The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-03-16

thinking in his heart of giving up at
least half of these blessings and going
to seek wealth and imaginary content
| in foreign land.
! Why, how foolish he had beeni He
saw it now That .sodd sentence had
been the means of pointing it out to
him. Going on simply and patiently in
the safe and right way before him, he
would tread his path with delight. But
II he gave way to the host of foolish. I'M
manly, impatient, murmuring thoughts
| that had so beset him of late, those same
steps, fair and untrodden before him
| now, would very probably have pres
| entity to be taken in bitter repentance
| and sorrow.
mo, = he said to himself, as he was
| nearing his own door, carrie belongs
| to me, and / to her; and I viii not
| leave her even for a time, to struggle on
| alone, when there is no real need.
What good would money do me if /
came back by and by to find home and
hearth 1desolate? Home Joys need keep
| ing alive-need cherishing as well as
winning. 1 wonder1 never thought of
| that before. How can be sure that my
wife's love would outlast my desertionp
How can tell whether. after carelessly
| leaving behind me the best and gtruest
OE1I2ntS WHICH IuiS NOI1u GILL StNS. 4
might not have to wander over. the
world in loneliness and regret for the
remainder of my days?n
Night was drawing on, but Carrie
still sat with her baby in her arms. BY
/ and by the little clock on the mantle
shelf struck the half-hour after nine
$50 latep' she murmured, glancing
up. sBut''-bending softly over her
sleeping child and kissing its little face.
soft as velvet-s'your mother has not
been wasting time, baby!' i
No, for Carrie had also had her per-
pleXities and vexations to think over
and to unravel, and her decision. to ar
rive at. Moreover, she had arrived at it
And now the disturbed frown which
had been there all the evening cleared
away from her brow, and she appeared
quite disposed to be cheerful.
And next she stole up stairs with her
baby boy, and quickly down again, to
put away her work and to stir and mend
the fire and to sweep the hearth, and
make everything look neat and bright
and pleasant again.
1T is of no use to take so much notice
of trifies,' said the little woman to her.
self, ssas if this life were all. L must go
on and do the best can. To find fault
and to fret and to look dull and doleful
whenever Maurice comes in viii GER
tainly not make him care more for me;
but"
She paused-for she had heard her
husbands step. And with a glad light
in her eyes she sprung up from her
kneeling position on the hearth, and
met him with a bright smile; and he
kissed her fondly and Ito her secret sur
prise) appeared as cheerful as herself.
lone word and one. look of her hus-
bands, as she had said to herself, had
opened her eyes to the fact that he had
| not married her exactly for love. And
she had wished, with strong feelings of
anger and jealousy combined, to inquire
further into particulars. But her decis-
ion had been to say. nothing more about
the matter.
II am not clever she had thought
to herself; Il do not know how to win
/ love easily, as some women do; and
cannot think and think, SO hard and so
long-nly thoughts only get into con-
fusion. / shall Just try to be always
cheerful, and never to descend to re-
| proaches, for if 'reproaches break friend
ships as they are. said to do, they must
surely break love also
So she had thought 3 few hours be-
fore, as she had sat there all alone with
her baby in her arms, and SO she was
thinking still as she stood now by her
husbands side.
Their eyes met; he put his arm around
her, and then, as though he had seen
her thoughts, he told her all she had
| wished to know.
He had, in plain words. married
| Carrie in a fit of pique. He had loved,
and for short time had been engaged
| to, girl who had unconcernedly given
/ him M, for a ,-iohar. man
But Carrie had been always true
He said so with his eyes as web as
with his lips at the end of his story. He
| and she had been friends from child
| hood.
And, in conclusion, he begged her for
| giveness, which, it is perhaps needless to
| say, she gave him freely.
And ever after that slate appeared to
| Carrie almost as the face of friend.
| For Maurice, though he was but human,
and therefore stumbled and fell and felt
| inclined to despair sometimes, kept on
the whole to his resolution and perse-
vered bravely in the better way toward
! which 1.-The odd sentence had been as
the guiding finger.
And it was presently easy to foresee
| for him prosperous future, for he did
not now Gin effect, if not in words)
say, 81 see better path, and | know
how good it is, but [ follow ever the
| the worse" He not only saw the good
/ path, but he strove daily and hourly to
| pursue it,
/ And then. too, though he had been
cold and ungrateful torso long, he was
one of those men whom, to quote well
| known author, lit makes strong and
happy to be loved back again. He
| loved Carrie now, and he knew that she
wholly and truly returned his Affection;
| and the two worked heart and hand to-
gether in building up their lives and the
| lives of their children; and this halved
the labor, but doubled the joy.
Also, In their new and far happier
/ way of life, be sure that they both owed
not a little to 1.-THE odd sentence, which
! appeared unfailingly on the slate over
the mantle-shelf day by day--Arftur' 8
Home Maoazipae
4 The Hedgehog Husband.
Kindness is a goodinvestment at any
time or anywhere, but in no place does
it give better returns than at home.
There, above all other places, is it bread
cast upon the waters that will return q
hundred times in the love and affections
| of your family. If man does not pos
sess the hearts of the little ones thai
gather around his fireside, he is a humid
red times bankrupt, though he owns
| stocks and bonds, and lives upon thu
8 interest of his interest.
1t would be time wasted to attemp
to paint the loyalty of a woman to tn