Year: 1870

taking his eyes off the paper; "nothing |!
| shall be done in a moment" and he
went on reading! Sissys eyes filed
with tears. Had he begun to grow
tired of her alreadyf Not bit, Sissy,
my j lear girl-this is only the prose of
life which comes after the poetry retires
discounted and beaten.


1t hurts you little7 IT'S like all
physic; it is unpleasant; but take it,
and it will do you good. Your hus-
band, like yourself, is given to folly, but
think what a perfect fool he would make
Of himself if he supposed, by feeding
you on such diet as billing and cooling,
he could make you happy. What you
want in husband is man, and not a
milksop-a man capable of battling with
the world, and prepared to meet all
events with energy and resolution. He
would degenerate into nothing if he
would pass his time in merely silly and
useless demonstrations of the affa ction
you know he feels for you, you little
puss Laughter. You sew and play
on the piano, and learn to act your part
toward him, as you will by-and-by,
though you little think it. Mrs. Noddy
hadn't time to learn this. She sat be-
hind her husband and wept, where she
could look at the back of Thomas head
as though it belonged to some one who
had rejected her prayer, until Mr.. Noddy,
unused to the silence, or, more proba-
bly,, having finished the article in the
newspaper, threw it from him, and,
looking round, saw his wife. His heart
smote him then, and he felt that he had
been brute TO read when she wished
him to talk with her. His eyes filled
with tears and he folded her in his arms
aud besought her to forgive him, and
she forgave him, and he dried her eyes,
and she dried his eyes, laughter] and
the two fools made themselves supreme
ly happy out of their own unhappiness.
Laughter.


From this time forward they began
to lead more sensible lives. Sissy saw
it would be wise to invite her husband,
after dinner to read little, which Thom-
as did, sometimes reading aloud.


One night, some months after they
were married, Mr.. Noddy plucked up
courage enough to ask leave to go to
gentleman's supper at DelmonicO's,
whereupon she began to cry again,
Faghter1, but told Tom to 60, upon
which Tom said: "No. / would like
to go, but if it makes you unhappy l
won't 60" The submissive remark
had not only a great soothing effect on
Sissy's mind, but also instigated her to
insist that Tom should go, and she fur
ther mentioned that she would ask one
of her sisters to stay up with her; but
that Tom "must go and enjoy himself"
She did put little spiteful emphasis on
enjoy, though. Laughter. She asked
him to come home early; and Tom
went, and pretended to his friends, ear
ly in the evening, that he was not feel
ing well, and that he had better go
home. The stupid fellow Just as
though the old heads didn't understand
that exactly. Laughter. And so
with Toms affection and Sissy's excel
lent disposition, matters went happily
on until the Noddy's experienced some
of the unpleasantness of married life.


Far be it from me to call in question
for one moment the wisdom of creation,
which has decreed that the good so
bountifuly spread over the world should
be mixed with little evil. The pleas
ure is not unfrequently accompanied
by some little pain-joy has its attend
ing sorrow, and love and happiness
some few ingredients of annoyance. |
don't presume to censure the wisdom
that mingles trouble with enjoymenti
| only state that on the one hand we
may find that my friend Mr.. Noddy
was supremely happy as married man,
and that on the other hand, and as a
legitimate consequence of his being a
married man, my friend Mr.. Noddy had
mother-in-law. [Great laughter.
And while she was very good moth
erin law, her daughters happiness was
OF so much moment that she did her
best on all possible occasions, to point
out 10 Mrs. Noddy that her being hap
py consisted in certain little particulars,
and that she must be careful not to give
up on all occasions to her husband, or in
short time he would become unbeara-
Bile. "Why, the other evening"" says
Mrs. Kaduggin, "he asked you in my
presence to get up and hand him a
handkerchief, and you had no more re-
spect for me, and no more respect for
yourself, than TO get up and take it to
him!" Laughter 81 like to do
those things for him." answered Sissy.
"You like to do those things So did
like to do those things, and you Inow
how tyrannical your father grew before
we we're married many years !" Poor
little Sissy thought over her fathers
tyranny, and failed to recollect it, and
indeed if anything Of the kind had oc.
Cured, the boot had been on the Other
leg. Laughter. Mrs, X thought
her daughters happiness depended
much less on the preservation of mutu-
al peace and good feeling in the house.
hold than on the preservation OF her
own special dignity. But Sissy's goo(


sense prevailed against the evil counseli


OF her mother.


Mr. Noddy was not disturbed by he
admonitions until near the approach o
an event which demanded an increas'