Year: 1875

than sixty years old, who was taken
from an honorable business avocation,
in which she had been eminently success
ful, to become wife. Like many 9TH
ers of her sex, she was mistaken in her
husband-not that he had what are
called vices, for of these he had none.
He neither drank, gambled, nor fire.
quened clubs, nor had he any immoral
proclivities. But he did not believe
that wife should know anything of her
husbands business affairs, which idea
also comprehended that he did not be-
lieve she could understand them The
truth was that he did not know his wife.
1t happened, however, that he went to
her whenever his affairs became desper-
ately straitened, and, by means of her
severe economy, often managed to extri-
cate himself Once when he had fool
ishly exhausted his income in building
additions to old houses or in expensive
repairs for exacting tenants, for which
his bills came in fast, she patiently
showed him how to change certain in
vestments, proposing to take stores in
lieu of those absorbing houses-a sue
cessful change. She gave up valuable
servants, and executed an amount of
work with her needle which seemed al
most incredible, besides drilling in raw
people at low wages, to take partially
the place of those she felt obliged to re-
linquish. She instituted kind of do
nestle economy, than which nothing
could be more admirable and praisewor-
thy. And yet, with all this, she never
gained her husbands regard or conf
dence. He would come to her to get
him out Of his tight places" as he
called them, but when he had gotten
out, and was doing apparently well again,
he ceased to consult her, never telling
her how far his income ought to go, nor
whether he had anything left after pay
ing general expenses. He chose to re-
linquish business after some years IAN
illjudged step under the circumstances.
He had some small capital however, and
his wife ventured to suggest certain pur-
chases of real estate, but he disregarded
her advice. She mentioned to him four
different chances for investment, all of
| which have since doubled or trebIed in
other hands, but he would not listen to
her. Much against her wishes he pur-
| chased an old fashioned house for his
family to live in, and spent more on its
repairs than new one would have cost.
He sold it subsequently at price that
would scarcely meet the original outlay.
He agreed to sell valuable pieces of
property, while she was positively refus-
ing to sign her name to the transfer, and
was afterward compelled to give her sig
nature on being told that +" the property
was his, not hers, and he would do what
he pleased with his own" Still her
work went on-mending, patching, 60
ing to market for frugality, keeping her


house clean and neat, and her children
clothed with her own handiwork. Ger
tain property was under mortgage; she
hoped to save something to pay this, and
never took sugar in her tea, hoping to
make even that an item in her rigorous
economy. But, though his wife's infu-
ence was of SO little consideration, he
gave his confidence to an intriguing man
of no honor and little credit, who had


become known to him through some for
mer business connections. This man be-
guiled him made him assume the very
investments against which the wife had
demonstrated borrowed money from
him which he never intended to repay,
almost entangling this weak-minded hus-
band in network of bankruptcy. So
years went on, the poor wife expecting
sanguinely that the time would arrive
when she would be living upon an as
sured income and see the reward of her


hard and unremitting labor in an easy
old age. Alas such was his promise


and such her hope. But hope is delu.
sive. He had broken his promise and
deceived her in all his transactions his


whole income was pledged to pay notes
on bogus stock and other fancy invest


ments against which she had hefore
strenuously protested, and would still


have warned him had he confded to her


what he was abont. 1t was found by


careful calculation that if had placed


$4,000, which he had received by in


heritance, into such estates as she had


proposed he would have been worth in


less than six years, more than double
the amount of the legitimate Investment.
Nearly thirty years had this careful wo-
man been wife, assisting judiciously in
the education of her children, studying
character, and the vast internal growth
Of our eity-capable of being the ad-
| ..,,o- ,,F bor b,slanJ ;n oI ,L;.. -