The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1882-1884, 1882-09-14

money Tor SO good q purpose, bu-
: though the wife of o rich man [ haC
no money. Of course | might Q 81
my husband for money, and il 7 TOLD
him all about what ! wanted with it
end lie approved OF my purpose, and
was in s good humor, he would give
it to me but. sir, it is terribly slavish
10 have to do Sc, even if l could run
to him everytime / wanted anything
People say am q fortunate woman
because I am rich, but I often envy
the factory girls their ability to earn
and spend their own none Y. And
sometimes I get SO wild thinking oi
my beIpIessness that If it were not
for my children I think l would Just
drop into the river and end it all, -
''Nottie ! Nettie Jarvis What
are you saying?" cried the startled
husband ;st last, for the far-away look
Ill her eyes as If she did not see him,
but was looking to some higher pow
or to help her, touched his pride, il
ii did net his heart, for he had q
good deal OF pride in q selfish sort
Of way. He was proud to support
his family as we'll as he did. He
was proud that when his children
needed new shoes he could tell his
wife to take them TO Crlspin's and
iget what they needed. He did it
with & flourish. lie was not one Of
those 5tingy kind he liked to spend
money: and when Nettie, who was
once the most spirited young lady Of
his acquaintance, came meellly to
him for q dress or CLOAK, he was
sometimes tempted to refuse her
money just to show her how helpless
she was without him, Yes, he was
Iproud Of his family, and wanted them
to feel how much they depended up
I'm. lie would have felt aggra-
OH I'D left his wife q
EaJed Il a'1Y one aA>--~ ~ inlie-
legacy, th,is allowing har to ~
'pandent IN lier purse; The idea Or
. her earning money, IS his other work
folks did, never entered his mind,
lie s'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 children. lie never had Thought
that any other woman would have
wanted big pay fer doing it. He had
even thought himself very generous
for allowing her money to set things
TO make the family comfortable.
Things began to look differently TO
him just now, even just to his wife !
Had he paid her so poorly for her
fifteen years OF faithful labor for him
| that i she had been obliged TO begin
| the world for herself that day, it
would have been rs q penniless Wo
| man, Notwithstanding the houses, the
lands and mills that he had SO often
| told her were all hers for he kneW,as
every one else did, that uot one dol
| lar Of all he had you Ii the law allow
i her to call her own.
! How fast he thought, standing
there at the Office window looking
idown at the little houses where the
Imill hands live. Could it be possible
! that his wife cnvied them anything !?
/ Gould it. be that he was not IS good
man as he thought ? He had felt
Idceply the wrongs Of the slave, whose
labors had been appropriated by their
masters, and with q negro who had
worked twenty wears for his master
! before the emancipation freed him,
came 10 Jarvis mills, friendless and
Ipenuiiess, the heart OF the proprietor
! swelIed with Indignation at such In
justice. He was eloquent Oh the
! subject, al home and abroad, and
wondered how any one could be so
cruel and selfish as to commit such
such an outrage against justice. lie
! had called him robber many q
time. bus a0w Donald Jarvis looked
to himself very much like the old
slave holders! ! 1Iassa Brown had
taken 1he proceeds Of CulEce's labor
for his own without even q "thanL
vou'' for it. True, when Cufee ate
he had given him food, when lie was
sick he had given him medicine, and
ne had clothed him. too, just as he
himself thought best. Mr. Jarvis
had married 2 lovelj, conscientious
woman, and for fifteen years lad ap-
proDriated her labors. Her recon-
Ipense had been food and clothes,
such rs he thought best for her. A
lio5le better than Jufiee's perhaps,
but the similarity OF the cases did
not please him. He had expected
his wife to be very grateful, for what
be had done for her, but now he
wondered that she had rot rebeIled
long ago. Lad his life been 8 mis-
take Had his wife no more money
or liberty than Cufee had in bond
age !? Was Donald Jarvis no better
than 1Iassa Brown !?
His brain seemed to be in o mud
die, and he looked 50 strangely that
his wife, anxious to break the spell,
/ took his arm saying, LET us go
home, dear, tea must be waiting for
US" lie took off his hat in q dreamy
way and they walked home in silence.
The children ran joyously to meet
them. The yard was SO fresh and
green, and the flowers SO many and
bright that be wondered he had