The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-01-16

eXpec' they pinch you, ana tnlS uaiip
weather corns always seems TO swell.
Take EN- off, my dear, and put on my
carpets.
Mrs. easy Immediately bent forward
and took off her boots. They were very
old and very shabby, and could scarce
ly have pressed the most sensitive 1901.
Shortly after the supper had been
| finished and cleared away they pre-
pared for bed. Mrs. easy undressed
her husband, who was singularly neip-
less even for blind man; then she
washed his hands and his face, ana
they knelt down side by side ana seio
the Lords Prayer in their old quaVer-
ing voices as they had done every
night and morning for all the years OF
their simple lives.
This room had bounded those lives.
They had always had the same occu-
patton from their youth upwards, ana
their married life had been quite UNI
eventful with no joys except what they
had made for each other and no sor-
rows except poverty. They had never
known actual want, and even when the
old man lost his sight it was possible
for Mrs. easy to support them both.
OF course it involved Self-denial on her
mart. and the strain on her energies
was greater than she realized. she
was happy in sacrificing herself. Inc
want of children had never been felt
by the man, but in her though she SAID
nothing. and even realized that child
lessness might in their circumstances
be a blessing, the mother-instinct was
strong. and SO it gave her a certain
I
upon her and need her, and be as de-
pendent on her as any BABY Only d.
&C it is not always easy to answer every
call upon ones strength and energies.
Long after she had fallen asleep easy
lay wakeful. He was ponderlng no"
he could help her. In the morning ne
said:
"Henerietta, 1--we been thinking that
you take too much exercise. You am
to go aud fetch uppers to-day. II
get little Bessie from next door TO
guide me, and then / can bring EN-
back for you"
Mrs. easy argued the point she
enjoyed the fresh air. she said, when
she went to fetch work.; but easy was
firm. He declared the only condition
on which he would let her go would be
that she wore his boots, and as TINS
necessitate his staying at home, she
yield I'd at last with bad grace.
Casy was in some things as yielding
as a child: in others, unreasonably OBJ
stinate When he got the idea that to
wear her boots was bad for Mrs easy s
corn, no argument on her part availed
He believed it was merely her selfish
ness which made her willing to go for
the work herself, and that therefore he
had q right not to let her follow her
own desires Henceforth Mrs. easy only
enjoyed such fresh air as was admitted
by her little window. However, as she
did not spend time going to and from
the warehouse, she got through more
work and was able TO spare halfpenny
a week for Bessie as wages for looking
after Thomas.
Still in spite OF these precautions,
Mrs. Casys corn did not seem to i'm
prove that is to say, Casy's quick
ear would sometimes catch a half
stifed groan. He had never known
his Wife to suffer before, and his SYM
patty might possibly have seemed dis
proportionate to the cause We're it not
that love justifies such exaggeration,
anu tNtH IldhtS IL Oteiulilul+ w I'LL -"
interests, and those all conferred in one
being, and debarred as he was even
from the distraction of labor-for in do
ing everything for him perhaps his wife
had encouraged his helplessness-it was
not unnatural that he should brood on
this subject At any rate, he did APP
parantiy wonder what could be done,
for one evening he said suddenly:
.tHenerietta. I've made up my mind
to give up my pipe for a spell"
Whatever should you do that for?"
inquired Mrs easy with surprise, for he
had never made any secret of the en-
joymant he got out of his small week
ly allowance of shay.
1--WE been a-thinkin',' said he medi-
tatively, las it Id teach me self-dehial
bit. / don't think as we'd oughter be
bouad to our comforts
There amt no call,'' said she de-
oidedly. 1T amt as if you was selfish
or bound up in them things"
."That's So" replied easy, but still
tit Id interest me to see the money
accommodate a bit If you'd give me
the pennies, could drop EN- into a box
and watch 'em mount up"
1T seems to me, Thomas Mrs. easy
remarked with undue severity for she
scented a motive in this fad of her JUS
band's), that you are deloodin' your
self 1t amt self-denial to shove a
pleasure on one side and put another
in It's place. If you Id enjoy saving
them pennies, you might just as well
enjoy smokin' the 'baccy."
This wisdom appeared unanswerable,
and Mrs easy thought she had gained
the day. But she was mistaken. When
she gave easy his pipe in the even
| ing and he began to smoke it, she was
not without a thrill of triumph that her
common sense had conquered, but the
triumph was short-lived easy took
a few puffs, then he made grimace,
and laid down the pipe.
"Henerietta," he said, I'm off 'bacy
for a Bit
Amt it good?"
ooh, 1 don't find no fault with it,
but I'm off it. I don't seem to relish it.
| expec' it don't agree with me over
well, and natures a-protestin'. She
have that way of dom it, I've heerd.
She turns you agin what you'd ought
or rejec'. Maybe, when my stomicks
ready for it, / shall fancy it agin.''
SO he got his way, and the pennies
| accumulated, though not very fast.
When there We're nine of them he took
them out of the box and slipped them
into his pocket, Mrs easy being too
used to seeing him play with them to
notice what he did.
That day he took back some shoes,
and obtained materials for fresh work.
He had hidden Bess look out for the
chemists shop where he had once made
inquiries, and he brought back some