Lessons in Life, For All Who Will Read Them | Page 4

seated at the table.
"I don't care about butter at dinner-time," replied Mr. Bolton, coldly.
"But just try some of this. I want you to taste it," urged the wife. "Its
flavour is delightful. I must go over and see Mrs. Halpin's dairy."
To satisfy his wife, Mr. Bolton took some of the butter on his plate. He
would rather have thrown it out of the window.
"Now try it on a piece of bread," said Mrs. Bolton. "I declare! You act
as if you were afraid of the butter. What's the matter with you?"
There was no reason why Mr. Bolton should not do as his wife
wished--at least no reason that he could give to her. It wouldn't do to
say--
"I won't touch Mrs. Halpin's butter because I've cut off her husband's
right of way across my land. I have nailed up the only outlet there is
from his property to the public road."
No, it wouldn't do to say that. So, nothing was left for Mr. Bolton but to
taste the delicious butter.
"Isn't it very fine?" said his wife, as she saw him place it to his lips.
"Yes, it's good butter," replied Mr. Bolton, "very good butter." Though,
in fact, it was far from tasting pleasant to him.
"It's more than very good," said Mrs. Bolton, impatiently. "What has
come over you? But wait a little (sic) wwile, and I'll give you
something to quicken your palate. I've made some curds--you are so
fond of them. If you don't praise the sweet cream Mrs. Halpin so kindly
sent over this morning, when you come to eat these curds, I shall
think--I don't know what I shall think."
The dinner proceeded, and, at length, the dessert, composed of curds
and cream, was served.
"Isn't that beautiful?" said Mrs. Bolton, as she poured some of the
cream received from Mrs. Halpin into a saucer of curds, which she
handed to her husband.
Bolton took the curds and ate them. Moreover, he praised the cream;
for, how could he help doing so? Were not his wife's eyes on him, and
her ears open? But never in his life had he found so little pleasure in
eating.

"Do you know," said Mrs. Bolton, after she had served the curds and
said a good deal in favour of the cream, "that I promise myself much
pleasure in having such good neighbours? Mrs. Halpin I've always
heard spoken of in the highest terms. She's a sister of Judge Caldwell,
with whose family we were so intimate at Haddington."
"You must be in error about that."
"No. Mrs. Caldwell often spoke to me about her, and said that she had
written to her sister that we talked of buying this farm."
"I never knew this before," said Mr. Bolton.
"Didn't you! I thought I had mentioned it."
"No."
"Well it's true. And, moreover, Mrs. Caldwell told me, before we left,
that she had received a letter from her sister, in which she spoke of us,
and in which she mentioned that her husband had often heard you
spoken of by the judge, and promised himself great pleasure in your
society."
Mr. Bolton pushed back his chair from the table, and, rising, left the
room. He could not bear to hear another word.
"Is my horse ready, Ben?" said he, as he came into the open air.
"Yes, sir," replied Ben.
"Very well. Bring him round."
"Are you going now?" asked Mrs. Bolton, coming to the door, as Ben
led up the horse.
"Yes. I wish to be home early, and so must start early."
And Bolton sprang into the saddle.
But for the presence of his wife, it is more than probable that he would
have quietly directed Ben to go and rehang the gate, and thus
re-establish Mr. Halpin's right of way through his premises. But, this
would have been an exposure of himself to his better-half that he had
not the courage to make. So he rode away. His purpose was to visit the
city, which was three miles distant, on business. As he moved along in
the direction of the gate through which he was to pass on his way to the
turnpike, he had to go very near the spot where Ben had been at work
in the morning. The unhinged gate lay upon the ground where,
according to his directions, it had been thrown; and the place it
formerly occupied was closed up by four strong bars, firmly attached to
the posts.

Mr. Bolton didn't like the looks of this at all. But it was done; and he
was not the man to look back when he had once undertaken to do a
thing.
As he was riding along, just after passing from his grounds, he met Mr.