Year: 1869

Of the mind she had taste for the beau. |
Ties of our literature, and was accustomed /
to enjoy the classics in fblios but Nc in-
sisted on her reading them In dtamond |
editions.


These were the main points of the story
she told me, with many tears, and i'm a |
that would have touched heart
of stone. When she paused she drew out
a handkerchief 10 wipe her eyes, and In
doing So she accidentally brought out OF
her pocket a garment which turned out to
be the dwarfs gteat-coat, and which had
found Its way there IN 4 ihanHof she could
not account for extehs that she had taken
1t up unkndwihgly in one of those period
ioM fits of mental distraction caused by
her husbands brutal behavior. 1t often
happened, she Informed me, that she fell
into little mistakes of this kind in tidyirg
up the place but Nipnihit made no al.
lOwance for them ,ch Me contrary, they
served hin, as excuses for further ill-trcat
meft, and he had once indulged in horri1
excesses of violence because She had mad
vertently made an apronstrirS oil his
dress-eravat.


s 1 took my leave Of her without waiting
to see the dwarf, and told her in all sim
certify. how sorry | felt to sec her thus
placed in the power of tyrant, felt that
whatever my own misfortupes Nele. in
losing her services, they We're as nothing
compared with her own surrendering her
freedom and happiness toa wretch who
did not know the value of his position and
Twas so anxious to be of service to her
that made up my mind 10 open my own
poor show at the other end of the town, in
order that might have an opportunity of
seeing her from time to time. | did so,
and made several calls, paying for adnis


sion each time, for | was determined to be
in no way beholden to a man detestcd.


Itwas beautiful to see her IN the inter
walls of the levees toying to become good


wife TO Minnikin, not only performing fhe


household work with the greatest care,
andmaking the puddings so smallthat they
looked like dumplings in her hand, but
even trying to bring her caracidts mind


into harmony wieh the narrow under


standing of her lord. Her views were


naturally broader than, his, for his head
was certainly not larger than Spanish


onion, but she tried to narrow them by all


the means in her power, and sometimes she
succeeded by a great effort in forming a
false Judgment on one of the subjects of


the day. She would bring this out along


with the materials for his supper, and if he
| deigned to say that he was inclined to be


of her opinion, the headache 1t had cost
her to blunt her fine perceptions and ia
| do violence to her conscience would im


mediately pass away,


But all TO no purpose One day / called
upon her and found her so agitated she
could scarcely speak. That morning the
| ruffian had added personal violence to his
| other crimes. He loved to dabble in house
| hold affairs, and she was holding him on
her arm, according to custom, to enable
| him to clean the windows of their dwell
| ing when an opinion she CHANGED to eX
press in favor of the abolition of the slave
| trade in Brazil excited his ire, and hi
| struck Der blow on the head with SC


much force that it hurt his thumb.


could endure it no longer Great a.
was my reluctance to interfere actively in
the quarrels of married pair, felt con
| strained to give her certain advice. She
said it was as novel as it was terrible tC
| her thoughts; and she &t first felt extreme
| ly reluctant to take it. Imade her promise


me, however, before we parted that, sht
would give it a trial az < Z


Exulting in.the license given to his eyi


nature by the removal of the last barrie


to the free course of his temper whicl


duty and manly feeling had imposed, th,
| uWdIl TGHSWCu HIS JlllGdIS vi lll-lIGdJlnbll
on his return home that night from
| carouse, and the next morning he com


manded the trembling woman, in voic
of thunder, to take him up in her arm


again that he might finish the top panes
| In vain she suggested pair of steps; h


was inexorable, and told her to hold he
tongue. Unfortunately, it was impossible


for her to control her eyes He was using


the dry duster with great energy to i'm
part the final polish, when he discoveret


on it traces of a tear which it had caugh


as it lay in its resting-place on her shoulder


He turned savagely and was about to strik
her again, when she very deliberately lie


him fall and in less than minute h


came to the ground with horrible noisC


Half stunned as he was, however, h


was about to rise for retaliation, not doubl


ing that his punishment was owing to he


inadvertence, when she saved him the e


fort by lifting him in mid-air with on


hand, in the same way as one lifts favor


ite cat, and, with the other, belaborin


him till the dust flew out of his little Goa


She then, although it was early in the da,


put him to bed, and ordered hil


not to utter syllable for his lif


He was so much astonished and S


frightened that hitherto he had not bee


able to speak but no sooner did he fin


himself in temporary quiet, than he madea


effort to regain his moral supremacy b
opening his mouth. But his wife at onC
assumed determined expression of coul


tenancc, and he gave way. He hid h
head beneath the bedclothes, and lay qui


still in that position the rest of the day.
was quite revelation TO him that 81
could hit so hard, and he reflected on
with considerable profit.


As for the gentle creature who had a
ministered the lesson to him, as soon
her first excitement was over, she fC
| quite broken down, and she was Obliged


close the show for the day, "in cons
J quence of the indisposition of the pr0pri
| tor" as the notice stated. After she HI
! done that, and placed a little refreshme
on a chair by Minnikin's bedside, s.
: withdrew to her own room, where s.
: spent some time in weeping over loy
| letter written on the back of railwj
ticket, and little wisp of hair, whi
were the sole memorials of affection S
5 had ever received from her cruel lord.
. She was sorry, and if the truth must
? told, afraid, for such was the influence
, habit that it was difficult for her to diyC
l herself of the belief that Minnikin "
: physically, as well as morally, the We
l embodiment Of irresistible force. s
. thought her present victory over him W
Z entirely due to chance and her own W
I temerity, and she fully expected to feel
: weight of his vengeance on the MORO
! At the very moment these reflections we
: passing through her mind, Minnikin W
J, asking himself in a kind of. siekening +
s ror whetherit was likely she would b,
e him again that day So that each, as
r see, knowing nothing of the fright of t
Q other, was ready to give in and veto


was only awaiting to declare for the fl
: claimant. Ar> o fryr FVV
q Matters wereiu this state, when IramC
Q sikoff, with scarcely concealed terror, :
i tered the room where Minnikin lay,
; the morning, and began making the pref
6 rations for a simple meal She carr
e the cups and saueeFs most tenderly I
d their rattle should wake the terrible cr
+ ture, who, she hoped, was as yet uuc,
D seiOus of her presence, for she had
It dared TO look. The terrible creature,
II his part, was awake enough, and v
" noiselessly shifting about beneath