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Colonist, Volume II, Issue 131, 21 January 1859, Page 4

DON'T. "You are serious this evening," said Mrs Landell to her husband. " I hope nothing has gone wrong during ;the day." Mr. Landell, who had been sitting, with his eyes upon the floor, silent and abstracted, for some minutes, roused' himself at these words, and looking up at his wife, smiled, as he answered, " Oh, no. Nothing has gone wrong." "Don't you feel well I" The voice of Mrs Landell was just shaded with concern. "Well enough in body; but not so comfortable in mind as I desire."

"Then something has gone wrong," said the wife. Her manner; was slightly troubled.

"Nothing more than usual?" Mr Landell replied. The forced smile had faded away from his countenance. Mrp Landell sighed. "Than usual ?" she repeated his words, looking with earnest inquiry into her husband's face. Then she added, tenderly, "Bring home your trouble, dear." Don't hide anything. Let me share with you all the good and ill of life. Hearts draw nearer in suffering than they do in joy." "Bless your kind heart, Alice!" said Mr Landell, a broad smile sweeping over his face, as he caught her round cheeks between his hands, and kissed her. "There isn't anything in the case so serious as all that comes to. I'm not going to fail in business—haven't lost anything worth speaking about. Haven't cheated anybody, and don't intend doing so. It's only this hasty, impulsive temper of mine that is all the while leading me to do or say something that leaves a sting. 5' The cloud passed from the face of Mrs. Landell.

" You will overcome that in time, Edward," said she, encouragingly.

" I can't see that I make &ny progress. Yesterday I spoke sharply to one of my young men, when a mild reproof would have been juster, and of more salutary effect. He is sensitive, and my words hurt him severely. The shadow that remained on his face all day was my perpetual rebuke, and I felt it long after the sun went down. My punishment was greater than his. But the lesson of yesterday did not suffice. This morning I was again betra} Ted into captious language, that wounded the same young man, and threw him so much off his guard, that he answered me back again with some feeling. This I regarded as impertinence, and threatened to dismiss him from my service if he dared venture a repetition of his language. When feeling subsided, and thought became clear again, I saw that I had been wrong. And I have felt unhappy about it ever since. I wish that I had more self-control. That I could bridle my tongue when feeling is suddenly spurred. But temperament, and long-indulged habits, are both against me. 5' Mrs. Landell encouraged and soothed her husband, and so won his mind away from its brooding self reproaches. On the next morning, as Mr. Landell was about leaving for his warehouse, his wife looked up at him, and with a meaning smile, said, " Don't!"

'There was just the slightest preeeptible warning in her tone. "Don't what?" Mr. Landell seemed a little puzzled.

■" Don't forget yourself."

•" Oh:!" Light broke in upon his mind. "Thank you, I will not!" And he went forth to meet the trials of the day.

Almost the,first thing that fell under the natiee ®{ Mr. Landell was. an important letter, which, after writing, he had given to the clerk 'to copy and post. Instead of being where it should have been, it lay upon the desk. Neglect like that he felt to be unpardonable.

"John," he called sharply to a young man at the further end of the warehouse.

"Don't!" It seemed like the voice of his wife in his ears. " Don't forget yourself!"

This mental warning came just in season. The clerk came quickly towards him. By the time he reached the desk of Mr. Landell, the latter was under self-control.

■" Why was not this letter posted, John ?" The tone was neither imperative nor captious, but kind, and the question asked in a way that said, "Of course there is a good reason for the omission." And so there was. "I think, sir," answered John, tliatthere is a mistake, and I thought it best not to put the letter in the post." ~;". A mistake ? How V And Mr. Landell opened the letter. "It reads/ saidihe clerk, "three hundred cases, of calicoes,"". " Oh, no—thirty cases," replied Mr. Landell. But, as he said thirty, his eyes rested on three hundred. "So it is! How could I have made such an error ? You were right, John, in not sending the letter away." '' The. clerk went back to his place,, and the merchant said to himself, " How glad lam that I was able to control myself. If I had spoken to that young man as 1 felt, I would have wronged and alienated him, and made trouble for myself all day.''. • Not long aftar this, a case of goods fell through one of the hatchways, crashing down upon the landing with a noise that caused Mr. Landell, whose temperament was exceedingly nervous, to spring to his feet. To blame some one was his first impulse. ' "What careless fellow has done this?" was on his tongue. .

"Don't!" The inward monitor spoke in time. Mr Landell shut his lips tightly and kept silent -until he could command himself. He then calmly inquired into the cause of the accident, and found that special blame attached to no one. On opening the case of goods, the damage was found to be trifling. - v

"Another conquest," said Mr Landeli, as he went back to his desk. ''Selfcontrol is easy enough if the trial be made in earnest." r

A dozen times that day was the torch applied to Mr.. LandellV quick temper,

and as often was he in danger of blazing out. But he had' begun right, and he kept right until the- sun went- down; And then he turned his step homeward, feeling more comfortable in mind than he had felt. for many weeks. There was no shadow on his countenance when he met his wife, but smiling good humour. ; "You said ' Don't!' as I left you this morning.

"Well?" " And I didn't!" "You are a hero," said Mrs. Landell,

laughing. "Not much of a one. The conquest was easy enough when I drew the sword in earnest."

" And 3 rou feel better?' 5 "Oh, a thousand times? What a curse of one's life this quick temper is! I-am ashamed of myself half a dozen times a-day on an average. But I have made a good beginning, and mean to keep on right until the end."

" Don't!" said Mrs Landell to her husband, as she parted with him at the front door on the next morning. " I won't!" was the hearty answer. And he didn't, as the pleasant evening he passed with his wife at its close most clearly testified.

Reader, if you are quick-tempered — Don't!