The Port Gibson reveille. (Port Gibson, Miss.) 185?-1857, 1854-01-25
A Donation Party.


! why of all things when did Won oe
home - said the merry Mrs. Belle. NJ she
, entered her cheerful parlor At ten o'clock on
| Thanksgiving night. aud found her husband
2 sitting moodily alone, having just reformed
; from trip to New York. She shook him
} heartily BY the hand, and left her kiss Of true
wifely affection upon his lips be still keeping
! his seat and looking as if he had been run of
the track, or had his consignment Of merch.
andize sunk TO the bottom Of Lake Erie
How long have you been here ?" she
: again asked not needing his silence
An hour or two"
Been we'll p she continued. drawing her
gloves, unpinning her shawl, aud laying of
her bonnet
'Middling."
"0h" she exclaimed. chow wish you
had got home before dark. that you might
have gone with me to the donation parity
We had the incest timc-I would have given
anything if you had been therc-I have not
seen a merrier party this many day. o. /
wish you had come sooner"
" Perhaps you had better save your regrets,
for | am very sure | should not have gone
had been at home and peradyenture you
might have staid at home with me 50. if you
have been 50 highly delighted with your par
ty, make tile best Of it. You know am no
friend to such doings."
" But, Edward you could not have helped
being pleased tonight. Why, my very heart
Is iuttering with JOY just to think Of l. Re-
turning thanks to che Heavenly Father by
giving our good gifts 70 the poor and needy"
The poor aud needy" be repeated with
a sneer. 2 Is it Parson Allen you call poor
and needy, whose wife wears better bonnet
and eats better dinners than nine out Of cye-
~ ten Of This flock p
No, not Parson Allen-pshaw, Edward,
do you think | would call Parson Allen poor
and needy ?"
Well, the Rev. c Minor, with ten thou.
sand dollars at interest ?"
mo, no."
Well, shan't guess again, FOR this whole
system Of donation parties is a kind &c fraud
on the public; aud am very sorry indeed
that you have been iHluced, because was
absent, to give your aid and countenance to
such things"
III this was SAID IN surly tone.
Mary, the lght-hearted. loving true and
gentle Mary. who had been at home four
weeks merry as a bird over her summer nest,
neglected no duty and firing Of no care, eho.
ked up a little but although the tears SWELL
cd up her eyeids, the smile could not leave
her brow, and love whispered in her car
lie is weary and sleepy, and was disappoint-
ed that you were not at home 10 welcome him
when he came.
So she looked straight into the little door
Of the parlor stove. upon the glowing Goals
there, turning into dead ashes. aud thought
how much like the warm. earnest love Of her
own heart they were that minute love
that had been warming a whole roomfull all
the evening" love that hal been sparkling
and radiating till all about her was warmth
and light, and how likely to be turned sud-
denly into ashes. because the husband chose I
to put it ont, instead of adding fresh feel to I
warm and cheer lis own cold soul Bot Ma (
ry was sensible little woman-so she looked /
straight into the stove door. patted the toe Of
her pretty gaiter on the soft rug. turned her
marrage-ring round and round on her fnger i
but never said word.
Edward Belle looked straight into the
stove door, too, wishing in his heart he had
not been such petulent fool as to bluff of
his beautiful. loving wife, for no earthly rea.
son only that he had got hcme one day SOON
er than lie promised. and found her ut dona
ton party. /" But hang Il al, = thought he to
himself, :. how shall get out Of the scrqpe ?"
Thus thinking. thus feeling. they both
looked into the stove door for FIVE minutes.
This won't do" thought he " | must
come round somehow )" and he ran his fin
ger ends through his whiskers and looked
whole minute longer; then clearing his
throat, began in a softenei tone
II don't know but | am too savage on
your donation parties, Mary; but it has al
ways appeared to me that ifpeope must have
minister, they ought to pay him we'll, with
out gruding or grumbling. and not levy tax
upon the whole community to relieve them Of
their burdens; and if they can't so pay,
cheerfully own to their poverty and let him
20. Maybe | am wrong in my estimate
but have guessed twice suppose you tell
me now where you have given your donation
tonight. that has set your heart to hutteriDg
80 joyfully"
And Edward who was, after all, a very
fond husband, drew her hand into his, aud
looked with clear brow for an answer.
How easy the heart comes round to the
true place. when we once resolve to do right,
aud to drive away the mist Of ill humor that
hangs over the spirit By breath Of love and
kindness Mary replied without seeming to
remember that she had been repulsed.
You know, Edward, how many times We
have talked about good Mrs. Brown. Aher
raising a great family OF her own, and strag.
Cling through all sorts Of sorrow, sickness and
trial, to be LETT widow dependent wholly .
on her own hands, would have seemed sal 4
destiny but in her old age 10 be compelled j
to raise q second family, % take the babes Of
her daughter and rear them in her arms 70 /
become the second mother of all those or.
phans, seemed hard tate aud 50 We, few I
Of Us, you know. Il dant know who. hardly i
said Let us give the widow Brown doa-
tion party" aud all said Agreed = and so
TO work we went Every man aud woman