Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1896-11-05
"A WONDERFUL INSTRUMENT.

wedding day OF Miriam Brooks. The
friends who offered congratulations on
the auspicious occasion had less need
than usual to reconcile truth and good
manners; for that she was pretty and as
good as she was beautiful was fact
generally conceded, even on days when
she was not necessarily the objective
point of all compliments; and that the
character of Tom, her husband, both
financially and morally, was such as is
supposed to form firm basis for the
construction Of prosperous life, was
equally evident.
AS If this were not enough, the happy
pair had been fitted out for their new
career by the brides parents with every
reasonable material contrivance for
comfort and pleasure which a good, but
nos extravagant architect could devise
and first-class furnishing warehouse
could further.
4 The first suggestion of the imperfec-
tion which characterizes every mortal
state and puts its mark on every human
endeavor, came into this new joint life
when Aunt Cecilia-Tom's aunt, or his
fairy godmother, as lie called her
made her first morning visit to the
bride and tour of inspection of the
house.
"Look at my beautiful new piano,
MRS. mean Aunt Cecilia" said
Miriam, as she led the way into pleas
ant room with wide outlook towards the
south, supposed to be devoted more in
timately to family purposes than the
general reception-room. I'm afraid 1T
was extravagant TO buy it just now, but
you know want to do all / can to make
home attractive to Tom-and little
music now and then odds so much"
And Miriam looked to the older woman
for the approval which perhaps her own
conscience did not wholly give. She
was little disappointed.
"Yes," said Aunt Cecilia, quietly; "a
home without music Is worse than n
flower without fragrance; but ! have
not been accustomed to look upon a
piano as an essential TO that end. IN
my old home there was another instru-
ment which was thought much more
important to q well-ordered house, and
each little girl was carefully taught the
use of 1t, so that when she carried it
with her into her husbands home ii
was very important part of her outfit.
The spell its music exercised was a
powerful one, little understood here,
but quite as useful in driving away the
blues and other family pests as was the
famous pipe which freed THE town Of
Hamlin from rats"
Miriam was not yet tsufficiently posted
in her husbands family history to
know where the "old home" was which
Aunt Cecilia referred to, though it
was evident, from the infection and
quality of her voice, II from nothing
else, that she was native-born Ameri-
can. But before the bride could sat
isfy her curiosity on this point, or as
to the strangely seductive fiddle or
horn which was in vogue there, other
callers interrupted the conversation
which was not destined to be taken
up again for many long day.
And some of the days which followed
were all too long for the mistress of
Crows Nest, as the pretty home was
called. Not that things went wrong;
q tragedy would not have been so duly
tiresome. Tom did not take to drink I;
he came home punctilioaaly to dinner
every day, and showed ais wife that
Difference and courtesy which self
respecting man never omits except be-
cause Re does NOS understand its sig
nificance.
1t was after dinner that the rub came
---at the hour when her youthful imagi-
nation had depicted the cheerful glow
of lamp and freight falling upon a
sheet Of music they two should be
scanning together, or on the book
which she should read aloud to her
weary but contented lord. These pic
lures had remained fancy sketches for
the most. part through the accumulat-
Ing years of married life.
Tom grew more and more inclined
TO excuse himself for quiet hour In
his den. The children seemed to find
nurses grooming voice better prepara-
tion for the bedtime hush than any
thing mamma could say or sing to them,
and the young men from the neighbor-
Ing institution of learning, who were
always dropping into Mrs. Heard's par
lor for bit of advice or encourage
ment seemed never to find out that
Mrs. Brooks would be glad to serve her
day and generation as gracefully as
that plain little woman in the next
house evidently had knack Of do
Ing.
Miriam being, as ! have limited, a
sensible woman, began to look the situ-
alton In the face, hoping by dint of self.
criticism to find out what she lacked