Year: 1860

1t was the misfortune of my friend, how
ever, to have embarked his property in large
speculations; he had not been married many
months, when by succession of sudden
disasters it was swept from him, and he found
himself reduced almost to penury. For a
time he kept his situation to himself and
went about with haggard countenance and
breaking heart. His life was but a pro.
tracted agony and what rendered it more
insupportable was the necessity of keeping
up smile in the presence of his wife for
be could not bring himself to everwhelm
her with the news. She saw, however, with
the quick eye of affection that all was not
well with him She marked his altered looks
and sti1ed sighs, and was not to be deceived
by his sickly and vivid attempts at. cheerful
ness. She tasked all her sprightly power
and Establishments to win him back to hap
piness but she only drove the arrow deeper
into his soul. The more he saw cause to
love her, the more torturing was the thought
}hat he was soon to make her wretched.
A little while, thought he, and the smile
will vanish from that cheek-the song will
die away from those lips-the lustre of those
eyes will be quenched with sorrow and the
happy heart which now beats lightly in that
bosom will be weighed down like mine, by
the cares and miseries of the world.


At length he came to me one day and
related his whole situation in tone of deep
dispair. When I heard him through, I in
quired. "Does your wife know all this ?"
At the question he burst into an agony of
tears. +" For Gods sake !" cried he, 'if you
have any pity on me, don't mention my wife;
it is the thought Of her that drives me almost
to Madness"


"And why not ?" said I. "She must
know it sooner or later you cannot keep it
long from her, and the intelligence may
break upon her in more startling manner
than if impaired by yourself; for the accents
OF those we love soften the harsher tidngs.
Besides, you are depriving yourself of the
comfort Of sympathy; and not merely that,
but endangering the only bond that can keep
hearts together-an unreserved community
of thought and feeling. She will soon
perceive that something is secretly preying
upon your mind, and true love will not brook
reserve; it feels undervalued and outraged,
when even the sorrows of those it loves are
COnCealeU lrOlu IL.


40! but my friend to think what a
blow 1 am going to give to all her future
prospects. How l am to strike her very
soul to the earth, by telling her that her
husband is beggar! that she is to forego
all the elegancies nj life-all the pleasures of
gay society-.to shrink with me into indulgence
and obscurity! 10 tell her that 1 have
dragged her down from thesphere in which
she might have continued to move in constant
brightness--the light of every eye-the
admiration OF every heart How can she
bear poverty ?--she has been the idol of
society. Oh it will break her heart, it will
break her heart"


saw his grief was eloquent, and let it
have its flow for sorrow relieves itself by
words. When bis paroxysm had subsided,
and be had relapsed into moody silence,
resumed the subject gently, and urged him
to break his situation at once to his wife.
He shook his head mournfully but positively.


But how are you to keep it from her
1t is necessary that she should know it, that
you may take the steps proper to the
alteration of your circumstances. You must
change your style of living observing
pang to pass across his countenance, "don't
let US aM ct you. am sure you have never
placed your happiness in outward show
you have yet triends-warm friends, who
will not think the worse of you for being
less spie9didIy lodged and surely it does
not require a palace to be happy with
Mary"


l could live with her," he cried,
convulsively, Gin hovel l could go down
with her into poverty and the dust! could
could-God bless her," cried be, bursting
into transport of grief and tenderness.


"And believe me, my friend," said 1,
stepping up and grasping him warmly by the
haud, "beiieve me, she can be the same with
you. Ay, more; it will be source of pride
and triumph to her-it will call forth all the
latent energies and fervent sympathies of
her pature; for she will rejoice to prove
that she loves you for yourself. There is
l. every true wOman's heart spark of
heavenly fire which lies dormant in the broad
daylight OF prosperity but which kindles
up. and beams and biazes in the dark hour
OF adpersity. No man knows what the wife
of bis bosom is-nO man knows what
minsleripg angel she is-untl be has gone
with her through the fiery trials of this
word --v .a.,. . % len


l'fhere was something in the earnestness
ofmy mauuer, and the 6gurative style of
my language that caught the excited
Imagination Oi Leslie. / knew the auditor
l had To deal With and following up the
impression l had made. l. finished by
pursuad'og him. to go home, and unburden
his sad heart to his wife. -


Imust confess, Notwithstanding all l had
said, felt some little solicitude for the
result. Who can calculate on the fortitude
of one whose life has been round of
pleasu-e2 Her gay spirit might revolt at
the dark, downward path OF low humility
suddenly pointed out before, and might