The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-06-02
THE HOME CORNER.

She was one of the best-hearted
women in the world. There is not the
slightest doubt that she meant well,
and that when she ran rough shod
over peoples feelings, like COW on a
pansy bed, she did it with the best in
tentions. And so, when she heard
that one of her neighbors was feeling
melancholy over the death of rela-
tive she went over "to cheer her up"
and this is how she went about it:
~ just heard of it, Mary, and l
came right over, for L said to myself:
'Now's the time Mary needs friend,
if she ever needed one in her life.' SO
poor Jim's gone at last, is he? La, la,
I knew years ago that disease was
bound to take him off some day. 1 said
to him more'n year ago: Jim, you're
a-going to die with consumption
And he suffered dreadfully, they tell
me. Do you know whether he felt pre-
pared to go? What! You don't know?
What pity he didn't express himself
on the subject! It's always such a
comfort to the survivors. When
there isn't anything said, you know,
they're always in doubt and bound
to feel uncomfortable. Jim's wife is
a-taking it pretty hard, l reckon,
amt she? Folks do say, though, that
she and John Smith were dreadfully
set on one another years ago, and her
pa interfered and made her marry
Jim. guess maybe John'll be a-f1y-
ing around again, now that she's a
handsome young widow. You are
going to wear black? We were talk
morning, Mrs. Marsh and Miss Jones
and a crowd of us, and Mrs. Marsh
said she thought you would surely
wear black because it is so becoming
to you; but the rest of us said no, we
didn't think it was becoming because
your complexion was too sallow
Well, l must be going, Mary. 1
would cheer up, if l were you, and
try to look pleasant, especially when
your husbands at home. OF course
there's no foundation for such re-
mark, but people are saying that you
and he don't get along together as
we'll as you used to. 1 don't
believe it myself, but you know
people will talk. Well, good
bye. I'll run over whenever
| can and try to direct your mind a
little"
Oh, she lives eVerywhere,-this
well-meaning woman-and the world
is full of her. She comes up to you
some day, when you feel that your
gown is becoming, and are holding
your head up with that air of con.
scious probability which goes with
a we'll made dress; and she says with
that look of commiseration: "What
pity that the dressmaker spoiled the
set of this dress as she did These
back seams twist horribly" And at
once your feathers fall, and you will
never be able to wear that dress again
without thinking all the time of those
dreadful back seams. Or sometime
when you put on the dress you have
laboriously reconstructed out of some
cast. of finery that was laid aside TWEEN
ty years ago, she meets you and cries so
that everybody can hear her, "My
amt we fine l wish 1 could afford to
get new dress every two or three
weeks! You must be making
money!" And you only look at herin
silent rage, and dare not make any
bitter retort because you know she is
a goodhearted creature, and means
well.
~
And some ofthese people are church
members, and as faithful Christians
as they know how to be. There can
be no doubt even that they go to
heaven when they die. This sugges-
ton opens up grewsome possibility.
Think of heaven filled with we'll
meaning people who had genius for
saying the wrong thing, and saying it
at the wrong time, and in the most
Objectionable way! 1t is great pity
that good people should sometimes be
so intensely disagreeable. The truth
world, goodness doesn't amount to
much under such circumstances.
There is a great deal of rude Justice,
too, in the worlds estimate, which
judges you, not by what you mean
but by what you do.
X
He had just married the dearest
girl in the world, and of course his
face shone like the morning, and he
was prouder and happier than king.
The little wife was so pretty and so
devoted to him, and what wonderful
thing that she should have given up
every one else in the world to devote
her life to him. He had always con-
sidered himself dull, plodding fell
low, caring little for society, and he
was still half incredulous about his
good fortune in having won this dar-
ling girl, who had been the spoiled
and petted darling of society as well
as of her own household. OF course
they were going to board, because
dear little Marie must not be allowed
to worry her pretty little head with
housekeeping So they went to a
boarding house and set up their
household gods there as firmly as
though they expected to spend the
rest of their lives there, and John was
away up in the seventh heaven of
happiness from one days end to an
other.
w
They had been going along beauti
fully for a month or so when Marie
ann oIudod that NOT n In or oould no do