The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1860-02-03
"At times a little brawl
Injuries not ut all
III we only love each other still

IL VIC July iVNc VaSu otueI SUM-
sinseth Swedish poet but ah, how car
a pure and noble love develope itself in the
sitting atmosphere of brawls? Who doe,
not know that q little brawl,' If it be in.
dulged, soon flleth the whole house and
heart, and then, alas, for love Besides, lik,
marrying into certain families, If you take
one, you take the whole tribe, and thei,
name is legion.
Strife we must have as yet, and strife for
u noble aim we can endure, for we know
that above and beyond archeth the bright
rainbow of peace; but from brawls, especial.
ly all family and ncighborhood brawls, good
Lord deliver us
But so prayed not these cousins. The
scene we have described was not the first
though perhaps the bittcrest, that had occur
red within the last twelve months. Josiah
Benton was not as hasty and passionate as
his cousin, but, when once thoroughly reused
quite us obstinate and unreasonable. For
some years past, il had been the talk among
the ncighbors, that things did not so well
with Siah Benton His family suffered
much from sickness, and at last God took all
his fair children but the eldest boy. His
cattle were not unfrequently diseased, the
dogs killed nearly all his fine flock of sheep,
and his crops were meagrc and scanty.
Indeed, he experienced many of those trials
that come as u discipline Of faith and patience,
Sometimes he felt them as such; and with
no one to assist him but little David, who il
must be confessed to any one but father, was
rather hindrancc than a help he worked
on with untiring patience, and would have
worked in peace, had il not been for his close
proximity to his cousin Barker.
With him everything had gone we'll; at
least 50 said the people of the village, when
they looked upon his beautiful farm, his well
filled granarlcs, his sleek hocks and herds,
and counted up his mortgages and notes up
on interest. But could they have looked in
to his heart, and secn how Il grew hard and
selfish beneath his ovcr-incrcasing thirst for
gain, they might have thought otherwise.
True, they knew that he grew more and more
captiOus and irritable, and that his ungoy-
ernable bursts of temper often changed the
brightness of his iircside to gloom-but, then
he was rich-and riches cover multitude OF
sins, even in country village.
In proportion TO the success of his own
schemes in pursuit of wealth, contempt for
the want of success in others increased, and
he did not fail to manifest it. ANY man
may be rich if he chooses 10 be, was his con-
slant reply to his wife and daughter when
less successful neighbors. Josiah Benton
and he had started in the world on an equal
footing us regarded property, hut now, scarce
ly day passed in which he did not make his
cousin feel the difference his relationship
giving him, as he thought, u peculiar right
to meddlc in his affairs.
About year previous an old maiden aunt
of theirs had died, and instead of taking her
property with her, as did always seem her
intention, she left il to these ncphews, with
the strict injunction that they should settle
the estate themselves, 80 that none of her
money should be- squandered in feeding pro-
bate Judges and clerks. After many hot dis
putCs and angry words, they finally succeed
ed in dividing the property: but the alter
cation had aroused 80 much bitterness of
fccling---had brought out 80 many things
that they were bent upon viewing as proofs
of a want of honesty, that the old woman's =
behcst proved u curse instead Of blessing.
Their wives were sensible, good tempered
women, who understood their husbands
faults and ioibles perfectly. They had en-
tered into kind dof tacit compact not to let
their own friendly relations be interrupted (;
and it was the gcperal opinion of the young
people of the village that it would take some
thing more powerful than quarrel to dis
turb the close relationship of love and conf
dence that existed between young David
Benton and Hannah Barker.