Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-07-12
Plural RIessednesa.

The person addressed pirouetted across the
room, shook her ringlets, smoothed out her
draperies, and settled herself gracefully in
chair before replying.
"Don't be cross Myra, there's a dear.
have to take little pains with my looks
when people are dropping in almost every
hour in the day to see the bride.'"
The bride Oh, yes beg your par
don; had almost forgotten that your hon
eymoon is not over. And now, seeing that
we are alone, tell me, is it honeymoon al
together ?"
+" 1t would be only for one thing. Philip
is Just as sweet as he can be, but then he is
so awfully religious. You know they will
pretend that it is mans religious duty to
treat all his wives just alike, and Philip ac-
we were married he stayed here, of course
but the second week he told me it was his
duty to go home-just think of it--home-
and every blessed day of that week he stayed
with his first wife. Last week he was here
again, and now he is away. That's some
thing that didn't bargain for, and don't
mean to stand it."
al confess don't quite see how you are
going to help yourself"
"Just wait a little and you will see. How
is it in other families Don't the last wife
get all the petting and the attention How
is it in President Young's family? When
Emmeline was the favorite, you know he
stayed with her right along; and now since
he has taken Amelia, how many times do
you suppose he has spoken to any of his
other wives ?"
"Not very often, perhaps; but with you
the question is, not what other men do,
but what course your own husband is going
to take"
"Oh, III manage him, never you fear.
By the way, how ugly his first wife is grow
ing. She has changed so within a month
that declare when l met her on the street
yesterday hardly knew her; and suppose
now she will go and tell Philip that
wouldn't speak to her-the spiteful thing p
"You ought not to talk in that way Ruth.
The poor woman sees trouble enough, have
no doubt"
"Well, can't help it, and I'm sure it
isn't my fault. If she didn't want Philip
to marry me, why did she give her consent
People ought to know their own minds, and
not agree to thing one day and make a
fuss about it the next. And if she is grow
ing old aud ugly, am not to blame for that,
and Philip is not to blame either for want
ing wife that doesn't look like grand.
mother"
Ruth how old are you 7"
al shall be sixteen next birthday"
"My poor child l pity you.'
"Now, Myra, that is Just like you-al-
ways trying to spoil my good times.
don't know, I'm sure, why | should be
pitied, unless it is because Philip insists on
taking rooms right here at fathers, instead
of giving me house of my own; but I'll
have different arrangements in six months,
as you'll see If don't manage TO be the
mistress of his house by that time my name
is not Ruth"
"Indeed And what will you do with
Jessie ?"
"Oh, she can have the old house. It's
comfortable enough and she don't care any
thing about style. She looks like dowdy
lately. Why, the dress she had on yester-
day was perfect fright"
Perhaps she has too much on her mind
| Just now to care about dress"
"If she knows anything at all, she ought
to know that dress goes great ways when
you want to please man. Last week when
Philip came over here, he looked as if he
had Just been to a funeral dare say Jes.
sic had been giving him some awful lectures
but had studied what to do, and was
ready to meet him. had the new silk he
gave me made up lovely, and wore tes-rose
ribbons-just my color everybody says
and Jane Taylor came over and dressed
my hair. She said / looked like picture,
and | believe Philip thought so too, for he
frightened up wonderfully after came
downstairs"
"Well, Ruth, am sure l want you to
take all the comfort you can though, if
were you, am afraid | should look for
ward sometimes to the day when / would
be obliged to step aside and give place to
some one else; and you know you have
just said it is the last wife who gets all the
attention"
"Now, Myra, you are really too bad. |
| don't think there is another person in the
world who would say such things to me
and in my honeymoon, too"
Here an embroidered handkerchief was
produced, and the bride buried her pretty
face in its folds.
"Don't cry, Ruth. l did not mean to
make you feel bad"
The face came up again from its hiding
place.
al won't cry and spoil my eyes, for am
going down to the store, and want Philip
to think look lovely. know he'll think
it, though he won't say 1.-THE provoking
man. How is my dress ? And do you sup
pose my hair would look better if | should
loop these curls back-so? Did you ever
hear of Philips Oldest sister They say
she was so lovely that she couldn't walk the
street without people stopping to look at
her. Well, Aunt Margaret, who used to
know her, says have her style Of beauty,
and she says, too, its my own fault if don't
make Philip worship me. She says he's
worth deal of money now, and making
more every year, and if manage right
can have such house and furniture and
such dresses as I've never dreamed Of"
"If those things will make you happy
hope you will get them. For my part, if
ever marry, want a husband who will not
belong to anyone but me, and then | think
| can be contented with crust Of bread"
"It's no wonder, Myra, that you are an
old maid, with such notions. How are you
going to get husband who will not belong
to anybody else ? If you are the first wife
you will never know what day your hus-
band will bring home second Aunt Mar
garet said TO me:
Whatever you do, don't think of being
any mans first wife, for you will live life
of dread before he takes the second, and a
life of misery atterward.' Aunt Margaret
has got sense. She's fourth wife. She is
Pobtcu hhu haS hci oWu way III cNci1buluBJ
aud she knows her husband won't take
another but her sister, who is first wife,
is put off on sage-brush ranch, and don't
see her husband once year."
DO any OF our readers object to the fore
going style of conversation If so, we beg
leave to remind them that it only exhibits
the practical, everyday application of re-
! ligious principle which our government has
regarded as 80 sacred that for many years
it has been au effectual shield from the pen
alties Of law which is openly and persist
emily violated by whole people.
Ruth, Philip LaTours new bride, was a
fair specimen of the girls brought up in
Utah, no better and no worse than the ma
jority of those around her. She believed
polygamy to be right because she had been
so taught from her cradle, and she regarded
her marriage as legal and binding, because
no opinion TO the contrary had ever been
uttered in her hearing. II any one had in
timated that she had wronged and outraged
Philips wife by assuming the relation TO him
] which lhe now held she would have lifted up