San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-03-08
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her fatners doKS htd Dcen ner great H.
tsrssts; to ride with her father over his
farms had been her chief delight. She
had often risen with the lark, and was
budding her rsses amid the dews.
when tho young rising politician, Alick
Morton, had hrst met her at a neishbor-
ing ssuirs's house, her sweet bloom and
unconscious beauty won him in spite Of
himself, and from the first hour Of their
meeting he vowed to himself that Violet
Chsritoa should be his wife.
No greater change had ever come to a
woman. In spite Of her great love, there
must have boen times when Violst Nor
ton locked back On her innocent and
happy sirlhosd with something like re-
sret, il ever a true hearted wife and moth
or permits herself to indulge in such a
feeling
Mr.. Morton was devoted husband, but
he was an autocrst and in spite of many
fne qualities, was not without that sell
nshness that leavens many mans ma
ture. He wanted his wife to himself; his
busy ambition aimed high; politics was
the breath of his life; unlike other men in
this, that he lived to work, instead of
working to live.
These natures know no fatigue; they are
intolerant of difficulties; inaCtion means
death to them Mr. Morton was a COM
mittee man; he worked hard for his party.
He was philanthrOpist also, and took
up warmly certain public charities. His
name was becoming widely known; peo-
pie spoke of him as a rising man who
would be useful to his generation. If he
dragged his wife at his triumphal chariot
nlo Of
men need real helpmates. In these cases
the stronger nature rules; the weaker and
most loving submits.
Mrs. Morton was a submissive wife;
early and late she toiled in her husbands
service; their house was a rallying point
for his party. On certain occasions the
great drawing were flung open to
strangers; meetings were held on behalf
of the charities in which Mr. Morton was
interested; there were speeches made, in
which he largely distinguished himself.
while his wife lowered on the outskirts of
the crowd and listened to him.
He kept no secretary, and his CORE
spOndence was immense. Mrs Morton
had clear, characteristic handwriting,
and could write rapidly to dictation, and
many an hour was spent in her husbands
study.
This was at first no WEAKNESS to her
she loved to be beside him and share his
labors. What wife begrudges time and
work for her husband? But she soon found
that other lsbors supervened that were
less congenlal to her.
Mr.. Morton was eysrworked; the de-
mands on his time were unceasing. Violet
must visit the wards of his favOrite hos
pitfalls, and help him in keeping the &C
counts. She must represent him in socie-
ty, and keep up constant intercourse with
the wives of the members of the party dur.
ing the season. She worked harder even
than he did Her bloom faded under the
whitening influence of late hours and hot
rooms. Night after night she bore, with
sweet graciOusness, the weary round Of
pleasures that palled on her. 1t was a
martyrdom of human love; for, alas! in
the hurry of this unsatisfactory life, the
Divine voice had grown dim and far off tor
the weary ear of Violet Morton: the clang-
ing metallic earth bells had deadened the
heavenly harmOnies.
Sometimes a sad, pathetic look would
come into her ewes. Was she thinking, /
wonder, of the SLIM bright-eyed girl bud
ding roses in the Old-fashioned garden,
while the brown bees hummed round her!
Was the fragrance of the lilies-those tall
white lilies of which she so often spoke to
me-blotting out the perfume of dollhouse
flowers and the heavy scents of the crowd
ed ballroom?
1t was matter Of intense surprise to me
that Mr.. Morton seemed perfectly uncon-
scious of this immense self-sacrifice. He
could not be ignorant, surely, that a
mother desires to be with her children,
and that womanS tender frame is sus-
ceptibls to fatigue. Selfish as he was, he
loved her too well to impose such intolera-
BILE burdens on her strength, if he had
only known them to be burdens. But her
cheerfulness blinded hin. How could he
know she was oyertasked, and often sad
at heart, when she never complained,
when she sealed her lips so generously?
II she had once said II am so tired,
Alick; I cannot write for ysu," he would
at once have pressed her to rest; but msa
are 80 dense, as Aunt Agatha says. Their
great minds overlook little details. They
take in wide vistas of landscape, and
never see the little nettlss that are choking
up the field path. Women would have
noticed the nettles ut once, and spied out
the gap In the hedge beside.
had not been many weeks in the house
before I found Sunday was no day Of rest
to my employers, and yet they were bet
ter than many other worldly people. Mrs.
Morton always went to church in the
morning, and, unless he were too tired or
busy, MT. Morton went too. They were
careful. too, that their servants should
enjoy as far as possible the privileges of