News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-06-10
A LESSON IN REAL LIFE.
THE WIFE TALKS,

THE WIFE TALKS.
"When we were married, I was
ignorant of the duties and responsible
ties wife is suddenly thrust into.
What change it is from being a merry
young girl surrounded with brothers
and sisters, even leaning upon her
mother for counsel and resting securely
in a fathers sheltering care! One
thing was certain; | had an infinite cap
ital of love. That never, never was to
fail. 1t might increase though there
seemed no room for morc-but diminish
it never could l began my married
life. One thing, my dear, good, wise
mother insisted upon, and which lived
to bless her for, and that was, to take
no help, but to work with nv own pair
of hands. This seemed the first shadow
in the sunshine, for. like most people,
was not ambitious of being behind my
acquaintances in the social scale; but
gave in to her instructions. / thought
| could not have too much time to
prepare nice dishes to surprise my hus-
band with my skill, and to say all we
had to each other. But three months
had not passed before I had gone over
to my mothers way of thinking; for l
could not all at once leave the nineteen
years of unbroken companionship OF our
home circle and not miss the home ways
and faces. But after the first novelty
of being my own mistress had passed,
though it was as dear and as cozy as
ever it was, yet it seemed so silent, and
l found, even with all my work, more
leisure than l knew how to employ, and
would sit impatiently waiting for my
husband.
I thought then that never did clock
tick so loud as ours. We had never no.
ticed the one at home. Time crawled
now-it did not fly as it used to do when
we were all together. / did not dare to
oMn there was any dissatisfaction or dis
appointment lurking in my heart.
Sometimes the discomfort was with my
self, especially after any calling of my
husband to account for falling off in
his care to me- Then he would make
me more than ashamed of my doubts,
and be his own loving self in chasing
them away.
When my husband dropped one by
one the endearing ways of the lover,
and took up all the civil rights of hus-
band, then my hard fight began. Efforts
laughable to me as an old wife, but which
as young untried one, were as thOrns
in the flesh, grew irksome from want of
appreciations. There was no word of
encouraging sympathy, and when,
womanlike, | showed the disappoint
ment, not always in the wisest manner,
ne would chide me for being so foolish as
to suppose he could not feel qualification
unless he expressed it. Then l would
see for little through his spectacles,
and think my future must be changing.
Your sex never know what evil you are
dong with your silent qualification or
mental appreciations. If you only ex
pressed little of it, you would reap a
harvest of reward from your loving no
tice of the little things of life. And
this is Just what | want every young
husband to learn. 1t is this want of
demonstrative love in minor things that
makes the wife's tones sharp, brings the
lines on the brow, and the hard feeling
to her heart.
Time went on, and cares and duties
multiplied. We had fewer moral bat
ties, but the truce brought neither peace
nor joy. | got irritable over things
would have laughed at formerly. But
dear, dear, such things try the temper
and tax the patience, but never give the
heartache. 1t is living day after dav,
month after month, with a sense of
your husband being too busy, too much
absorbed in his own interests to be OBJ
servant of yours, unless recalled to the
fact by yourself as you try hopelessIy to
re-create the bright anticipatlons the
lover had inspired.
You will laugh at one of my wlles to
make my husband come out of himself: ::
but most women weave similar devices,
until, wearied with repulsc, they sink
into the cold, apathetic, or sul!en ways
we have all known. ! determined, as !
sat one evening awaiting his return,
to try what effect initiating his example
might have; so | said to myself, if he is
in one of his yes and mo- moods to
| night, | will leave him to enjoy it, and
go straight to bed. So when | heard
his dear self unfastening the gate, | fed
to welcome him with all the love in my
heart showing itself in my eyes. Nov
you must not think l was too hard upon
weary man seeking the home shelter
after his battle with the world, in ex-
pecting more than | got. | do not,
! however, subscribe to the allotted path
generally chalked out for men, and must
affirm that his work is not whit harder
to him than that of the true woman is
to her. So when my old husband, then
young and buoyant, came in, and gave
me the privilege of doing all the enter
tanning, / determined to come IN for my
rightful heritage.
When he sat drinking his tea, stretch