Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1883-01-18
Zoe dropped her head.
suppose so,n said She slowly.

| ought not to Conilne our sympathies
within thenarrow range of our daily
existence. ~
II don't understand" said Zoe,
family.
"Aunt Antonia will explain" said
Rufus. "There are always clubs to
join, mutual improvement societies to
organize, charitable associations to
form, And when you have once tasted
the pleasures of these improving occu-
pations-"
"Oh, yes, | know!" said Zoe. "And
| will try my best to do as you wish,
Rufus"
But there was the shadow of new
gravity on that infantine face, n pen
sive intonation of the voice, which
Rufus Wayland had never heard be-
fore.
Aunt AntOnia went to the book store,
and ordered home huge editions of the
classics. She began daily course of
reading with her nephew's wife; she
initiated her into the mysteries OF
clubs, societies, symposiums, until the
| uul DCCdluC an lOO SIlOlt lOl Hcl tl-
gagements.
"Your wife is improving" she said,
to Rufus. 81 really think she is awaG-
ening to 4 sense of the responsibilities
of woman in the nineteenth century
at last"
And Rufus kissed the peach-likc,
dimpled cheek, and congratulated Zoe
on her mental advance.
But somehow the home was not so
sweet and cozy, An impalpable some
thing was missing-thc influence
which had followed Zoe light footsteps
through the rooms, the glass of flowers
here, the lOopcd curtains there, the
sheets of music on the piano, the bird
cage hung in the sunshine, the delicate
dish prepared by Zoe's own fingers,
the whipped cream, the lucent Jelly,
the carefully cut-up fruits-all the prct-
ty quaint devices which had descended
to this young housekeeper through a
long line of Maryland ancestors.
TFey had been very pleasant. Ru-
fus Wayland had enjoyed them as we
enjoy the sweet air and sunshine, with
out pausingto think whence they came;
and he missed them now,
But, all of a sudden, the delicate
little flower dropped, rs blue-bcll
droops after sharp September frost.
Il ana not sick" said Zoe; "oh, no!
But feel as if there wasn't any more
strength left in me. | think | won't
get up to-day; I'll lie in bed and rest.
No, no. don't send for doctor! |
don't need medicinc-I only need
rest
Aunt Antonia stared. Herself strong
as an iron machine, it had never oc-
cured to her that all natures were not
cast in the same enduring mould. But
the old family doctor looked grave and
shook his gray head.
"Shc has overdoAc herself he said;
"thc results may be serious. Put
away her books; don't so much as
speak to her about classics or socie
ties
And Aunt Antonia had never, in the
course of her whole life, felt such a
pang as when the doctor whispered
his impression that little Zoe must,
probably, drift away from them into
the great unknown world as the au.
tumn crept on.
"But there is nothing the matter
with hcr!" pleaded she, with mist
gathering over the ovals of her glasses,
"That is precisely the sort of case
that we physicians ind most difficult
to deal with" said Doctor Dean.
And one day Zoe put her soft trans
parent, little hand out upon that of
her husband.
II am not asleep" said she. Don't
keep so quiet. But sometimes my
speech and mind seem to float away
from me, and so | had perhaps better
tell you now how sorry | am that |
have been such disappointment to
you!"
"A disappointment! Zoe, my treas
ure!" cried out Rufus.
81 never could have been Il nice
lady, like Aunt AntOnia," whispered
Zoe; ait wasn't in me. They were
killing mc-thosc dreadful clubs, and
the long, long pages of blank verse,
and the tireSomc plays Of Shakespeare,
which | never understood. Tell her
it was very kind of her to try and re-
model me for your sake, dear; but it
never could have been done. But |
loved you, darling oh, so WE'LL If |
had been Sir Isaac Newton himself, |
couldn't have loved you any better. AL
ways remember that, won't you, dear?
And now I'll try to sleep little"
Aunt Antonia looked blankly at her
nephew, as the soft lids dropped over
the big, blue eyes.
"We have made mistaken she
whispered.
Yes" said Rufus Wayland, hoarse-
ly, eve have made a mistake; and if it
has lost me- my little Zoe, shall never
forgive myselfH'
And Aunt Antonia felt like n Grim
inal.
But Zoe didn't die. With tender
nursing and constant care she recov-
ered and when she was well enough
to travel, Rufus Wayland took her to
the bright Azores.
Hang Milton and Shakspearcm
said he. Confusion seize all these
mental improvement associations and
intellectual saturnalias! Put 'em all
together, don't value them as much
as one golden hair of Zoe's dear little
head. You cant make stately ibis
out of a humming- bird, and / love my
dear little wife just as she is, for what
she is!'
you're quite sure you wouldn't
have me any dilferentp" said Zoe, art
lessly.
"My DEAR" said the young husband,
"if you were like Aunt AntOnia-who,
{ thank fortune, has gone with social
izing society somewhere up to the
North Pole Il should commit suicide" :"
And Zoo laughed the old, sweet
; laugh, and was happy once again.
{ The Tall Sycamore of the wabash.
The special correspondent of the
Indianapolis (Hid.) Journal, embodied
r in recent communication the follow
ing from Hon. Daniel w. Voorhees,: |
consider st, Jacobs Oil splendid rem
, edy. l suffered from an affection of
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the back. l used St. Jacobs Oil, and
, found IT very efficacious. 1t gave me
/ instantaneous relief, and finally cured
/ me completely.
San Francisco merchants complain that
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