Year: 1861

"When I marry I'll better my condition
not make it worse" was the unspoken thought
of more than one.


Where are you boarding." asked Mr..
Blair, indifferently, two or three weeks after
Adrian's marriage


Nowhere, was replied; eve are at house
keeping"


What"


"At housekeeping


"What is your rent ?''


"Two hundred dollars, and half that INV
wife, good little wife: is to pay in music les
sons to our landlords daughters We have
two pleasant rooms in a third story. 1 fur
nished these with the money it would have
taken for the usual bridal tour. Rosa has the
use of the kitchen, and insists on doing her
own cooking and housework for the present.
1 demurred, and do demur, but she says that
work is worship, if performed conscientious
ly and dutifully, as she is performing it. And,
with all this, we are very happy, Mr.. Blair,
as you shall witness Tomorrow you must 90
home with me, take tea, and spend the even
ing"


Mr.. Blair accepted the invitation. He had
met Rosa, occasionally, before her marriage,
and knew her to be bright, accomplished
young woman, fitted to move in refined and
intelligent circles, and he felt some curiosity
to see her in the new position of mistress and
maid to her own household. The Third Ave-
nue. cars bore the two men a long, long way
from the citys throbbing heart to the more
quiet exterior, where they alighted, and. after
q short walk, entered modest looking house
with well tended shrubbery in the little front
garden. To the third story they ascended,
and there the young wife met them. Not
blushing and with stammering apologies for
their poor home, but with such ease and sweet
self possession and such loving smiles about
her lips-that Mr.. Blair felt himself ut once
transferred to an earthly paradise. As soon
time came for observation, he took note of
what was around him


The furniture of the room into which he had
been ushered, could scarcely have been plain
er. In the centre stood a small breakfast table;
covered with snowy cloth, and set for three
persons. Four cane-seat chairs, a work stand
hanging shelf for books, a mantel ornament
or two OF no special value, an ingram carpet
on the floor, and plain white curtains looped
back with blue ribbons, made up the complete
inventory. No, not the complete inventory
for there was piano against the wall, the
dark case and plain style Of which showed il
to be no recent purchase. The instrument had
been Rosa's, as the Observant visitor correctly
inferred


After pleasant talk of some minutes Resa
left the room, and not long after returned,
bearing tray on which were tea, toast, but
ter, biscuit, cold tongue and sweetmeats. A
beautiful glow was on her face as she entered
but nothing of shame or hurt pride. With her
own fair hands she arranged the table, and
then took her place at the head, to serve her
husband and his friend.


The heart of Mr.. Blair glowed and stirred
with new impulse as he looked into the PURE.
sweet, happy face OF the young wife, as she
poured tho tea, and served the meal which
she had prepared


After supper, Rosa removed the tea things,
and was absent nearly half an hour. She re-
turned through her chamber, which adioined
their little parlOr, breakfast and sitting room,
all in one, with just the slightest change in her
attire, and looking as fresh, happy and beau
THU, rs II entering drawing room filed with
company. The evening passed in reading,
music, and pleasant conversation. AS MI
Blair was about retiring, Adrian said:


Do you think, now, that we were fools to
marry?'


Rosa stood with her hands drawn within one
arm of her husband, and clasped; and with a
face radiantly happy.


No, not fools, but wise as others might be,
if they were courageous enough to do as YOU
have done, Mrs. Adrian,' and he took the
young wife hand. :" honor your bravery.
your independence, your true love, that was
not overshadowed by worldlinesS, that mil
dew OF the heart, that blight on your social
life. You are thousand times happier in





ing wife, or slave to external appearance, can
ever be-"


u love my husband, and I live for him -
Rosa leaned closer to the manly form by her
side. 81 understood. when we married, that
he was life toiler; that our home would be
established and sustained by the work of his
hands; and / understood as well that was
not his superior, but only his equal and that
If 1T was right and honorable for him to work,
1t would be no less right and honorable for
me. Was it to sit idle and havo a servant to
wait on me, when his was let of toll? No
no-no. had my part to perform as we'll as
he, and am performing it to the best of my
ability"


90 You are a true woman, a wise woman, a
good woman" said Mr. Blair, with ardor.
and you will be as happy as you deserve to
be. L thought Harry fool to marry on a
thousand dollars, and 1 told him So But
take back my words. If such women as YOU
were plentiful, we could all marry, and find
our salaries ample. "Good night, and may
God bless you"


And the bachelor clerk, who could not afford
to marry on fifteen hundred a year, went to
his lonely home-lonely, though thiokly peo-
pled--and sitting down in his desolate cham
Der, dreamed of the sweet picture of domestic
felicity he had seen, and sighed for q sweet
hiding place from the world, and all its false
protection and heartless show.