for
five years, and I shall keep on being
/ angry with him until he drops the pub
lie house and sticks like a. man to his
| work.
So we were wed, and-I almost shame
to own it-that day for the first time
saw my husband SO helplessly drunk
that, in my agony of mind, believe that
| If could have been unmarried then
| should have left him for good.
But was his wife, and he was my
husband, my master, whose willing
slave L became, working for him when
he would not work, striving ever to win
him to our home, but striving in vain.
Before We had been married a year
was very i'll with an ailment brought ON
by grief and anxiety, and when our lit
tie one was born and looked upon it's
little face as that Of a tiny angel sent,
| perhaps, to win my husbands love more
to me and home, that little face was
| still, the eyes were closed, for my child
| had never breathed and never saw the
| light Of day.
1t was a great grief of mind to me,
but time passed on, and couple Of
| years later I held our little girl to his
| lips that he might kiss our child, and
| then shrank away in misery and despair,
| finding out. as I did, that there was
| something which he loved better than
his child and me-the base indulgence
| of self.
! It may seem hard to speak of him as
! do, but long career of misery makes
me outspoken. Was ] not left alone
/. that he might drink, when our little one
lay sick unto death, and 1 hard pressed
! for money to obtain the necessarles that
might save its life? The few pounds
my mother had left me had gone long
i enough before-every penny spent in
drink-and [ had not complained, only
strove on, day after day, to win him to
my side, where poor old Mrs. Smith
would often be watching all night long,
| sometimes by the baby's cot. after in
sisting that should take some rest.
| It ali seems now, in the dim distance,
like some terrible dream of misery,
wherein ] see myself, with Harry s
father and mother, following the lit
tie girl to the grave, and they coming
weeping back to try and comfort me-,
for Harry had gone away.
Where? I never knew, only that he
would go away for days.
I see, too, as in dream, myself
| growing thin and weary, and so Ill that
Harry, who was back now, and very
kind, persuaded me to go away aud stay
at the seaside with my old mistress, who
had gone there for her health, and pro-
! posed that l should go and wait upon
her for month.
Harry's mother joined in persuading
me, and Harry's father said it would be
wise, SO went, and at the end of the
month returned to find that I had no
home, for Harry had sold all our little
belongings for miserable sum, and the
money was all gone in drink.
! 1 sat down In the empty room by the
bare hearth, upon the little box that had
been my companion at the seaside, and
asked myself what I should do. For a
few moments hot feeling Of Indignation
came over me, and recalled too much,
! for I vowed that I would leave him now,
never to return but the next minute
the memory of his old love came back,
and my vow to be his faithful wife; and
the cruel thoughts were cast away and I
stayed.
Ten Az, fifteen years are gone, and
l still drudge on. patiently bearing my
lot. A few kind words and smile are
the rewards I pray for, but they seldom
come now, since he's so much changed.
! I see the change at times, but not often,
for I blindly cling to the old memory of
our love, and, come what may, I nightly
pray for the strength that shall make
me his patient, forbearing wife unto the
end.
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