Year: 1876

| new DOCKS, sue knew aDSOlulely nOluluB
about, and was dumb when they were men
toned. How did Mrs. Banks manage TO
keep up with the age, and she SO far he
hind il? Their children were nearly the
same in number, their household cares not
widely different, their husbands IN the
same profession. Here was mystery, and
she watched for its solution.


She noticed that at night the young chill
dren were put to bed early, before Mr..
Banks came home, so that the house was
quiet for though men who have worked
with their muscles all day may love 10 frol-
| ic with their little ones when they come
homo, men whose brains have been taxed
during all The business hours of the day
enjoy the most perfect stiffness and require
Il. She noticed, too, that the sewing ma
chine, the work basket, even the knitting
work was invisible after nightfall, aud how
ever swry or difficult the household ar
rauGoments had been during the day, noth-
| ing but serenity aud cheerfulness shone in
the evening parlors. While those OF the
children who were permitted TO appear at
the table amused themselves in the dining
room or read quietly in the narlor, Mr.. and
Mrs. Banks gave themselves wholly to
themselves and their guest. The news of
the day was discussed, the last new book
reviewed, or some important discovery re-
hearsed, while at intervals the conversa-
tion dropped into that pleasant small talk
which makes up so much of social inter-
change Occasionally they passed the eve
ming at a concert or prayer meeting, but
Mr.. Banks was never at the club, rarely
away from home after nghtfall.


Many sad misgivings had Mrs. Merwin
as she cOntrasted the perfect mutual inter-
change between the husband and wife
whose guest she was, and her life with her
husband and as she reviewed the years,
| little by little, light da wned upon her mind.
She saw how gradually sLo had allowed
unnecessary industries to encroach on time
that might so much better have been de-
voted to intellectual culture. What avail
ed 1t now that Molie and Henry and Will
| lie had been so deliberately dressed in their
babyhood If they had worn plain attire,
instead of that on which she had spent 50
much Time and thought, bow many hours
she might have given to reading aud keep
ing up with her busbandl To be sure, her
parlors were exquisiiely ornamented with
a variety of fancy work wrought by her
hands but when she listened to the utter
ances of her friends, rich as they were with
the varied accumuations OF those intellect
ual treasures, the law of whose existence
is Increment, she felt poor indeed in all
the res ources most earnestly to be desired.
Was il not possible that she and Frank
mi Ght be all TO each other what these two
friends were? At any rate she would talk
with Mrs. Banks and find out, If she could,
just how she had so perfectly won and kept
her husbands heart, and how with all tho
cares of growing family, she had man
aged la keep her mind bright and full.


So one day as they sat together. she in
troduced the subject cautiously, lest Mrs.
Banks might suspect that she aud Frank
were no, so near TO each other as they might
be.


"I don't see where you get so much time
to read and find out everything" said Mrs.
Merwin; "yOu seem 10 be as fresh as If
you but Just len school, while have for
COTTON almost everything I knew, and yet
l don't see but that you have as many cares
as have"


"T neglect n good many things" said
Mrs. Banks; "my tides are all bought,
while dare say you knit yours youself;
my chidren's clothes are perfectly plain,
and so are my OVID. I've OMEN wanted 10
ask you where you got so much time to
make all the pretty clothes Minnie wears"


"Oh, / make them at night alter the
children are quiet Frank is away at the
club, and have all the evening 10 sew"


"Mr. Banks doesn't like TO have me sew
or knit when he is at home; he says it
doesn't seem as though was entertaining
him when am intent on The needle, and
so I've never done il except when compel
led to by stress of circumstances.


"And you always devote yourself TO him
as you have done since have been here p"


"Yes, always; l talk tn him or pet him
till he's rested, and then he talks 10 ME,
tells me all the news and everything that
has happened during the day sometimes
talks over his cases with me. l often find
on the envelopes of his letters memoran-
dun of items TO tell her; and half feel
as tn ough have been wherever he has been
dprng the day. If he sees n new picture
he describes it so vividly TO me that It's re-
ally better than seeing II with my own eyes /;
If he reads a new book he goes over the
points of it with me, and ii has been this
way ever since we were married so that l
do feel that my mind has grown almost as
much as his, though have been so full OF
household and family cares"


Mrs. Merwin sighed audibly, and then
came up in memory many a day when
Frank had come home weary, and evident
ly longing for just this Interchange of SYM
pathy with his wife. How had 1t been met
Was there not something better than this
laborious superhuity of ornamentation
Could not the tongue and the eye have knit
ted finer and more valuable fabrics than
the busy fingers had done? 1t was not too
late TO hope that even now she could win
back again and enjoy the pure content that
made her friends life so blessed. Now
was indeed the golden opportunity, and
how diligently she improved II. Laying
aside the embroideries on which she had
intended TO spend so much time, she spent
all her leisure time In reading the choice
volumes which were discussed in the eve
ming conversations, 10 renewing her ac-
quaintance with the classics she and Frank
had read together, and to writing him long
letters full of wilely sympathy in his la
bors and successes, Of comments on the
books which occupied her thought, and OF
anticipation of the happy associations they
would have when she got home again.


To Mr.. Merwin the occasional Sabbaths
he spent with Mary in Vermont seemed
like oases in the desert. Together, as in