Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1855-07-12


special objects o! attention, was one Joh
Henderson, frequent visitor at our house
and young man of good parts and kind
feeling, as it seemed, but of peculiar natur
being easily led into either right or wrong
+ yet still given to fits of stub bbornness, whe
he could not be drawn, SO to speak, with
cart-rope. .......
4 "Now Adeline had been professor of re
lgion for some years, but it did not seem t
me that she took right view Of this partic
; uor season, for many times she refused to g,
. to the prayer meetings, even to those whicl
were held With special attentions towards thu
f unconyerted; and many times, On my return
found Eer with pale cheeks and red eyes
evidently from teafs. About this time, also
she began to take long, solitary walks. from
which she returned with her hands full o
wild flowers, for it was'now early spring; but
she cared nothing for the flowers, and would
scatter them about the house to fade, without
a thought. In The mean time, the revival pro.
gressed, but, lament to say, with no visible
change in John Henderson. He had gotten
into one of his stubborn moods Of mind, and
neither heaven nor hell seemed to affect him
The only softening could perceive in the
young man was during the singing of hymns
which was well done in our Westinghouse,
for Aieline led the choir, and roticed that,
whenever that pait of the exercises began,
John Henderson would lift up his head, and a
strange color and tender expression seemed
to melt the hard lines of his face.
Somewhere about the latter end of April,
as IVES returning from visit to sick man,
met JOAN coming from a piece of woods,
that lay behind my house about mile, With
his hands full of hverwort blossoms. | do
not know why this little circumstance gave
me comfort, yet, had ever observed, that the
man who loves the manfestato ms OF God
in his works is more likely to, be led into re-
ligion than brutal or a mere business man;
50 was desirous of speaking to the youth.
but when he saw me, he turned from the
straight path, and, like an il-aser, fed
across the fields another way did not call
after him, for some expere nee has constrain.
ed me tc think that there is no little wisdom
in sometimes letting people alone, but took
mysown way home and, having put on my
cloth shoes to ease my feet, and being in
somewhat of maze of thought, went to
my study, as it seemed, very quietly, for
entered at the open door and found Adelne
sitting in my arm chair by the window quite
unaware Of my nearness. | weHremember
how like spirit she looked that day, with
her great eyes raised to cloud that rested
J in the bright sky, her soft black hair twisted
Into a crown about her head, and her light
| dress falling all over the chair, while in her
hands, lying between the slight fingers and
by the bluer veins, was clasped a bunch Of
liverwort blossoms Then | perceived for
the first time, why my child, was crying for
tho moon, and John Henderson cared for the
singing and not for the hymns, at which
sorrowed. But sat down by Ada, and TAX
ing the flowers out of her cold hands, began
to say that ! had met John Henderson on the
road with some such blossoms, at which she
looked at me even as she did when told her
about her father, and, seeing that | smiled,
and Yet was not dry-eyed, nor quite at rest,
the teais began slowly, to run over her eye
lashes, and in few very resolu,e words she
told me that Mr.. Henderson had asked her
that morning 20 marry him.
"Now knew not well what to say, but
|
not to remember how sore trial twould be
TO part with Ada anc reasoned with her
calmly about the youth, setting forth, first
that he was not protesting Christian, and
that the Scripture seemed pain 10 me On
that matter, though | would not cOnstrain
! her conscience If she found it clear in this
thing: and, second, that he was man who
held fast to this worlds goods, and was like
to be follower of Mammon if he learned
not to love better things in bis youth; and,
third, that he was a man who had, as one
might fay, streak of granite in his nature,
against which feeling a person would con-
! tinualy fall and be hurt, and which no per
son could work upon, if once it came in the
way even of right action, To all this Ade-
line answered with more reason than | sup.
posed woman could, only that | noticed, al
the end of each answer, she said in a low
voice, as if it were the end Of all contention
-'and love him Whereby, seeing that
the thing was well past my interference,
gave my consent with my doubts and fears in
my heart, and, having blessed the child,
sent her away that might mediate over the
matter. .-. ....
"When John came in the evening for hii
answer, was enabled to exhort hm faithful
ly, and, ia his sonened state of feeling, he
chose to tell me that he had been seeking
religion beearse he feared would not give
, him Adeline, unless he were joined to the
, CHURCH, and he would not make hypocritt
of himself, even for that, but he had hopet
, that in the use of mesns he might be awaken
, ed and converted. AT this was pleased in
, asmuch as it showed spirit of truth in tn,
7 young man, but could not avoid setting be
fore him that selt-seeking had never led any
/ soul TO God, and how cogenta treason he hat
> himself given for his want of success il
! things preataining to his salvation; but as
Q spoke Ada came in by the other door, an
5 Johns eyes began TO wander 80 visibly, tha
!, | thought it best to conclude, and must sa
T he appeared grateful. So went our of tn
r door, leaving Ada stately and blushing as
a fair rose-tree, Notwithstanding that Joh
r Henderson seemed to fancy she needed hi
o support.
a .As the year went on, and l could not i