The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1894-06-15
HE LOVED HIS WIFE.
a Little Lesson for Many Self
iSh Men.

1Sh Men.
No one doubted that he loved her de-
votedly, and yet-they had lived'in the
same house for nearly forty years
Meanwhile he had become one of the
richest men in Lakeville. He owned
and rented numerous dwellings with
all modern luxurics in the way of steam
neat, gas fixtures, bathroom, plate
glass windows, large closets, etc. The
old home possessed none of these adj
vantages. 1t was delightfully."- situated,
and the garden surrounding it was
ideally beautiful. Mammoth oaks and
wide. spreading naples cast deep shad-
ows upon the rambling structure in
which Mrs. Van Dyke spent her toll
some later years, and all the people
who drove past were apt to say:
''There's a fine old-fashioned sort of
placer
Mrs. Van Dyke was accustomed to
hearing praises of the trees; the nice
cool well water, SO much better than
that which ran through the city pipes;
the soft light from sixteen kerosene
lamps, such relief after blinking
evenings of brilliant gas that was SO
trying to the eyes; the CHEEKY comfort
of big blazing coal stoves in midwinter;
the inexpressible deliciousness of fresh
berries from the vines that grew so pro-
fusely on the grand old Van Dyke
premises Comments on the manifold
blessings enjoyed by the Van Dykes
gave Mr.. Van Dyke unalloyed satisfac-
finr1 fc1. ba 10rnt1l of tho old
home. Two paramount attachments
were plainly manifested at all times.
He was exceedingly fond of ''the old
place" and, let it be remembered, he
loved his wife devotedly.
She had borne him seven healthy,
affectionate and dutiful children, all
of whom were married and settled in
different portions of the globe, and
who, with their various progeny, were
wont to flock to the ancestral domain
for Thanksgiving, Christmas and other
holidays, and on different anniversary
occasions. Mrs. Van Dyke was there
fore seldom alone, and almost never
care free for even one week of the year:
and, besides, Mr.. Van Dyke was natur-
ally inclined to extend off-hand invita-
tions to all his friends to put up at his
house whenever it suited their pleas
ure or convenience. Not only was he a
very generous and entertaining host,
but, owing to Mrs. Van Dykes manage.
ment, his house was most stful and
altogether desirable refuge for many
of his relations.
Mrs. Van Dyke was woman of un.
varying amiability. She was patient
and kind and gentle beyond descrip-
ton. Throughout the long years of
their welded life, her loving husband
never heard her utter complaint. She
was the last person to go to sleep at
night, and the hrst to walzen, or at
least to rise in the morning, for forty
seasons. She planned breakfasts and
dinners and suppers innumerable, was
often at the mercy of poor servants,
and was sometimes left for weeks at
a time with none at all; and yet the
lamps burned every night, and were
filled and trimmed every morning, the
buclless went down and up in the moss
embowered well, the cistern pump
creaked with unbrolzen regularity, and
Mrs Van Dyke never said word about
all those rented houses where there
were no lamps used, where water
flowed freely by merely turning a
faucet, where lpt baths could be taken
any hour without thought of pumps
and kettles, and where women's cares
and responsibilities were reduced to
minimum.
All, yes, Andrew Van Dyke loved his
wife. She was a sweet, trustful, con-
fiding and tender creature, who always
looked upon him as superior and who
never failed to meet him with SMILE
ii not a kiss, when he entered the dear
old home. No matter how large the
grocery bill, it was promptly paid, and
unquestioningly. So were the dry
goods bills, and the milliners' and up
holsterers' bills, and, finally, the doc
tors bills that Mrs. Van Dyke con.
tracted.
One day she casually remarked to her
devoted partner in life's joys: "An-
drew, did it ever occur to you that our
trees have grown too large and they
shade the house too much? Would
you mind cutting some of them down
and trimming others, so as to let in
more sunshine? The Doctor says my
rheumatism would be less apt to
trouble me-
lie loved his wife devotedly, so he
had several branches of maple and one
large oak limb cut Immediately. That
was not sufficient, however. Whole
trees needed to be removed from their
close proximity to the house. Inasmuch
as the tears were seen to fill his eyes
when even the few limbs were severed
from their parent trunks, and he con-
fessed to desire to beg, plaintively:
"oh, woodman, spare that treei"
Mrs. Van Dyke had not the heart to
suggest further clearing out Her
rheumatism grew worse and worse
The shade from the grove grew more and
more dense Mr. Van DVko was only