News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-03-20
Praise Her.

Andrew Lee had come home from his
shop. where he had worked all day. tired
and out of spirits-eame home to his
wife who was also out of spirits.
"a smiling wife and a cheerful home
"a paradise it would be r said Andrew
to himself. as he turned his eyes from
the clouded face of Mrs. Lee and sat
down with knitted brows and moody as
pect.
Not wcrd was spoken by either.
Mrs. Lee was getting supper, and she
moved about with weery step.
"Oome," she said at last, with a side
glg ice at her husband.
There was invitation in the word only;
nore in the voice of Mrs. Lee.
Andrew arose and went to the table,
He was tempted to speak an angry
word, but controlled himself and kept
silent He could find no fault with the
chop and the homemade bread nor the
fragrant tea. They would have cheered
his inward man if there had been only
gleam of sunshine on the face of his
wife. He noticed that she did not eat.
''Are you not well, Mary % The
words were on his lips, but he did not
utter them, for the face of his wife
looked SO repellant that he feared an ir-
xitating reply. And so In moody silence
the twain sat together until Andrew had
finished his supper.
'"This is purgatoryl' said Lee to
himself, as he commenced walking the
floor of their breakfast-room with his
hands thrust in his trousers pockets,
and his chin almost touching his breast.
After removing ali the dishes and taking
them into the kitchen, Mrs. Lee spread
a green cover ON the table, and placing
fresh trimmed lamp thereon, went out
and shut the door after her, and leaving
her husband alone with his unpleasant
feelings. He took a long, deep breath
as he did so, paused in his walk, stood
still for some moments, and then draw
ing paper from his pocket, sat down
by the table, opened the sheet, and
commenced reading. Singularly enough
the words upon which his eyes rested
were, 'Praise your Wife" They rather
rendered to the disturbance of mind
from which he was suffering.
''I should like to find some occasion
for praising mine" How quickly his
thoughts expressed that ill-natured SEN
timent But his eyes were on the page
before him and read on:
Praise your wife, man; for PHYS
sake, give her little encouragement; it
won't hurt her,"
Andrew Lee raised his eyes from the
paper and muttered: "Oh, yes that's
all very well. Praise is cheap enough;
but praise her for what? For
being sulIen and making your home the |
most Sisagreeable place in the world q
His eyes fell again on the paper.
''She has made your home comfort
able, your heart bright and shining,
food agreeable; for PHYS sake, tell her
you thank her, if nothing more; she don t
expect it; it will make her eyes open
wider than they have in ten years; but it
will do her good for all that, and you,
too"
1t seemed to Andrew as if this SEN
fence were written for him, and just for
the occasion. 1t was a complete answer
10 his question. 'Praise her for what q
and he felt it as a rebuke. He read no
further, for thought came too busy, and
In a new direction. Memory was con-
victing him of injustice to his wife; she
had always made his home as COM
Portable as her hands could make it, and
had he offered the light return of praise
or comfort he had experienced? He
was not able to recall the time or occa-
sion; as he thought thus, Mrs. Lee came
in from the kitchen, and taking her
work-basket from the closet, placed it on
the table, and sitting down without
speaking, began to sew. Nh. Lee
glanced almost stealthily at the work in
her hands, and saw that it was the bosom
of shirt which she was stitching neatly.
He knew that it was for him she was at
work.
praise your wife" The words were
before the eyes of his mind and he could
not look away from them; but he was
not ready for this yet. He still felt
moody and unforgiving. The express
sion on his wife's face he interpreted to
mean i'll nature, and with i'll nature he
had no patience. His eyes fell upon the
newspaper spread out before him and he
read the sentence
ga kind, cheerful word, spoken in
gloomy house is the little rift in the cloud
that lets the sunshine through"
Lee struggled with himself while
longer; his own i'll nature had to be con-
quered first; his moody, accusing spirit
had to be subdded. He thought of many
things to say. yet feared to say them,
lest his wife should meet his advance
with cold rebuff. At last, leaning to-
ward her and taking hold of the linen
bosom upon which she was at work, he |
said in a voice carefully modulated with |
kindness: "You are doing this work
very beautifully, Mary
Mrs Lee made no reply, but her hus-
band did not fail to observe that she lost
almost instantly that rapid erectness
with which she had been sitting, and
that the motion of the needle hadceased.
''My shirts are better made and whittier
than those of any other made In the
shop, said Lee, encouraged to go on.
care they p Mrs. Lees voice was low
and had in it a slight huskiness; she did
not turn her face, but her husband saw
that she leaned little toward him. He
had broken the ice of reserve and all was
easy now. His hand was among the
clouds and few feeble rays was already
struggling through the rift it had made
Eyes, Mary" he answered softly; ''and
I've heard it said more than once what
good wife Andrew Lee must have"
Mrs. Lee turned her face toward her
husband. There was light in it and
light in her eye, but there was something
In the expression of her countenance
that little puzzled him.
'Do you think so p she asked quite
soberly.
"What a question !" calculated An
drew, starting up and going round to the
side of the table where she was sitting. !
''What question. Mary" he replied, as
he stood before her.
eyes, darling" was his warmly spoken !
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