Year: 1872

| HeYeS Itself by words When his
paroxism had subsided, and he had
relapsed into moody silence, I re-
sumed the subject geAtly, and urged
him at once to break his situation al
once to his wife. He shook his head
mOurnfully, but positively.


''But how are you to keep it from
her? It is necessary that she should
know it, that you may take steps
proper to the alteration OF your cir
cumstances. You must change you1
style of Lving-nay," observing a
pang to pass across his countenance,
"don't let that af1ict you. lam sure
you have never placed your happi-
ness in outward show-you have vet
warm friends, warm friends, who
viii not think the worse of you for
being less splendidly lodged: and
surely it does not require palace to
be happy with Mary -"


81 could be happy with her," cried
he, convulsively, sin a howell could
go down into poverty and dust!
could-I coUld-I could-God bless
her-God bless her!" cried be, burst
ing into a transport of grief and
tenderness.


"And believe me, my friend, said
/, stepping up, and grasping him
warmly by the hand, F'believe me she
can be the same with you. Aye,
more: it viii be q source of triumph
and pride to her-it will call forth
all the latent energies and fervent
sympathies of her nature; for she
will rejoice to prove that she loves
| you for yourself. There is in every
true woman's heart q spark of
heavenly fire which lies dormant in
the broad daylight of prosperity; but
which kindles up, and beams and
blazes in the dark hour of adversely.
No man knows what the wife of his
bosom is-no man knows what a
ministering angel she is-until he
has gone with her through the fiery
trials of this world"


There was som mething in the
earnestness in my manner, and the
fgurative style OF my language, that
caught the imagination of Leslie.
knew the auditor I had TO deal
with; and following up the impress
sion l had made, l finished by per-
suading him to go home agd unbur-
den his sad heart to his wife.


l must confess, Notwithstanding
all I had said, I felt some little So
licitUde for the result. Who can
calculate on the fortitude of one
whose life has been round of pleas
ures? Her gay spirits might revolt
IN the dark, downward path of hui
miity suddenly pointed out before
her, and might cling to the the sur
ny regions in which they had hither-
to reveled. Besides, ruin in fashion
able life is accompanied by so many
CALLING notifications, to which in
other rank it is a stranger. In short,
l could not meet Leslie the next
morning without trepidation. He
had made the disclosure.


"And how did she bear it?"


''Like an ANGEL It seemed to be
rather relief to her mind, for she
threw her arms around my neck and
asked if this was all that had lately
made me unhappy. But, poor girl, ]"
added he, 'she cannot realize the
change we must undergo. She has
no idea ofpoverty but in the abstract;
she has only read of it in poetry,
where it is allied to love. She feels
as yet no privation; she suffers no
loss of accustomed conveniences nor
elegaress. When we come practi-
cally to experience its sordid cares,
it's paltry wants, it's petty humilia-
tions-then will be the real trial"


But, said l, ''now that you have
got over the severest task, that OF
breaking it to her, the sooner you
let the world into the secret the
better. The disclosure may be NOR
flying, but then it is single misery,
and soon over; whereas you would
otherwise suffer it, in anticipation,
every hour in the day. 1t is not
poverty as much as pretense, that
harnesses a ruined mantle struggle
between a proud mind and an emp
ty purse-the keeping up of a hol-
low show that must soon come to an
end. Have the courage to appear
poor and you disarm poverty of It's
sharpest sting" On this point
found Leslie perfectly prepared. He
had no false pride himself, and as to
his wife, she was only anxious to con-
form to their altered fortunes.


Some days afterward he called up
on me In the evening. He had dis
posed of his dwelling-house, and
taken a small cottage In the country,
a few miles from town. He had
been busted all day in sending out
| furniture. The new establishment
required few articles, and those of
| the simplest kind. All the furniture
of his late residence had been sold,
excepting his wife's harp. That, he
said, was too closely associated with
the idea of herself; it belonged to
the little story of their loves; for
some of the sweetest moments of
their courtship were those when he
had leaned over this instrument, and
listened to the melting of her voice.
/ could not but smile at this instance
of romantic gallantry in a doting
husband.


He was now going cut to the cot
tage, where his wife had been all
day experimenting it's arrangement
My feeling had been strongly inter
ested in the progress of this family
story, and, as it was a fine evening,
l offered to accompany him.


He was wearied with the fatigues
of the day, and, as he walked out,
fell into a fit of gloomy musing.


Poor Maryl' at length broke,
with heavy sigh, from his lips.
/ GA nd what of bar - osIraI T. hos