A Struggle for a Ring — page 89: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Ee A SISTER’S ADVICE. 85 of spirit. From my little bit of experience, I should say, expect stability from a weathercock, heat from the North Pole, light from night, rather than love, constancy, and fidelity from a man.” ‘* Hettie, how shocking!” cried Alice. ‘* Yes, very shocking, but most certainly true. The shocking part of the business does not lie with me; lam only giving you a rough little bit of common sense. Take my advice, Alice—never waste your trust, your love, and all your thoughts by day, all your dreams by night, on any one man, because there is not one worth it.” ‘* But what of my husband, Hettie?” she asked, trying to smile. ‘How am I to help loving him?” ‘Well, you please yourself. I tell you that it is wasted, and you will find it out some day.” She had found it out already, as she knew in the bitter- ness of her heart; but she was so staunch and so true, she would rather have died than that any one should know hers was a marriage of honor, and not of love. 9) ‘©VYou are all much mistaken, Hettie,” she said, with quiet dignity. ‘‘In our house, unfortunately, I know it is the custom to speak out brusquely—to profess great hatred or great liking. My husband belongs to that class who know how to keep their feelings under their control, and do not ‘ wear their hearts upon their sleeves, for daws to peck at.’ ’ ‘Thank you, Alice; Iam not a daw.” ‘* You need not be offended, Hettie; it is only a quota- tion ;” and the young wife turned wearily away. It must indeed be patent to all men that he did not = | love her, if her mother had spoken like that. Returning home late that evening, after a capital game comicbooks (ee)