Year: 1871




in their wives. 1t is pleasant therefore,
to know that Hoods case was a bright
exception. Despite the sorrows, hard
ships and lifelong disease that crippled
his energies and marred his life. the
union was a singularly happy one. Mrs.
Hood was a woman of cultivated mind,
great moral worth and literary sympa-
thies. She was her husbands constant
nurse through an illness that never left
him, cheered him when dull, acted as an
amanuensis, and during the last few
years Of his life, SO devoted to him her
whole time and thoughts that latterly
Hood became restless and unable to
write unless she were near. Seldom
have the words of the novelist, who was
almost great poet, been more nobly re-
allied than in the person of Mrs. Hood


"Womanl


When pain and anguish wiring the brow,
A ministering angel thou


She needed sweet temper to put up
with husband brimful of fun and prac-
tical Jokes as Hood. Nothing seemed to
ruiile her temper, and she was always
ready to Join the laugh even when
against herself. The reason was she
knew and loved her husband perfectly.
Nothing could shake her confidence in
him, and the rogue was apt at times to
take advantage of her faith. She was
required to keep strict watch on every
letter she wrote, for if she left 1T for any
time in Hoods presence he would take
advantage of her absence, to change the
It's" into SIS" and after interlining
here and there the most extraordinary
statements, to add by way of climax,
some ludicrous comical postscript. Their
children tell us that she was a capital
subject for his fun, for she believed i'm
plicitly in whatever he told her, however
improbable, and though vowing seriously
not to be taken in again, she was sure to
be caught Her innocent face OF won
der and belief added greatly to- the
zest of the jokes.


On one occasion, when living at the
coast, Hood gave his wife some useful
hints on buying fish. "Aboveall things,
Jane" said he, as they will endeavor
to impose upon your inexperienee, let
nothing induce you to buy plaice that
has any appearance Of red or orange
spots, as they are sure sign Of an ad-
vanced state of decomposition


Accordingly, Mrs. Hood, on the faith
of her newly-acquired knowledge, was
quite prepared to do battle with the cum
ming fsherwomen, one of whom called
shortly afterwards. AS it happened, the
woman had nothing but plaice, which
she turned over and over, praising their
freshness and beauty. Mrs. Hood, how
ever, was too sharp, she was not to be
taken in, the obnoxious spots were there.
In vain the fisherwoman protested that
they were fresh from the water. The
cautious buyer gravely shook her head,
and with look of infinite wisdom COM
bined with a certain sad pity for the wo-
mans supposed dishonesty, observed,
My good woman, it may be as you say,
but ] could never think of buying any
plaice with those unpleasant red spots.


"Lord bless yer eyes, Mum p replied
the astonished fisherwoman, with a
shout, "who ever seed plaice without
spots.


A suppressed giggle on the stairs be-
hind her revealed the joke, and turning
her head hastily, Mrs. Hood caught
sight of her husband hurriedly disap-
pearing in an ecstacy of laughter leav-
ing her to appease the angry sea-nymph
as she could.


The most careless reader Of Hoods
Life cannot fail to be struck by the hap
piness of the poet and his family in the
midst of continual difficulties and broken
health. Mrs. Hood is constantly talk
ing Of her husband. Her private letters
TEEN with sentences beginning, Hood
said this" Hood did that," Hood
took me to such place. "


The same intense lovableness of the
man manifests itself in his life and his
poetry. He was essentially family
man, Joking with his wife, eontriying all
sorts of tricks and games for his chill
dren, and after "a severe nights labor
stealing into their bedroom to leave
upon their pillow some comical sketch to
amuse them on waking. The first few
years of his married life were the most
unclouded Hood every knew, and he
much needed some little happiness to
hoard up against the bitter years that
were fast coming. The young couple
lived some years in Robert street, Adel-
phia. Hood was thorough cockney,
and though doomed by the fault Of 9th
ers to pass the best part OF bis life on the
continent, was never at home out or
London Only city man--one famil-
lar with the misery and squalidness and
sin of city life-could have written the
Song of the Shirt