The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1913-11-02

were conscious that you yourself were not
entirely free from a like stain on your
own person?
. The fatal African dye as you well
known, had found its way into your abode
as well as mine, and at the time had
scattered spots and specks over your body
as black as the skin on my arm, and
although you have by certain abras.ons
and other applications taken them in
some measure out there are visible re-
mains which ought to soften at least
your language when rejecting on my sit
uation.
/" You ought surely when you have so
slowly and imperfectly relieved yourself
from a notifying stair-although the
task was comparatively so easy-to have
some forbearance and sympathy with me
whose task is so much more difficult to
perform. Instead of that you abuse me
as If l had brought the misfortune on
myself and would increase it at Will, or
as If you had pointed out a ready way
to do it, and l had sighted your advice
Yet so far is this from being the case
that you know as well as do that l am
not to blame for the origin of the sad
mis-shape. You know that / am as an
xious as you to get ride of 1t and that
you are as unable as ] am to find out
a safe and feasible plan for the purpose.
Moreover, I have done everything could
in the meantime to mitigate an evil that
shall soon be emedied.
" When you talk of tearing off the skin
or of cutting off the unfortunate limb,
must / remind you OF what you cannot
be ignorant, that the most sSullful sur
geons have given their opinions that III
so cruel an operation could be tried 1t
could hardly fail to be followed by morti-
fication or bleeding to death. Let me
ask, too. whether should neither of these
rs.A
better in my mangled or mutilated con-
dition than you do now? And when yot,
threaten a divorce and an annulment of
the marriage settlement, may | not ask
whether your estate would not suffer as
much as. mine by dissolving the partner
ship between them?'
After saying the above, Mary continues
in the following remarkable para graph,
showing that the south even then ex-
pected the aid of England in case it
should have an anti-slavery war with the
North.
" I am far from saying that feel the
advantage of having the pledges of your
arm, your stronger arm, il you please,
for the protection of me and mine, and
that my interests In general have been
and must continue to be the better for
your aid and counsel In the mana cement
of them. But, on the other hand. you
must be equally sensible that the aid OF
my purse will have its value in the hands
of Old Bull (England), or any other rich,
lit'gious fellow who puts us TO the ex-
pense of another tedious lawsuit "
The next paragraphs of the novel take
up the charge that the south is not then
paying Its share of the taxes. and Mary
shows that the agricultural south has In
its slaves more mouths to feed, and hence
must buy more than the north, and,
therefore, pay more in indirect taxes. 1t
shows that the manufacturing north,
making great part of the goods II uses,
must pay less, that IL has the shipp ng
that carries the southern EXPORTS and
altogether that the business advantages
of the union are on Johns side rather
than hers. She then continues her pro-
test against possible divorce, as fol-
lows:
:" I mention this as I have already said.
not by way of complaint for I am we'll
satisfied that your gain is not altogether
my loss in this more than in many other
Instances, and that what profits you inn
mediately may profit me also in the long
run. But / will not dwell on these CAL
eulations and comparisons OF interests for
when l consult my own heart and call
to mind all the endearing proofs you had