thought in a lower etation of life, but Warren knew that it is worth only which bestows true rank, and he paid no attention, therefore, to the wneers of hie gay advisers. Above all, he saw that Misa Massey was pious, and piety in a woman was necessary to ensure his love, ‘This may sound strange in some eers, for Warren was confessedly a man of the world, but his mother had been truly religious, and he always pictured to himself a woman of like churacter as the ons whom he would choose for a wife. There were many other estimable traits in him which Ellen could not fail to see, and she soon learned that her affections bad been cast almost involuntarily upon Warren, ‘I’be lover, at length, won a confession of this from the blushing girl. They were married, aml Ellen found herself the bride of one of the wealthiest young men of the city.
But there was one fuible in the character of Warren, which Ellen discovered a few months after their marriage, and which, had she known in the first hours of their ac- quaintance, might have prevented her from learning to love his. He was ever thireting after increased wealth. Rich as he was, he longed for greater opulence, and wes continually engaged in schemes to add tens of thousands to his already large fortune. It was a season of great financial excitement, and men dreamed of amassing for- tunes as the early discoverers of America dreamed of reaching El Dorado, of drinking from the magical foun- tain of life. A hundred speculations were afloat, all promising incredible returns to the adventurer, Into these apeculations Warren plunged. His wife, remem- bering the loss of her own fortune, shuddered at any thing bearing the name of speculation, and besought her husband to rest conlent with what he had, and not risk all in striving ofter more. Warren yielded, in a measure, to her entreaties, embarking but a few thousand dollars in what appeared tho most promising of various specu- lations presented to him. In some cases the venture proved fortunate, in others not, But on the whole he rather won than lost. He adduced this as an argument to convince his wife, but she shook her head, and by her entreaties again induced him to forego his intention of embarking nearly hie whole fortune in what promised to he an unusually Jucky adventure, The wife contended that specufation was but a legalized gambling, in which a few won while the great mass was ruined. “They had enough,” she said, “why should they wish for more?” Thus, again and again she prevailed, and more than onre saved her husband's fortune. But on the birth of his hoy the cagerness of the father to possess inordinate riches grew un him so that he could no longer resist it; and just at this crisis too a speculation presented itself which he fancied had no chance of » failure. Con- cealing his intentions from his wife, us be knew that she would not approve of them, he embarked his whole fore tune in the undertaking. For nearly year every thing
THE LADY’S
went on prosperously, and Warren calculated that he had doubled his fortune. Still he said nothing to his wife, for the favorable moment to sell out had not, he thought, yet arrived, and he was resolved to say nothing to her until ail was concluded, and he could surprise her by his success. “The end has not come yet,” said he amilingly to himself, But the end came too soon and with it ruin. Warren woke up one morning to find that he had been the dupe of sharpers ; that the specula- tion had failed; that he was peunilcss. We have seen how he concealed the misfortune for a while, and how he at length confessed it to his wife.
Ellen was indeed an angel in this crisis, She gave up her Iuxurious house, her rich furniture, even many things that she had learned to consider comforts without: asigh. She saw that her husband was penitent She doubted not that he was cured of his fully. ‘Tho price indeed was fearful, bat so long as his love remuined to her she could be happy.
They removed to a small house, having but one room on a floor, but every thing was neat and as comfortable as the place would allow. Ellen was her own cook, and. her husband when he came home from his work—for he had obtained a situation as a elerk—eaw in her smiles a surety that she was hoppy. How then could he repine? He did not. He thought Ellen more beautiful in her common chintz dress and her tidy apron, than in the rich silks which she had once worn in still richer sa- Joona; and thinking thus, and witnessing her content, and feeling that she was happy in despite of his folly, his heart melted, and he enjoyed a felicity eueh as he never could have attained in his days of opulence. Still that little family had sorrowful hours; for often, when their babe was sick, they had to deny it comforts that wealth could bave commanded, and once, when Warren. himself fell ill, and was confincd for montha to the house, thoir scanty funds melted away, until the wife was com- pelled to take in sewing to support them. In that dark hour the religion of Ellen again came to her aid, and her husband learned to emulate her piety. But when the father recovered from his long: illness, they wete 60 doeply in debt that they were forced to relinquich their house, and content themselves with a single reom, To such lengthe bad the insane thirst for moncy-making reduced that innocent wife and child.
Long, long years passed away, aud although at length Warren struggled up from poverty into a com+ petence, it wae not until his brow was wrinkled by toil and care, nor before the threads of silver began to appear amid the beautiful tresecs of his wife. ‘When, finally, he was once more above want, and had secured enough to keep his fumily for the remain- der of his life, the first Icwson which he taught hie children was to beware of making haste to get rich, and of ita attendant curse, the thirst for speculation.
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