ain of her old acquaintances, and the cause thereof soon took a
development which was anything but pleasing to her husband.

"Fred," said Esther one evening, "it makes me real unhappy sometimes to
think of the good wives there are who are not as happy as I am. I think
of Mrs. Moshier and Mrs. Crayme, and the only reason that I can see is,
their husbands drink."

"I guess you're right, Ettie," said Fred. "They didn't begin their
domestic tyranny in advance, as _you_ did--bless you for it."

"But why _don't_ their husbands stop?" asked Esther, too deeply
interested in her subject to notice her husband's compliment. "They must
see what they're doing, and how cruel it all is."

"They're too far gone to stop; I suppose that's the reason," said Fred.
"It hasn't been easy work for _me_ to keep my promise, Ettie, and I'm a
young man; Moshier and Crayme are middle-aged men, and liquor is simply
necessary to them."

"That dreadful old Bunley wasn't too old to reform, it seems," said
Esther. "Fred, I believe one reason is that no one has asked them to
stop. See how good Harry Wainwright has been since he found that so many
people were interested in him that day!"

"Ye--es," drawled Fred, evidently with a suspicion of what was coming,
and trying to change the subject by suddenly burying himself in his
memorandum-book. But this ruse did not succeed, for Esther crossed the
room to where Fred sat, placed her hands on his shoulders, and a kiss on
his forehead, and exclaimed:

"Fred, _you're_ the proper person to reform those two men!"

"Oh, Ettie," groaned Fred, "you're entirely mistaken. Why, they'd laugh
right in my face, if they didn't get angry and knock me down. Reformers
want to be older men, better men, men like your father, for instance, if
people are to listen to them."

"Father says they need to be men who understand the nature of those they
are talking to," replied Esther; and you once told me that you
understood Moshier and Crayme perfectly."

"But just think of what they are, Ettie," pleaded Fred. "Moshier is a
contractor, and Crayme's a steamboat captain; _such_ men never reform,
though they always are good fellows. Why, if I were to speak to either
of them on the subject, they'd laugh in my face, or curse me. The only
way I was able to make peace with them for stopping drinking myself, was
to say that I did it to please my wife."

"Did they accept that as sufficient excuse?" asked Esther.

"Yes," said Fred