The morning call., 1893-03-27
A LESSON.

a LESSOlN.
81 always thought there was some con-
nec!iou between vile and buttons, and
not button on this shirt bosom, Bess."
We had been married year and more.
And now We had quarreled-about buttons.
did not think then what an astonishing
thing a woman must feel it TO be taken
from the pedestal on which her lover has
enshuned her as a goddess and scoded
about some household matter. All men
dol
went TO town. My business was trans
acted in a moody dream. l drowned my
misery in ciga-s and went home as angry as
had left it. No Bess met me at the gate.
I found her In the dining-room, and she
looked up with proud, cold face. expecting
an apology, perhaps, but l gave her none.
Fortunately l had a grieyance-the mutton
was not cooked to suit me and there were
no capers.
began once more on the subject of
wiie's duties. Bridget must be overlooked.
bachelor might leave the dinner TO ser
want, but not to . MARI ed man.
Bess did not tell me whatI knew already,
that at Nine. POngee's finishing seminary
the superintendent of cook was not
taught and that year Is not . long expert
ence.
She sat quite quiet and enraged me so
that before l sought my pillow l had said
very cruel things, aud she had at last
dropped one bitter ranking speech into the
mOmeutaTy silence aud had shut herself in
her baOy's nursery.
And so II went on through all the bitter
days Of the long week. AT last 1t was Sat
uTday morning gave her cTuei stab
an unjust one, as / knew. when SPOKE 1
had my back turned toward her ana was
PlOnOV /
did not see her when she said:
You have made me hate you"
turned at that. She was standing quite
pale, even to the lips, and l saw that she
had drawn her wedding ring from her I'm
ger.
81 hate that" she said, "and I hate you"
And she flung the ring upon the carpet
and made gesture as though she were fling
ing her love from her also and left the room
without another word, though waited for
her to come back for nearly an hour.
| had much TO do that day-buslness ap-
pOintments which should have been at
tended to forthwith-but long after / had
reached my Office in the city found myself
sitting wTetchedly in a chair, with my head
upon my hands, thinking over and over
again those words, Il hate that, and hate
yUU."
And my love came back, and was Robert
walking with Bessie under the trees again,
not the stern married man determined to
teach his wife her duty.
looked at the clock mad just time to
catch the noon train for home. Who cared
for buslness-for Jones and Brown and
ThompsOn2 l must 90 home and make it
up with Bess. l seized my hat and few
down the street. l reached the depot. l
was in a car, bTeathless with eXertion and
anxiety. We were thirty minutes in
reaching P. To me it seemed thirty hours.
At last | was there. Before me arose our
little cottage, with its slope of velvet green
from the door to the rivers edge.
Usually all was quiet and scarcely a soul
70 be seen. To-day group of women stood
by the river. Two men, one a sailor neigh
Dor from the village, we're there also, and
among them Bridget raised her shrili voice:
They've took 10 fightin' lately, and they
had II hot and heavy this bilssed mornin, |
shouldn't wondher. H0wy father, there's
the masther nowg' and she fed.
saw them all looking at me in awe
stricken silence. saw also my little row.
boat lying vet upon the sand, the oars not
with her.
lfelt fmy heart stand still and gasped
sut
"What is the matter?"
NV sailor neighbOr answered:
Were afeard there's been an accident.
Tom Bowling took your boat out this morn
ing, and the boat has been picked Upland
Tom hasn't"
Young Tom Bowling often borrowed my
boat. | was not surprised at that.
II hope Tom is safe" l said. "a what
hour did my wife lend him the boat,
Nobody spoke for TWO minutes.
At last wOmaDbegan to sob:
ION, don't tell him. Maybe 'tisn't so.''
And the sailor said solemnly:
Take heart sir; mebbe there's hone but
your vile hired Tom Bowling 10 row her
and the baby on the river athalf past TO-"
When these words fell upon my ears I
dropped upon the ground in a swoon.
In three hours a boy found Toms hat
floating in the water. Two more and a
grim, hard-featured man came to me as |
raved like a maniac upon the beach and
touched his hat.
Mister" he said, TON Is found
They're a-bringing of him."
/ had no need to ask how he was found.
| knew. SO they would soon find Bess and
her babe, heavy and cold, with dank, drip
ping hair and eyes wide open staring at the
sky.
On, it would have been terrible enough
without the awful memory that we had
quaIreled; that l had said cruel things to
her and that she had said:
81 hate you'll"
Invent into the house and searched for the
wedding ring. l could not find it. Then n
hope came into my heart, that she had so
lar releh ted as to.restOre il to her finger and
that IL would be found upon her dead white
hand.
heard a shou. from those without and
some one came screaming up the hall. 1t
was Bridget.
"Missus. it's missus. She's foundP she
ClieO. anu pdUY 1901 Ou, LOrQl OU,
saints aboYei She's foundl"
The horrible picture of the dripping mar
Bile lOvellness they must be bearing along
the pe6bly shore passed before my eyes. /
grew sick and blind.
'Oh, my darling Bob, what fright you
have had. ana what sad. sad thug to hap
pen to poor Toni On. my dear, how i'll
you look! It's Bessie, your own Bessie,
and our darling babyp'
She was In my arms again and we were
weeping together.
You see, you dear husband" sobbed
Bessie, II didn't mean what | said, not a
word OF 1t, ana when you had gone felt so
dreadful to think how had acted and what
words l had used that l couldn't stay at
home, so l hired poor Tom to row me to the
depot
"And Tom left me at the wharf and /
went down and have been at your office
ever since, frightened to death about You.
EASTER