River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-08-21
ONE WoMAN's MISTAKE.
A Lesson Drawn Prom Nellie Hubbard's
Life.
Eleanor Kirk.

Eleanor Kirk
For example, take the young lady who
was willing to leave kindred, wealth,
society and all the refinement and lux
uries to which she had always been ac-
customed, to share the fate of her fathers
coachman. 1n this case the reaction
from the singular fascination is said to
have occurred within two days after the
nuptial knot had been tied. The sweet
and subtle something which had not only
made it possible for this girl to turn
her back upon a parents love and a
luxurious home, but easy, and above all
things desirable, began to change into
another subtle something just as soon
as she was taken into the more private
and inner life of the man whom she had
chosen for her husband out of all the
world,
Atfirst it was a slight, and to her most
unaccountable aversion The man was
kind, and asconsideratea as he knew how to
be. There was nothing to find fault with.
She had no wish to pick flaws. On the
contrary, all the pride of her nature
was in arms against any falling OIL OF
the strength Of her affection. She had
taken step which all the world disap-
proved. Before marriage she had been
as confident of the truth and staying
power of her love for this man, as she
had been of her own existence. The
slightest touch of his work hardened
hand thrilled her with exquisite pleas
ure. No woman was ever, to all appear
ance, more madly in love. No music
was sweeter to ears than his coarse and
ungrammatical language There was
even an extra fascination about this dis
regard for conventional rules. She
turned with real pleasure from the con
versation of scholars and the refined
gentlemen of her own set to the society
of this man, who did not know a noun
from an adverb, and who was as desti-
tute of any intellectual originality as a
clam.
This slight and iuexplicable aversion
after an incredibly short time deepened
into positive dislike, and the sound OF
his approaching footsteps which had
once filed her heart with the most
eager delight, came to be like the knell
of doom to her. Circumstances had not
been favorable to knowledge of her
husbands habits before marriage, but
when she came to sit opposite him at
table, and had ample opportunity to
observe the way in which he partook of
food, this love upon which she had built
such fond hopes of an eternal union,
began to totter and tremble upon its
throne. Because this man shoveled his
food into his mouth with his knife. and
leaned heavily upon the table as he ate,
and smacked his lips appreclativeiy, his
wife's affection, which had been war
ranted to stand the wear and tear of time
poverty, sickness and death, was per-
ceptibiy lessened Contempt in some
measure took the place of the wild pas
sionate love which once had filled her
heart. Had he been unkind and neg
Iected her, she should still have loved
him. 1t is probable that he might have
STAYED out night after night, and re-
Turned in the gray of the morning,
drunk and bedraggled, and her affection
would not have wavered, at least for
some time? but vulgar manners at the
table she could not bear An occasion
nj blow would not so quickly have
knocked the love from her nature as the
neglect on her husbands part to re-
move his hat when he came into her
presence. Dissipation, neglect and un-
kindness would all have had their effect
in time, but not nearlyso soon. So, in
very short time, aversion and con-
tempt grew into positive hatred, and
this woman's life with this man came at
last to be the most awful and ablect
bondage possible to conceive of The
only hours that were endurable to her
we're those which kept her husband con
fined at his business.