For John's Sake Part 19

"Do you know me, Roland?" asked the visitor; but no reply was made, nor sign of any kind given.

"Bless you, no, mum; he doesn't know me as allus feeds him, and hasn't for months. He jest lays there and rolls his eyes about, and cries sometimes like a babby," said the nurse who stood by. "You see, mum,"

she continued, "it's more often like this with them as drinks, when they can't get at their drops, they jest get lower and lower, and you can't do nothing for them. My old man went off like this one, and he'd been a frightful drinker."

"How do you know when he's worse?" asked Mrs. West, for it was she.

"He won't swaller his food, mum, and you can't get no heat into him; jest feel his hands." Mrs. West took the icy hand into her own, and started at its chill dampness.

"This is no ordinary coldness," she said, with a nurse's quick perception; for many years had pa.s.sed since, obeying her husband's mandate, she had found occupation for herself, and food for her children, at the bedside of the sick and dying.

"He is dying," she said, touching the clammy forehead; "Oh, Roland, say one word to your wife before you go." As if in answer to her appeal there flashed a gleam of intelligence from the glazing eyes, and with a tremendous effort one word broke from the blue lips with terrible distinctness, and rang through the ward. It was the word "Forgive."

Then the eyes grew fixed, and the face slowly settled down into the stillness of death. He who was once the pride of a fond father, and the joy of a doting mother, had made his mark and gone from a workhouse bed to answer before his Creator and Judge for the deeds done in the body.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

HOW A HUSBAND WAS LOST AND FOUND.[B]

"WELL, my girl, this is a spanking place to call our own," said Richard Watson, as he surveyed with pride the two tiny rooms which formed the new home to which he had just brought the woman of his choice. His mother had left them together, after putting the last remaining touches to the place; and they had completed their short tour of investigation, discovering, at each step of their slow progress, some new trace of the thoughtful care that had been bestowed upon the arrangement of the goods and chattels with which the two young people had ventured to set up housekeeping.

Richard was a mason by trade, and although his wages were not high, they had enabled him to save something towards a rainy day, and to furnish the aforesaid rooms.

Jane, his wife, had been a domestic servant in a clergyman's family for many years, and had left, with mutual regrets, when Richard would no longer wait for the fulfilment of her promise to him. There was only one fault that her mistress ever had occasion to find with Jane; and, before her maid left, she very faithfully pointed it out; showing her that continued yielding to her failure would be likely to prove disastrous to her happiness as a wife. Jane listened attentively, and promised to remember the warning, and guard against what she knew to be her greatest besetment. And she fully intended to keep her promise. Richard had been so patient and good, and was so fond of her, that it would, indeed, be a shame if she did not do all in her power to make him happy. So strong was she in her own purpose, that she forgot that the habit which had grown with her years would be too powerful for merely a good resolution to overcome.

But that evening, as they lingered over their meal, there was no suspicion of future trouble. The atmosphere was one of love and calm enjoyment. Would that upon every married life there always rested the warm sunshine of that mutual love and trust with which most young people commence their journey together. Too often the love grows cold, faith in each other is lost, and the only change that comes to many from the sore misery of living divided lives is the darkness of death, and an unknown, unprepared for, eternity.

"O, Richard, I never thought you'd have had everything so nice and ready for me. I quite expected plenty of work for a few days," said Jane.

"'Twasn't likely, my dear, as I'd have brought you to that at first, I'd sooner have paid a woman; but mother, she'd have been quite hurt if I hadn't have let her set to work; and I'm sure not even you would have made the place look prettier and brighter," replied Richard.

"No, you're right, Richard. Dear old soul! It's very likely that I shouldn't have fixed the rooms half so nicely; but I shall do my very best to keep them just as they are for many a day. Missis always said I was careless about my work; but it seems to me as if doing for one's own home must be a very different thing to slaving for any one else."

"I've no fear of you, my dear, none at all," replied Richard; "but I don't want you to be slaving and toiling away all your time. You'll get plenty of that by and bye, like my poor mother."

"I can do all my own work, and perhaps lend her a helping hand, for she'll be sure to miss you; and 'tisn't fair that I should take her son, and not make her some kind of a return."

"Bless you, my girl! I'd thought of that before, but didn't like to say anything to you about it, because some women might have been jealous if their husbands had thought anything about their old mothers, who nursed 'em and brought 'em up. I'm real glad you're not that sort."

"I should think it downright mean to be jealous of my own mother-in-law, so you never need fear for me, my dear," returned Jane.

Thus they chatted on through the evening, the first of many such pleasant times; and for weeks Richard never returned from his daily toil without being gladdened by the sight of a figure in clean print dress standing in the doorway to greet him.

But one evening, although Jane met her husband as usual, there was something about her which puzzled Richard.

