Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1883-10-11

| pleasure that seemed to poor Barbara to
have touch of Heaven in il.
Phillip Blake was greatly surprised
when he learned that the girl whom he
imagined he inveigled into his infamous
trap did not understand single musical
note, and could not even play an ordina-
ny air ON the piano-for he had promised
himself much pleasure from the tuneful
| fingers of his victim.
Barbara felt keenly his disappointment,
though she said nothing. She felt her
first sharp pain when she entered her own
parlor, and beheld the piano standing in
all its glossy beauty wide open, like the
mouth of young robin, waiting for the
finger food that would fill the whole house
with melody.
The blood surged over her face and for
the first time in her life, she asked her.
self if she were fitted for the cultured
sphere on which she had entered with
such thoughtless precipitation.
The reader may think this very fool
ish cause for pain-but the same feeling
and longing for equality would have ami
mated the heart OF any true woman, in
such circumstances, or l am failure in
my judgment of the human heart.
ed the first few days of their welded life.
Then her husband was always with her.
This state of things soon ceased, however.
Blake would he away late into the night,
and even to early morning then he would
come to his apartments sodden with liquor
fresh from some vile dcbauch, with red
face and flaming eyes, and cruel words and
curses ON his lips.
Jn xvou11 tb,oyv bin,eo1f ~, ibo cof, and
sleep away the effects of his low degrad-
ing pastimes while poor Barbara would
sit beside him, looking upon his distorted
countenance, and thinking how terribly
she had mistaken the nature of the de-
graded being before her.
Sometimes he would come home with
great piles of bank notes, and cast them
at her feet upon the hoor-and Barbara
would be amazed at the wealth she saw
at these times the man would be pleas
ant, in jovial good humor, and would fon-
die and caress her to his hearts content;
and, if i mnst write il, to Barbara's inf
mite disgust; for she was not yet used to
the foul smell of Il drunkard's breath, or
the rough caresses of II human bear.
Sometimes he would come home at
night, mad with excitement and drinking
then he would have no bank notes to toss
at her feet; nought then for her but cruel
words. Barbara would retire to her room
and leave him alonc-when he would drop
upon the sofa. and fall asleep-then she
would creep out in the silence and fix a
pillow beneath his head, unloosen his era
vat, relieve him of his boots, with kind
and gentle hand--and meet him the next
morning with winning tenderness which
seemed to say. "You try me hard, but are
forgiven Phillip"
The next terrible pain she experienced
was in the cold looks of her landlady, who
waited upon her with surly independ-
encc and hauteur of demeanor that sur
pI'ised her. The landlady did not posi-
lively insult her, but treated her in that
supercilious manner which betokened an
infinite lack Of respect for her lodger.
Barbara complained of this one day to
her husband, but he only laughed, say
ing.
.Oh, she's sour old creature; let her
alone. We won't be here long, you may
depend"
Nevertheless he spoke to the landlady
that morning as lie was going out, and
finished what he was saying, with the
words:
"Bates. you are altogether too quick in
your conclusions. Just rule that tongue
of yours. or will find way to make
you" and went away.
We have touched upon these little mat
tiers at this length, as they furnish i'm
portant links Of connection in all that
follows.