The Labor enquirer., 1883-01-13

& ~ / 81 F. :
here, grinningS at me all the while, and
growing more and more CHASTITY"
3Dear friend, how you af1ict me r
Helen Ashby's face had become pale
in this reference to hidden sorrow
i which had never found voice before.
i at almost kills me to say it, Margaret;
i but Mrs. Asbby checked the sentence
ere it found utterance. .>
/ "But what? Trust me, Helen. God
gives wisdom to love. Through my love
he may send healing to your soul. Let
me look down into this haunted heart
chamber !; let me see the ugly skeleton.
81 am not loved as 4 once was, Mar
garrett There was a/cold shiver in Mrs
Ashby's voice. -. ;..
"Not loved, Helen !''
4"'Not loved by my husband" Tears
fell silently over Mrs. Ashby's- face.
"You are under a dark delusion."
"No,/ Love has been steadily failing
for years slowly, almost impercepti3ly,
but surely. l shudder at the contrast,
when / measure its height and depth, its
length and breadth to-day, and then
think how immeasurable it seemed ten
years agop'
81 am panied beyond expression, dear
friend. Surely you are in dream. Ny
brief observation of your husband since
l came reveals nothing like coldness Or
alienation, He is kind, gentle and
tranquil AS watched his countenance
last night while he talked, and dwelt on
the sentiments that fell from his lips, l
could not help saying, He is fast grow
ing to the stature of man-that is, of
an angelp This could not be if he were
getting cold toward the wife of his
| bosom"
! "Oh, he is good, and true, and excell-
ent," answered Mrs. Ashby "a purer,
better man does not live. l reverence, l
idolize him. He stands in my sight the
embodiment OF human perfection. But
creasing distance between us. We are
not so close together as we were one,
two, three, four or five years ago. My
friend, this is terrible. Is it to go on
this widening Of the space between us
until he vanishes out Of sight, and | am
left shivering alone in a universe of dark
ness? Give me annihilation rather"
This was the skeleton in Mrs. Ashbys
house no phantom of the imagination,
but real skeleton. The friend sat long
before replying. What Helen now said
brought into light some things casually
noted since her arrival-some things
which had been felt as inharmonious.
Let us briefly refer to them. An
awkward Or confused servant spilled
some water on the table, at tea time,
in filling a glass. Mrs, Ashby, instead
of passing the incident without notice,
reproved her sharply. Mr.. Ashby was
talking at the time in cheerful, ami
mated voice. He became silent, but re-
sumed in a few moments The most
ordinary observer would have perceived
a change of tone, marked by a certain
depression of feeling. Soon after the
conversation was resumed Mr.. Ashby
referred to a lady acquaintance, and
spoke Of her as an accomplished singer,
when his wife threw in some remarks
disparaging to her as woman. To these
Mr.. Ashby offered a few mildly-spoken
excuses; but his wife tore them away
with an unseemly asperity of manner,
that, to say the least of it, was unbeauti-
ful. Her husband changed the subject.
Again he mentioned with praise lady
friend and again Mrs. Ashby came in
with but" and an "if" yelling the
good and exposing the defects Of her
character Two or three times during
the meal Mrs. Ashby spoke impatiently
to the children, and with a quality of
tone that left on the ear an unpleasing
impression.
! The friend now recalled these little
inharmonious incidents. They gave her
glimmer of light.
Love is never constrained" she said,
after long pause y
Mrs. Ashby sighed deeply.
"True love is of the soul Why do you
love your husband?"
Because" answered Mrs. Ashby, che
is, in my eyes, the embodiment of all
manly perfections. He is just, pure,
truthful, full of gentleness and good