"What's the matter with you, missis?" he inquired at length, examining her critically, as she took her seat opposite him at the table and began to pour out his tea.

Jane flushed and hesitated, and finally said: "What eyes you men have!

Can't you see?"

"I declare you've never changed your morning gown, and it wasn't extra clean to start with; so said I to myself this morning: 'I suppose Jane's going to have a cleaning day; but there's one comfort, she'll be as neat and clean when I get back as she was the first day she stepped foot in the house.'"

"That's just how it is, Richard. I've had a good hard day's work; and I was so tired, I thought for once it didn't matter about changing my dress, as my hands and face were clean."

"Humph," said Richard. He was evidently not quite of his wife's opinion; and, all that evening, whenever he happened to look across at Jane, he experienced a disagreeable sensation at the unaccustomed sight of a dirty dress, and hair that was anything but smooth.

Richard was certainly very particular; and the next morning, on returning from closing the street door behind him, after listening to his last charge to meet him that evening in her usual spotless attire, Jane uttered the e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n: "Fussy!"

At that juncture, her landlady, Mrs. Jones, stepped in, asking for the loan of some kitchen utensil, and Jane, with little work on hand, fell into gossip.

"Yes," she said, in answer to her neighbour's comments on the appearance of the room, "it does look nice. I spent the best part of yesterday over it. My good man is very particular, and so am I, for the matter of that, and I like a clean place to sit in."

"Ah, well, wait till you've a batch of children, like me, and you won't be able to have your regular cleaning times, and get done to sit with your husband of evenings. Not that mine's ever at home, if I had the chance of sitting down a spell," said Mrs. Jones.

"My husband always stays at home, and I should fret if he took to leaving me alone," replied Jane.

"Don't you make too much fuss over him at first, my dear. He'll be spoiled, and always expect you to keep it up. Just you take my advice, Mrs. Watson, and live a little easy the next few months, while you've got the chance. Life'll be hard enough for you, depend upon it; and I'd just save my strength if I was you, for you'll need it all."

With these parting words the woman went away, leaving her suggestions and advice to work as they might in Jane's mind. It was so different to anything her husband's mother had ever said to her on the matter. "Spare no pains," she had said, "during the first year of your married life, to make home the happiest place in all the world for your husband, and you will never regret it."

Hitherto Jane had listened to her words and acted upon them, thereby securing her own and her husband's happiness. Now she sat down, somewhat listlessly, to think over what Mrs. Jones had just said.

"Who's likely to be right, I wonder, mother or Mrs. Jones? 'Tisn't likely that his own mother would think her son could be spoiled; and yet, I don't know but what I'm doing that, and I'm sure I can't keep it up always. I never have an idle moment," mused she; "what with keeping my own place as clean as a new pin, and running round to mother's. I wonder what Mrs. Jones would have said if I'd told her that he didn't like my dirty dress yesterday evening, and scarcely said a word to me, after slaving all day to please him! Men do want a lot from a woman, I must say!"

But just at that point Jane started to her feet, and resolutely put away the new thought which had come upon her quite unawares. But Jane's habit had a.s.serted itself again, and, little by little, she yielded to it; until one day Richard let himself into his home with the latch-key, and, walking into the little kitchen, found an untidy place, and a dirty wife stooping before a fireless grate.

"Come, come, missis, do you know the time?" he said.

"How should I, when the clock's stopped?"

"Why didn't you wind it then, my dear? But don't flurry yourself," he added kindly; "I'll get cleaned, and then maybe tea'll be ready." And pa.s.sing into the outer kitchen, Richard began to wash away the traces of his day's work. Half ashamed of herself, Jane bustled about, and soon had tea waiting. When Richard came in he glanced at his slatternly-looking wife, and said: "I don't mind waiting while you're making yourself tidy, Jane."

"It doesn't matter, Richard. We're late to-night, and the evening will be gone directly."

"Well, Jane, I don't like my wife to sit down in such a dirty state as you're in. I don't see the need of it, when I can be clean enough."

"Oh, no! I dare say not; you men think we women folk can do the dirtiest work and never soil our fingers and be always ready to dance attendance on you whenever you choose to come home," said Jane, using her perverse woman's tongue as she had never before ventured to do in her husband's presence.

Richard opened his lips to utter a sharp retort, but, being a man of peace, thought better of it; and, rising from his seat, took down his hat from its peg, remarking that there was one woman at least who he knew would be very glad to dance attendance upon him, and as he thought he had rather neglected her of late, he would go and spend the evening with her. The moment he had gone, Jane rushed into the street, calling: "Come back, Richard, do come back!" but Richard had gone too far to hear, or did not choose to heed her cry.

"He's never left me before," she cried, as she returned to her desolate room; and conscience, with many a sting, told her that it was all her own doing.