The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1851-02-15


ira work 10 do, the ohargs Of the baby de-
yolyed upon her Thss passed the dnt
week
True To her promise, Mrs james patiently
penseyered for month, la hor efforts 10 se'
cure 70 herself this fragment Of her broken
time, with what success this weeks history
can tell. With ia close, closed the month Of
December, Being particularly occupIe4 On
the last day Of the old year in getting ready
Tor the norrow's Festival, II vas ueaf lie last ?
hour of the day WHEN sh1 made beT god I
nights call IN the nursery, She went to the
crib 10 look at baby there he lay lasi asleep ]
10 his innocence and beauty, She kissed his |
rosy check gently and stroked s6fily bia gold |
en- hair, and pressing his little dmpled handA
within hers,shc drew the warm covering more |
closely around him, carefully tucking II IN, !
| then stealing one more kiss sho eR him to his
Islumbcrs and sat down on her daughters bed
/ She was also swcc,ly asleep, with her dolly
huqeod close 10 her. Her mother smiled but
soon il seemed as II gaycr and sadder tho'ts
7 filed her mind, as indeed they did. She was
thinking Of her disappointed plans, To her,
not only the past month, but the past year
seemed 10 have been one Of fruillcss effort
Il seemed to her broken and di,jointed; even
hor haurs Of rrlisious meditation had been
enorotehcd upon and distracted, She had
accomplished nothing that she could see, but
keep her house and family and TO her sad
dcuud thoughts even thsseemed 10 have been
but indifurcntly done. Yearnings for some
thing better than this she was conscious OF,
What did she need, then To see some
of the rssUiis of hor ifo-Work ? To bo CON
scious ofsome unity ofpurpose, some weaving
together Of these life-threads, now 30 broken
and single
She felt she was quito sure, no desire 10
shrink from duty, however humble but she
sighed for some comforting assurance Of what
ieas doty. Her purapils, conflicting as they
did with her tastes, seemed 10 her frivolous
She felt there was some better way Of living,
which she had failed Of discovering. As sh5
leaned over her child her tears now fell fast
upon that young brow,
. How earnestly wished that mother that
she could shield her child from the disap-
pontments, and sell-repro mistakes
, from which she was then suffering; that the
litdo one might take up life whoro she could
give II 10 her mchdcd by all her own expert
| eucc Il would have boon a grcnt comfort
could she have ielt that she could have fought
the battle for both. Yet she knew that It
could not so be that W. must all learn for
ourselves what are those things which make
, for our peace. With tears still in her eyes,
= she gave the good night 70 the child, aud with
soA step entered the adjoining room, and
there fairly kissed cut the old year ON another
chubby check which nestled among the pill
lows then She sought her own rest
Z Soon .hSlound herself in singuiaT place
/ She was traversing vast plain; no trees
we're visible save those which skirted the dis
taut horizon i---e', titeiF-teF- rested = Hreahi
of golden clouds Before her. travelling to-
wards that distant light, was a female. Little
, children were about her, sometimes in hci
Q arms, and sometimes at her side. A. she
e iourncycd on, she busted herself caring lor
them. Now she soothed them when weary
- now she taught them how TO travel, again
Z she warned them ofthe pitfalls and stumbling
! blocks in the way. she helped them ovci
the one and taught them TO be wary Of III,
It other She talked to them Of that goldc,
e light which she kept constantly in view, an'
towards which shp seemed 10 he hastcninl
5 with her little flock But what was most re
Is markabc was, that, all unknown to her, tw'
golden clouds hoated above her, on which re
1t posed two angels. Before each was a colder
Z, book and pen ofgold, One angel with mil,
o and loving eyes, peered constantly over tn
It right shoulder, and the other over the left
k they followed her from the rising TO the set
1t ting of the sun. They watched every wor
l. and look and deed, no matter how trivial
~ When it was good, the angel over the righ
= shoulder with glad smile, wrote it down i
d his pnidnn hook xheH-evil, however, trivial
IL the angel o7gr INC iCit shoulder wrottit dow
o in his book. Then he kept his sorrowfpl eye
n on her, until he found penitence for the e,i
&c upon which be dropped tear upon the recor'
d and blotted it out, and both angels rejoiced
II To the lookers-on il seemed as if the trav
cllcr did little which was worthy such carcfa
e record. ,---zsA
l. Sometimes she did but bathe the wca6
y feet 1or children, ami the angel over n
d right saouider wrote ie down. Sometimes sh
9 did but wait patiently to lure back some it'll
e truantwho had taken strP-in the, wrong di
d rection, and the angel over the right shoulde
- wrote it down.
ie Sometimes, with her eyes fixed on the gold
en- horizon, she became so intent upon he
,r own progress as to let the little pilgrins a
her side languish or stray; then it was tha
the angel over the left shoulder who lifted tn
ID golden pen and made the entry, followed he
x with sorrowing eyes, seeking to blot it out
% II wishing to hasten on her journey, she lei
le the little ones behind, it was the sorrowini
sr angel recorded her progress. Now the OBJ
v server felt, as she looked on, that this was
" faithful record and was to be Bept 10 tina
O iOurnoV's end Those strong ctagDs of ryold pi