Freeman's champion., 1858-03-25
Happy Nancy-The True Secret.

She tended her little garden, knit and
spun for a living. She was known
everywhere, from village to village,
by the cognomen of Happy Nancy"
She had no money, no family, quite
lame, and very crooked. There was
no comeliness in her; and there, in
that homely, deformed body, the great
God who loves to bring strength out
of weakness, had set his royal seal.
"Well, Nancy, singing again p
would be the chance remark q visit
or would make, as he lounged at her
door.
"La! yes, I'm forever at it. |
don't know what people'll think, "
she would say, with smile.
"Why, they'll think, as they al
ways do, that you are very happy"
"La we'll, that's fact. I'm just
as happy as the day is long.
IL wish you'd tell me yorr secret,
Nancy you are all alone, you work
hard, you have nothing very pleasant
surrounding you--what is the reason
you're SO happy ?"
"Perhaps it's because I havn't got
anybody out God" replied the old
creature, looking up.
"You see, you rich folks like you
depend upon their families and hous-
es they've got to keep thinking Of
their business, Of their wives and
children, and then they're always
mighty afraid of troubles ahead. !
amt got anything to trouble myself
about, you see, cause / leave it all to
the Lord. I think, well, if he can
keep this great world in such good
order, the sun rolling day after day,
and the stars shining night afternight,
make the garden things come up the
same, season after season, he can sar-
tainly take care Of such poor, SIM
pie thing as am; and so you see, |
leave it all to the Lord, and the Lord
takes care of me-"
"Well, but Nancy, suppose a frost
should come after your fruit trees are
all in blossom, and your little plants
out; suppose"
"But / don't suppose / never can
suppose don't want to suppose,
except that the Lord will do every
thing right. That's what makes you
people unhappy you're all the time
supposing. Now, why can't you wait
till the suppose comes, as | do, and
then make the best Of t?"
"Ah, Nancy, it's pretty certain
you'll get to heaven, while many Of
us, with all our worldly wisdom, will
have to stay out" 90
"There you are at it again." said
Nancy, shaking her head, always
looking out for some black cloud
Why, If 1 was you, I'd keep the dew
il at arms length, instead of taking
him right into my heart; he'll do you
q desperate sight of mischief"
She was right. We do take the
demons OF care, of distrust, of mel
ancholy foreboding, of ingratitude,
right into our heart, and pet and cher
ish the ugly monsters, till we aSsim-
ilate to their likeness. We canker
every pleasure with this gloomy fear
of i'll; Wa seldom trust that pleasures
will enter, or hail them when they
come. Instead of that, we smother
them under the blanket of apprehen-
sion, and choke them with our mis-
anthropy.
1t would be we'll for us 10 initiate
Happy Nancy, and "never suppose"
If you see cloud, don't suppose it's
going to rain; if you see frown,
don't suppose q scOlding will follow.
Do what ever your hands find to do,
and there leave it. BE more child
like toward the Great Father who
created you learn to con6de in his
wisdom and not in your own; and
above all, "wait till the suppose
comes, and then make the best Of it."
Depend upon it, earth would seem an
Eden, if you would follow Happy
Nancy's rule, and never give place in
your bosom to imaginary evilS.--Sa-
lem Register.