News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-03-23
His WIFES SISTER.

most with her last breath: Chow nice
IL would have been, dear, if you could
have married Maud Ishould
have gone away SO happy to think she
would be a mother to my poor babies
%D
There was wistful look in the dying
young mothers eyes as she said this
for thoughts were passing through hel
mind which she could not speak. Maude
was her favorite sister, who had nurse6
her through her illness, and had taken
the tenderest care of her children. No.
body else could have taken such care oil
them, and the young mother could not
help wondering why any law should
exist to prevent Hugh from marrying
Maude. A time might come when Hugh
would be married again to some strange
girl, and when Maude herself would go
away to home of her own. What
would become of the children then
Would Hugh's new wife love them as
Maude did, treating them like her own
flesh and blood for her dear dead sisters
sake? The young wife considered it
would be a natural Eand holy thing
that Hugh and Maude thould be mar
ried to each other, and her last moments
were saddened with anxieties from re-
fecting that this could not be.
Yet, when she was dead, her sister
continued to reside in Hugh FolIet's
house, taking up that anomalous posi-
ton which public morality only nomi-
nally sanctions. Maude became her
brothers housekeeper, his companion,
and the guardian of his children, whom
she truly loved as if they were her own.
She was sweet and comedy girl, very
like her sister in appearance, and with
a voice which so much resembled hers
that when Hugh closed his eyes and
heard her talk he often fancied that his
dead wife was in the room. He could
felt for her, for part of the love which
he bore her came from the deep affec-
ton which he had cherished toward his
wife; and she could have regarded no
memory of her beloved sister and the
duties she had undertaken toward her
children formed the strongest natural
link between her heart and his. Yet
Maude was in law only Rugh's sister,
and other men had right to pay her at
tentions and make her proposals of mar
riage-which they did, to her own dis
tress and to Hugh's misery and annoy
ance. Maude refused all offers, but
when it was seen that she did so system
atically people began to whisper. Peo
pie are very good natured. They might
have tolerated Maude's residence with
her brother-in-Iaw had she been an
elderly woman, but they doubted the
propriety of her living with him as
things stood for all which they kept
on repeating emphatically that she was
only his sister, and several of them ex-
pressed the hope that she would SO far
forget herself as to marry that brother,
II whose house they held it improper for
her to live otherwise than as wife.
This curious confusion Of structures,
produced by an unnatural law which
had muddled public opinion, had its
inevitable effect upon Hugh and Maude.
1t would have been very bitter for them
to part; indeed, Hugh felt that the
whole future of his children must be
effected for the worse by their being
deprived of such motherly love as Maude
gave them, and Maude, on her side be-
heved it was her plain duty, in the sight
of Heaven to watch over the poor little
things who clung to her, and were
learning to call her mamma. Besides,
was it not the opinion of the great ma
jority of the nation-nay, of the whole
civilized world-that man ought to be
allowed to marry his dead wife's sister
The House of Commons had Just passed
a bill, giving its sanction to such mar
riages, and it had only been rejected by
the House Of Lords, body which in
no way represented public opinion.
Everybody was saying that the Lords
could not hold out long against the good
sense of the community, and SO Hugh
and Maude waited another year, hoping
that the Lords would at last give way.
But, meanwhile, Hugh thought it hon
est to tell his friends that he and Maude
had quite made up their minds to marry
and were only waiting until the law had
been altered. The consequence was
that poor Maude was more whispered
against than ever. Once again the
Hereditary House threw out the Com
mons bill, and then day came when
some of Hugh's friends told him it
would be better for Miss Ashurst's own
sake that he should make her his wife
without further delay.
people will talk, you know" they
said, ''and after all, every person whose
opinion is worth having will think you
are doing right. The bill must be
passed before long, and then clause
will certainly be inserted to give it
retroactive effect, so that your marriage
will be legalized." Accordingly, Hugh
and Maude went to Switzerland one
autumn and got married. If Hugh had
been rich, he would probably have set
tied III Switzerland until the Lords chose !
to hear reason but he earned his living |
by an appointment which obliged him
to reside in England, and even this
short trip abroad caused him incon-
yenience. But he took it because his
conscience would not have allowed him
to give an uhtruthful answer to the
adjuration: "I charge We if
ye know any just cause or impediment,
etc. Though he knew of no just cause
before God why he should not contract
a marriage for which unanswerable
Biblical warranty exists he found him
self in dilemma. Besides marriage
in England would have been of no use
to him. In Switzerland, where a man
may wed his deceased wife's sister, he
was joined, as he believed, in perfectly
lawful union.
Mr.. and Mrs Toilet came back to
and had some right to expect
that they would be kindly received by
the friends who had counselled them to
marry. Certainly, their men friends
greeted them pleasantly enough; but it
was different with the ladies. 1t is
curious how certain ladies irreproacha-
Ole IN most resp ects-or at least appar-
rently so-should take such q pleasure
L. r |