Huberts Wife

Hubert's Wife, by Minnie Mary
Lee

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Title: Hubert's Wife A Story for You
Author: Minnie Mary Lee

Release Date: June 27, 2007 [eBook #21949]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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WIFE***
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HUBERT'S WIFE:

A Story for You.
by
MINNIE MARY LEE.

"There is a way which seemeth just to a man, but the end thereof
leadeth unto death."--Prov. xlv, 12.
Baltimore: Published by John B. Piet Late Kelly, Piet & Co. Entered,
according to an act of Congress, in the year 1873, by Kelly, Piet &
Company, in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D.
C.

CONTENTS.
I. A Black Conference 1 II. The Master of Kennons 7 III. An
Interruption to Duncan's Reverie 14 IV. Philip St. Leger 19 V. The
Missionary's Retrospect 30 VI. Missionary Life 37 VII. The
Distinguished Traveler's Views 45 VIII. The Visitation by Spirit and by
Death 52 IX. The New Choice 60 X. "A Dream which was not all a
Dream" 71 XI. Althea's Guardians 77 XII. The Christening 88 XIII.
New Mistress at Kennons 97 XIV. China--Uncle Mat's Prayer Meeting
109 XV. Kizzie 118 XVI. Time and Change 126 XVII. The St. Legers
135 XVIII. St. Mark's or St. Patrick's? 145 XIX. "In such an hour as ye
think not" 154 XX. Juliet 164 XXI. "The Spider and the Fly" 172 XXII.
Althea--Death of Little Johnny 181 XXIII. Hubert Lisle at Vine
Cottage 193 XXIV. Jealousy 201 XXV. The Awakening 208 XXVI.
Light after Darkness 213 XXVII. The Convert's Trials 221 XXVIII.
Mysterious Disappearance 231 XXIX. Hubert's Second Visit 235 XXX.
"And the Sea shall give up its Dead" 240 XXXI. Conclusion 243
CHAPTER I.
A BLACK CONFERENCE.

It was the night after the funeral. Ellice Lisle, the loving wife, devoted
mother, kind mistress, and generous friend, had been laid away to rest;
over her pulseless bosom had been thrown the red earth of her adopted
Virginia, and, mingled with its mocking freshness, was the bitter rain of
tears from the eyes of all who had known the lowly sleeper. Even
Nature joined the general weeping; for, though the early morning had
been bright and beautiful, ere the mourners' feet had left the new-made
grave, the skies had lowered, and a gentle rain descended.
"You have pity upon me, O Heaven, and you weep for me, O earth,"
had exclaimed Duncan Stuart Lisle, as, leading his little Hubert by the
hand, he turned away from his lost Ellice.
As night deepened, the rain increased, and the darkness became intense.
The house-servants, timid and superstitious, had all congregated in
Aunt Amy's cabin. Amidst their grief, sincere and profound, was yet a
subject of indignation, which acted as a sort of safety-valve to their
over-much sorrowing.
"A nice, pretty piece of impudence it was, to be sure, when she hadn't
been in the house for five year, to 'trude herself the minute Miss Ellice's
breath had left her precious body, the poor dear!" ejaculated Chloe, the
cook, who was intensely black, and fat to immensity.
"Much as ever Massa Duncan 'peared to notice her, not'standing she
make herself so 'ficious," said Amy, who looked more the Indian than
African.
"He never set eyes on her but once," said young China, the favorite
housemaid, whose dialect and manners were superior to those of the
other servants, "only just once, and that was when she looked at him so
long and fierce-like he couldn't actually keep his eyes down."
"I see it my own self," added Chloe, whose small orbs were almost
buried beneath overhanging cliffs of brow and uprising mountains of
cheek, "and I'll tell you what I tinks: I tinks just den and dere, dat if
we's meet de ole one hisself he wouldn't hab no eyes, cause Misses
Rusha Rush jes done gone an' stole 'em."

This dark reference caused a closer grouping of the sable dames and
damsels. Trembling hands drew small plaid shawls closer about the
shoulders, while one bolder than the rest cast a huge pine-knot upon the
glowing coals.
Amy was first to break the brief silence.
"Mighty pity Jude Rush ever fell off 'Big Thunderbolt' and broke his
slim neck! But Massa Duncan knew nuf once to let Miss Rusha 'lone;
he's not gwine to be 'veigled by none o' her hilofical airs--you may
'pend on dat;