Year: 1879




"Well-to-he-surew


The old lady took off her spectacles
| and sat down. She had often looked
forward to this occasion, and all the
possible circumstances she had fore
seen had been different from the reali-
ty-except one condition, which, as it
rested with herself, was in her own
hands. This was, that her first duty
would be to remember that Edwrrd
must marry to please himself, and
that she must look at his wife through
his eyes.


"And, indeed" she said, with pa
thetic laugh, I've hardly got to try to
do that, for it really seems as if Ed
ward, in his choice, had looked
through my eyes instead of his own.
There's no denying that Lydia Ray
will be a pleasanter daughter-in-law
to me than ninety-nine out of hun
dred. She won't want everything
changed and chopped about | have
known what that loud-talking Mrs.
Rowe has had in her mind, when she
has come here and looked about and
said, If this was my house [ should
do so and so, and have such and SUCH
Still, my boy did seem worthy of all
that is sweetest and best In woman
kind. And why should | seem to
imply that Lydia Ray is less than that?
Perhaps the angels see a younger
heart in her than in many red
checked girl. If only-but if is
little word that can be slipped in in
i l.,
my boy; I'll not tell him that Lydia
Ray has set trap and caught him,
for that is only what | always felt l
did myself with his dear father; but
I'll tell him that what pleases him
pleases me, and that it seems in this
matter as if what pleases me pleases
him."


The dear old woman left her candle
out. ide her sons door. He took her
kind words very quietly, and put up
his hand and gently squeezed the fin
gers she passed tenderly over his hair.
But when she was gone, he turned bis
face to the wall, and who shall say if,
in the darkness there came few hot
tears? With his own hand he thus
put away forever all that most men
call the romance of existence He had
thought to do a slight kindness, and
the sacrifice of a lifetime had fallen
upon him. 1t must fall now, on him
or on Lydia. He was the stronger;
he had had most happiness hitherto.
Even this would not blight his life so
thoroughly as her life would be
blighted otherwise. And she was a
good woman, and might have been so
pretty and attractive if she had had
fair chance! lie men, on all hands,
regardless of the highest happiness of
the heart, married for money, for con-
nection, for comfort, was he not free
to surrender his to save from humilia-
ton, and to give peace and Joy to, a
patient creature, who had lived so
long and so we'll without them?


It was heroism which grew out of
a weakness. But more heroisms do
that than we always care to fancy.
We all do wrong, for we are all, as
simple folks say, mortal" But some
of US choose to suffer as far as we can
for our own errors, rather than to in
flict that suffering on others, even on
those whose own mistakes may have
originated our errors.


That very night DIR. Edward Hardy
took up his cross, none the less a cross
because it showed to others as gro
tesque.


And this is the story which answers
the standard Dinnent question, "Why
did DR., Hardy marry Miss Ray?"


But only the other day, when that
was asked in the hearing of stranger,
that stranger answered, "Why?-be-
cause she's the pleasantest woman in
the place, of course, and her three
children are the incest and handsomest
in all Dinnent" Her deafness gradu-
ally lessened until it is nothing at all,
or only something which gives her
winning way of waiting ON ones
words. One thing is very certain,
that while other people have grown
older, Lydia Hardy has grown young.
er. Some people say we are all young
once, and perhaps, if we miss our
youth at one end of our life we get it
at the other. As for the doctor, when
he married he certainly did grow very
sober and staid, which was good for
him professionally, as some people had
hardly liked to trust him before. But
after while, perhaps when his re-
sponsibilities weighed less upon him
perhaps when he felt his reputation
was quite established, he gradually
to his own self and his own
old merry ways To look at him, one
would say that bearing a cross was
not unwholesome exercise. 1t is a
very curious thing that when anything
is said in their presence about pro-
posals of marriage, Dr. and Mrs. Har-
ly had been seen to look at each other
and to smile very significantly. How
much can she know? Is it possible
that he has told her all, because at
last he can end the story by saying
heartily, "And if it was to do again,
wife, | hope you'd do the same!