Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-02-21

4
whom he would possibly have been
tempted TO repent his marriageP
He was a good man, upright and true;
but he had often played at love before
his marriage, ''ere lifetime and love-
time were one" and he was being
pushed now, for he doubted whether her
love had not declined into that friendli-
ness which he had given her before, and
she was absorbed in the child.
Was she, then, one of those women i'm
whom the instinct of motherhood is
stronger than all other? He worshiped
her now with the full sacred passion of
his manhood, and was his own child to
come between, and shut him away from
herp She would be always sweetly du-
tiful, he knew that-but duty, wifely
duty! A man is nothing if he does not
want more than that and what was his
life to be if she and the child dwelt
apart in a little paradise of their own?
He was jealous of his own child. At
this point the man threw himself on his
knees and finished his conflict there, and
it was well for him that he did so.
~.
The very names of Eliphaz the Tema-
mite, and Bildad the Shuttle, and Zophar
the Naamathite, carry us back in thought
to the worlds dawn; but their modern
antiques are TO be found everywhere;
in the fullest perfection among women,
sad to say, and more perceptible in a
cou ntry town than in city
And when poor Job-feminine Job es-
pecially-is sitting in the ashes of desc.
lotion, then do they, softly seated on the
cushion of self-righteousness, proceed to
comment disparagingly on the sufferers
past behavior.
Now, Eliphaz e. Co. were not want
ing in marlborough society, and in the
case of John and Margaret soon per-
ceived 1.-THE rift in the lute;' and being
low, mean souls, they set TO work to find
q low, mean cause for it, having no idea
of the higher love between man and
woman.
They were three middle-aged spin
sters, who had failed to enter the holy
estate of matrimony in spite of an earn
est desire 10 do so. When the roses of
youth and riches were no longer for
them they would fain have culled the
chrysanthemum of life's autumn; but,
alas! even those sad and scentless flow
tlS NClC uClllcu tltlli. on tltSC lHlCC
had been soured, or rather were un-
loved through a certain sourness
of nature which the masculine
portion of mankind had sagaci-
ty enough to perceive and to avoid.
Miss Moss, Miss Brown and Miss Jones
were friends, and much of the mischief
in Marlborough might be traced to
them. For instance had they not dis
covered Mr. Blight the curate's shame
full Irritation with little Miss Wilson? and
here was DIR. Enderby taking to his old
flirting ways again! Ifhe had married
sensible, intellectual person, she might
have cured him by carefully looking
after him; but now his attending the
meetings of the Book Club without his
wife, and walking home with little Miss
Fry and her Quaker mother, BODIED no
good. So said they, shaking their heads.
This was after morning service on Sun
day, and they resolved that on Monday
morning. while the Doctor was away on
his rounds, they would call and cnlight-
en- his wife. 1T will do her good, poor
thing" they remarked.
So the three came on Monday morn
ing, and after q few commonplaces,
NiloS hlOSs, WIN vas ~ ldNCt thu
therefore the bitterest, began.
"Now, my dear Mrs. Enderby, we can
see that you are suffering, poor dear,
and no wonderr'
Margaret looked ut them bewildered.
Il am quite well, she said.
"But about the Doctor, my dear; we
have known him so long and understand
his ways. If you had been a little more
experienced you would have looked bet
ter after your husband"
"But he is not ill.," answered the wife,
still more bewildered.
mot in body" remarked Miss Brown,
with significant smile; "but in mind,
we mean; he pays great attention to the
Frys next door, you know"
g And Miss Fryi very pretty" added
Miss Jones.
If she had not been so angry Margaret
would have laughed John had walked
home with their neighbors twice, and
she was very fond of them. John might
not love her; that she had found out, she
thought; but she knew him to be the
very soul of honor She was generally
so quiet that when her anger bIazed out
they were startled.
Will you be so good as to leave my
husbands affairs alone!' she said. eff
you wish to be wicked there is no need
to show such bad taste as to come here
and endeavor to do harm"
And then they, feeling that for once
they had been vanquished, quickly took
their departure. But their words had
left sting behind them.
Was it so visible, then, even to these
h. g., III, I,
time ago, namely, that she was not to
him all that he was TO herp When she
had discovered it she had determined to
take thankfully what he could give; but,
alas! beloved, who will be grateful for a
few crumbs, seeing full meal beyondP
The hunger of the soul cannot be sti1ed;
it cries out for food Well, she tried not
TO blame him; he had mistaken his feel
ing for her, and was tired of her; but
there was her baby.
She never told her husband of that
visit, though she believed he regretted
his marriages; she only chung to the child
such frail little reed to lean upon.
And one day it broke.
1t was Sunday-one of those sweet
days in the late autumn which nature
saves out of the summer. The trees
had lost their leaves, and the sunshine
showed all their delicate irregularity-
their beauty of mere form, which had
been hidden by the foliage. The golden
asters and red geraniums still frightened
the sheltered garden. A ball was lying
on the frosty grass, but the tiny fingers
that had played with it would never
touch it more, for Baby Jack was going
fast to land in which, let us not say,
there are no toys for the angel children.
You remember Martin Luther's letter to
his boy Hans, in which he tells him of
lovely Paradise, with golden toys, whips,
and drums and childish delights.
This little child was dying of Group.
His mother could only hold the little
form on her knee, while John knelt be-
side her trying useless remedies to COM
fort her. At last he stood still, looking