Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1860-05-02
'For that high suffering which we dread,
A higher joy discloses,
Men SOW the thorns on Jesus brow
But angels SOW the roses"

And then how beautifully the current of
Amy's married life went down to the ocean
of time. Very gentle it's course was. True,
quicksands and snares were on all sides, but
they were far beneath. Woman's life doesn't
end with marriage. New duties only succeed
old ones. New pleasures take the place
of the joys of the old home and the loved
ones, and happiness or misery is henceforth
the inseparable inmates of the new home.
have long believed there was no middle
ground in married life; it is either happy or
wretched. may be mistaken, but my OBJ
serVatlon confirms my theory. True, trials
ing out His will who "doeth all things we'll"
but in each other those married are either
happy or miserable.
amy lived many years in her chosen
home, surrounded by new friends, who learn
ed to love the fair bride of the stern. dig
nified teacher, who seldom smiled only on
her-his joy, his light. But | sorrowed as
for the loss of a sister. To me there was a
blank as if a CLEAN of sunshine had been sud-
denly changed into darkness; but still there
was a Upright side" to the picture. ANY
was absent only for while. Every summer
she was to return to Evergreen and spend
several weeks with us.
SBird notes, soft and low, only preceded
Amy a few weeks; for when the summer
flowers by the old church began to bloom.
those she had loyedsomuch, she eame-andi
was happy. Even now, after the storms o fffty
years have beaten over my head, / recall with
pleasure Amy's first visit to our little vim e.
clad home, and the bright days that passed too
quickly away. All! | cannot linger here:
and yet it would be pleasant to dwell on the
joyous days Of that summer; but [ must has
ten on.
Sometimes, Lizzie, storms arise when the
day has dawned beautifully, and over Amv's
sky there came a cloud, not digger than =
mans hand" 1t increased gradually and
soon the cloud hid all the brightness of her
t young life. True, it was several years before
1t became very dark, yet we knew it was
coming, and | felt as if | must reach out nv
arms and encircle her frail form and shield
her from the impending stroke. Your grand
r father died, Lizzie, you have heard the story
. often-died and left Amy with two bright
eyed girls-Ellen and Susan. 1t was a clio
d rious Autumn day when they brought Amy
from her husbands grave to our cottage
n home. She grieved long and sincerely fol
ID her first, her only love, and with earnestnes
re she devoted her life to her little ones, en-
IS deavoring to train them for immortal bliss
=, If / had never known before that Arthur
Hartman was noble and good, surely Iwoul
have felt it now. He came to see Amy. Ell
ne was our minister then-had been settled i
If the Parsonage two years. He told Amy {
at the bright hope there was remaining for he
after death, of peaceful mansions above. {
.r the angel choir with whom her husband wa
singing the song of the redeemed, an
as then he told her of the harvest field
/ life, and Of the scarcity of laborers, an
of encouraged her to work for the world living
lie wickedness. Obi it was pleasant to hear hi,
lis comforting the sad mourner, and she learne
n to watch for his coming with eagerness.
think he had at last learned to love her as