Year: 1879

All, me | looked forward to happy
old age with that dear wife, but in two
years she was killed by railway acci>
dent. | was with her on the train and
was badly hurt, lying for weeks in a
state Of unconsciousness. When l re-
covered, my dear wie's grave was green.
felt so bad and my health was so poor
that | did not care for woman again
until all my children were married, and
was left alone with my four old ladies'.
Then l met pretty little romantic wid-
ow, who was so sorry for mo She
wrote poetry and painted pictures, and
was dying all the while of consumption
that scourge of our oity-and thought
as she had to struggle to take care of her
self and her husbands mother, l would
smooth her passage to the grave


So | married her and her mothar-I
mean--well, you knew what | mean. l
treated her mother in law just as did
the other old ladies, and that wife lived
seven years after all. l made her so
happy that she adored me, and we had
the sweetest baby yoa ever saw oh
what lovely creature that child was-a
little angel She lived only three years
and then faded away. But have sew
eral beautiful pictures Of her painted by
her mother"


And did you have no trouble with
that mother-in-law ?"


Not while her daughter, in-law lived;
she was always taking care of her sick
child and grandchild. But when EN-,
ma was gone and all seemed quiet again
the old lady wanted to marry mel"


What! Emma's motherin in law ?"


Yos She was handsome woman
still, and she knew it. About my age,
and no relation whatever, and she set her
cap at me !"


"And that made commotion in the
house |"


Woll, yes. Yes II did. never
knew my mother to get into II real rage
till then. She ,eds mad! She told me
to go right off and get u young wite--the
younger the better Then L got mad
stormed away ut all my old ladies to-
gether threatened to break up house.
keeping and turn them out upon the
world away from tho pleasant home
which they had enjoyed So long that they
really believed TO be theirs. Finally [
declared | would have them in it, to fight
/ like Kilkenny cats, while | would live mt
hotel in the city. And kept my word.
! | lived at one hotel after another, but
always went home on Saturday nights TO
go to church the next morning as usual,
and take my old ladies for drive in the
afternoon as usual, so that the neighbors
should not DO gossiping about us.


How good they were TO mo then
They lived together like nest of kittensi
But my mother assured me that peace
would not last long ii lived at home
without a wife so when l met "A pretty
little orphan girl who had not a relative
in the world | told her all about my af-
fairs and the sweet creature with tears OF
pity in her eyes consented to marry me.
and be good to my old ladies. And she
has kept her word, both letter and spirit
and am thankful that life has given me.
SO many blessings !"


just .hen young Mrs. B--returned,
and though observed through the even
ing that her manner towards her husband
was more that of a beloved aud loving
daughter than Of IA wife, yet she appeared
more sereney happy than any woman
remember ever TO have seen. h


This story is from life excepting that
have changed all the names. Sol B
has been dead some years the will that
he loft was just as manly as his other
acts -" ID. H." IN NeW York Mat.