Her words were not bitte
When she recovered, she reproached herself for her want of trust in God, commended her household to His protection, and tried to school herself to calmness. The storm passed, and soon the clock told the hour of midnight. Another hour passed, and yet another, and then her husband came. Poor Mary! her terror had given place to indignation, and who shall dare condemn her, if for once she uttered words of reproof. r; she only said, ”George, do you think it is right to leave me alone all this time when I am so ill? I have been so frightened.” ”You are a terrible love,” was his coarse reply; “I had better not have come at all, if there is no peace here.” Mary had all her life-time been used to submission, and she could not contend; but there was a weight upon her heart, and a rankling thorn planted there, that for many a weary year was not extracted. The night seemed very long, but morning came at last; and before the sun had reached his meridian, George Lee had again left his home, and all the rest of that day, and through the long night that followed, Mary watched and waited for her husband, but watched and waited in vain. None but God knew the bitter concentrated anguish that was crowded into those two nights: but when about the middle of the afternoon succeeding, he returned, she suffered no reproach to escape her lips. Weeks passed, and she never again alluded to the subject. He still continued the practice of being out late nights, but returning health gave her strength to endure. In the meantime, some of the people were preparing to emigrate to the west, and one day George said to his wife, Mary, Mr. A. and Mr. B. and several others are 16going West, and I think we had better go. Mary replied quietly, but firmly, “you can go if you wish to do so, but / shall not.” “And why not?” ”Well, I do not expect that my life will be very long, and I shall not leave every friend that cares for me here, to go away and die among strangers.” ”Why Mary, don’t I care for you?” ”You could leave me without aid or protection, to suffer alone when I was sick and helpless. Was that proof of your regard for me?” George Lee said not another word. His conscience spoke and that sufficed. From that time the subject was never mentioned. Mary toiled on for years, faithfully performing her duty to her husband, doing the work for a large family, having no help excepting when she was sick, and then for the shortest possible period. She might have had aid and companionship at those times to which we have referred but she could not do it without exposing her husbands’ errors, and that, she never did, if she could avoid it. Did he appreciate her generous performance? Aye, when the life that had been devoted to him was yielded up, when after her long day of unceasing labor, she laid her down to rest; to sleep a long night of dreamless sleep; then he knew her value. Perhaps some one who reads this may say it is an extreme case; but I do not think it is, for I have known a great many worse husbands than George Lee. He could be kind to his wife and children when it cost nothing, and required no sacrifice of his own pleasure ; and in this respect he represents a large class. His incline tions, his convenience and comfort, must be consulted first, and afterward that of his wife. He liked a jovial evening with a few boon companions, a merry chat, a pithy story, a song and a social glass, and he could not or would not, sacrifice these pleasures, for the sake of the welfare and happiness of his wife. ”But” says one, ” a husband has a right to consult his own inclinations; his wife and children are amenable to him, and not he to them.” Well, I have heard men say such things; but I know of no law that gives a man a right to do wrong; *o violate a solemn contract, voluntarily entered into and equally binding upon both parties; and yet there are men who exact a rigid adherence to this mutual contract, from the othe party, but say by their acts, if in no other way, that they do not consider it binding upon themselves.