Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1895-05-09
LETS TALK OF SOMETHING ELSE" I"

WOTub arc III Dl5bCl ulid " "dhbo hC
child; indeed, I suspect she's thankful
for having none of husband who has
treated her as brother has"
"Cullen, love, sometimes think you
don't do full justice to Brother Wiley,
because he hasn't the affectionate ma
ture that you have. A man must
make allowance for such differences.
think myself that he is colder to her
than-than | could be satisfied to put
up with; but that is his nature"
"Yes, darling, that's his nature"
Then he laughed loudly.
"Well, they've both been respectful
and kind to me, and can't but wish
they had baby or something that
would bring them closer together.
Brother may not know 1t, but he's got
for a wife one that's a saint, IL know
what that means. 1t has always
seemed to me a pity that they have
never come to understand each other
well enough"
"You little innocent, the difficulty Is
they understand too well"
"Cullenl Cullenl' she said, in half
playful remonstrance. Then they
turned from the theme to that which
for both was one of unmixed felicity.
The person just now referred to was
worthy of their praise. The Marstons
had been reduced considerably in the
establishment they once kept, partly by
injudicious management, mainly by
debts which the head of the family as
surety for some of his neighbors had
been forced to meet. In this condition
Julia, the plainest and not the young
est of the Marston girls, was induced
to take Wiley Amerson, who was well
enough looking, tolerably hammered
known to have made considerable
money in trade, and to have excellent
expectations from the death of his ia
ther, now well stricken in years. The
marriage had not been happy. The
health Of the wife, poor to begin with,
was not helped by the life led with
man far more selfish and coarse than
she had believed She was thankful
that she bore no children, much as
she needed the comfort they often inn
part Her husband got frcm the con-
nection what he had counted on, bet
ter social position. With his own ac-
cumulations and the few thousands
come with her he built the nice two
story mansion on Clarke street, and
deported himself as well as he could
learn how in the circle TO which she
had lifted him. lie showed much
pride in the adornmcnts which she
made about the house, and the trees
and flowers planted by her in the
in TINA that ahp
had been married to man whom she
could not respect and therefore could
not love, the strength Of her charac-
ter enabled her to endure his society,
and to seem to ignore some low
irregularities which he took not very
much pains to hide from her. Dis
Rusted with his vulgar snobbishness
and that which he had injected into
his father she became fond OF Cullen
for his openness and hearty simplicity,
and wished TO live on entirely affec-
tionate terms with him and Hannah,
but, yielding to her husbands in
functions, she observed the restraints
which she saw were unavoidable, yet
strove not to hide her wish that rela-
tions were different She had been in
the habit of making brief calls when
on the way to or from the plantation
beyond, and Hannah, as often as Gull
len consented, had visited her in town
Only in one matter did she act con-
trary to his avowed wishes; that was
the old gentleman's hostility to Han
nah and bis consequent threats to cut
Cullen off from an equal share In his
estate. More than once, joining with
her mother-in-law, but employing
greater plainness Of speech, had she re-
monstrated with him, and there was no
doubt that her behavior was the main
influence which began the change in
his attitude. When all prejudice
seemed to be removed at the birth OF
Hannah's child. she was free to express
her heartfelt qualification. Hence
forth things went on as smoothly as
could be desired. IL was not possible
for Wiley and Cullen to make a show
Of affection which neither felt, and
which each knew was not felt by the
other Yet they behaved with decent
civility whenever they met, and their
wives came TO trust that their family
relations would become as they ought
to be The father, as happens often
with old men after the death OF their
wives, Iapscd scnsibly from the yiRQr