Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1842-04-18
MONTPELIER, APRIL Is, 1912,

lest nature would not bear up under so sudden
withdrawal of its accustomed stimulus Gradu-
ally, however, as his mind became inlenty fixed
upon his work, and his body felt The impulse OF
manual activities. slight reaction took place, and
the whole machinery OF his physical frame NOV
ed on with something approaching 10 healthy
tone. His hand grew steodier, though it still
tremblcd.
| Two hours brought his regular dinner time,
when jarvis, who had began to feel the want OF
! food, returned home with new and strange feel
ings about his heart. One impulse WINS to tell
his wife what he had done, and what he was doing.
| But then he remembered how often he had mock.
ed her new sprnging hopes-how often he hal
promised amendment. and once even joined tenn
perance society, only to relapse into lower, and
more degraded condition.
mo, no. he said to himself after debating The
! question in his mind, and he walked towards
home; Il will not tell her now. will first pre-
sent some fruits of my repentance. will give
such an assurance aswl create confidence&hope.'
Mrs. Jarvis did not raise her eyes to the face Of
her husband, us he entered The sight OF that
once loved countenance, distorted and disfgured,
even made her heart sick when she looked upon
| it. Jarvis seated himself quietely in chair, and
held out his hands for his youngest child, not over
| two years old, who had no consciousness OF his ia
| theirs degredalion In a moment the happy little
creature was on his knee. But tho other children
| showed no inclination to approach. His conduct
had estranged their young hearts purest and most
| innocent affections. This was perceived and felt
| keeny. But he had hope of retaining all that
he had lost, and this compensated, in some degree,
for the present distance and arrangement.
The frugal meal passed in silence aud restraint.
| Mrs Jarvis felt troubled and opressed-ior the
prospect before her seemed TO grow more and
more gloomy. All the morning she had suffered
! from steady pain in her BREAST aud from lass.
hude which she could not overcome. Her pale,
| thin, care-worn fuce, told sad tale Of suffering,
privation, confinement and want Of exercise
| What was TO become of her children she knew
not. Under such feelings of hopelessness TO have
one sitting by her side, who could ,nkc much OF
her burden from her were he but to will it-who
could call back the light of her heart, if only true
| to his promise, made in earlier aud happier years
-somred in some degree her feelings, and obscur-
ed her perceptions. She did not note shat some
change had passed upon him a change that il
Marked would have caused her heart to leap in
| her bosom.
As soon as Jarvis had risen from the table, he
took his hat, and kissing his youngest child, the
only one there who seemed to regard him, passed
! quickly from the house. As the door closed after
him, his wife henved long sigh and then rising,
mechanically, proceeded TO clear up the table. OF
how many crushed affections, and disappointed
hopes, did that one deep, tremulous sigh speak.
Jarvis returned to his work, and applied him
self steadily during the whole afternoon. When
ever desire for liquor returned upon him, he
quenched i; in a copious draught of water, and
thus kept himself as free from temptation pos
led and uneasy silence pervaded the little family
mt the supper table. The meal was scanty, for
Mrs. Jarvis incessant labor could procure but a
| poor supply Of food. After the children had been
put to bed, Mrs Jarvis sat down, usual, TO spend
the evening, tired as she was, and much as her
! breast PINNED her, in sewing. deep sigh heaved
involuntnrily her bosom she did so. 1t caught
the ear of her husband and smote upon his heart
lie knew thai her health was feeble, and that con.
slant labor iatigued her excessively.
wouldn't sew to night jane he said, you
! look tired. Rest for evening"
Mrs. Jurvis neither looked nor replied. There
was something in The tone Of her husbands voice
that stirred her feelings. Something that soitened
| her heart towards him. But she dared not trust
herself 10 speak, nor to let her eye meet his. She
did not wish TO utter harsh repulsve word,
nor was she willing to speak kindly 10 him, for she
did not feel kindy,-nnd kind words and affected
cheerlulness, she had already found, hut encour-
aged him in his evil ways. And SO she continued
to ply her needle. without appearing 10 regard his
! presence. Her husband did not mike another
l eff 'rt 10 induce her to suspend her lahors for,
under existing circumstances he was particularly
DESTROYS of not provoking her TO use towards him
the language of rebuke and censure After sit
ting silent for, perhaps half an hour he rose from
his chair and walked three or four tunes back
wards and forwards across the room preparatory
to going out to seek coffee house, and there spend
his evening, as his wife supposed. But much to
her surprise, he retired TO their chamber in adj
joining room. While still, under the expectation
of seeing him return, his loud breathing caught
her quick He was asleep!
Catching up the light, she arose suddenly TO
her feet, she passed, with hasty step, into the
chamber. He had undressed himself was in bed,
and sound asleep. She held the candle close to
his face; it was calmer than usual, AID somewhat
paler. As she bent over him, hi. breath came full
! in her face. Ii was not loaded with the disgusting
fumes that had so often sickened her. Her heart
beat quicker-the moisture dinmed her eye--her
whole frame rembed. Then looking upwards
she uttered single prayer for her husband, and,
gliding gently from tue room, sat down by her lit
tie table, und again beut over hei work. Now she
remembered that he had said, with something I'M
usual in his tones-l would not sew TO night
Jane you look tired; rest for one eyening'-and
| her heart was agitael with new hope but that
hope, like The dove from the ark, found nothing
upon which to rest, and irembed back again into
! feeling Of dependency What Ind she TO hope
for? Surely not that her husband would reform
She had seen too many efforts at reformation,
commenced under better auspices Than could pos.
sibly now surround him, and all had failed. AT
each successive failure, his state became worse
than before. Ii wus past twelve o'clock when
she laid by her work, from exhaustion and pain,
and sought few hours Of troubled repose.
On the next morning, the trembling hand OF
Jarvis, as he lifted his saucer to his lips at the
breakfast table, made his wife's heart sink again
in her bosom. She had felt hope, almost uncon-
cous'y. She remembered that at supper time his
hand was steady, now it was unGeryed. This was
conclusive to her mind, that, notwithstanding his
appearance, he had been drinking Butfew words
i passed during the meal for neither felt much in
clned to converse.
After breakfast, Jarvis returned to the shop
and worked steadily until dinner time, and then
until evening. As on the night beiole, he did no,
go out but retired early to bed. And this was
continued all the week. But the whole was
mystery to his poor wife, who dared not even to
hope for any real change for the better. On Sat
urday, towards night, he laid by his work, put on
his hat and coat, and went into the front shop
$50 you have really worked week sober man,
John !? Mr.. Langford said.
| Indeed have since last Sunday morning, no
kind of intoxicating liquor has passed my lips
And hope never will again, John