Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1860-03-06
Misr.le'lt mn
= > = 2 y TT - : : ~
P A S S 1T B Y.
BY JESSIE MAY.

-fff ~ sst.f
BY JESSIE MAY. ril .E
80 s SEfS ta
a-.aJohnl" said -Mrs.~Jenes, as she took
off her working apron after washing up
the tea dishes, sslet's go over to Smith S,
and sit awhile this pleasant evening
It'll rest you to, take short walk after
sitting All day upon the bench, and I'd
like to have an old-fashioned chat with
Mary" ! .,-,,,x .,.,. ,,,xs,-,s- - I. '+ -
aTo Smith ST. exclaimed the little
tailor, with a stare of sarprise, as he re-
moved his cigar from his lips, andturned
around his chair to scan his. wife s
features, as if to assure himself of her
sanity. sand what onsearth should we
go over there for2, no'asHasa = z 5lea1a.i &
sat'eWhy, to make visit, of course, and
why shouldn't WEI" 'o d
"Reason enough, should think, why
we should not, and I'm, astonished to
hear you propose such a thing. Why,
what has come over the woman all of
sudden?" and Mr. Jones peered into the
face Of his wife, and paused for reply
"Well, I'll tell you what, John, I've
been thinking about our troubles with
our neighbors great deal lately, and
I've made up my mind that it isn't pleas
ant to live in this way, indulging in hard
feeling, and allowing ourselves to say
unkind things and harp upon the old
string that ought to have been worn out
long ago; and 1 believe that the best
thing we can do. is to let unpleasant
matters drop entirely, and try to avoid
quarreling in the future.l"l
-s'a'sWell, I'm willing to do so, if Smiths
folks want to; but think it belongs to
them to make the first advances they
are the most to blame-and l feel as
though it would be a little too much
like crawling to be the first to try to
make up. If Smith will only say that
he was wrong, and ask me to overlook
his fault, I'll forgive him from the bot
tom of my heart and We'll shake hands,
and be friends; but you know he did use
me real mean about those groceries,
= s'Yes; think Smith was to blame; I
have never changed my mind in the least,
as to that, and think, too, that it be-
longs to him as the first offender, to
make some Acknowledgements to you;
and though, as you say, it does seem as
if they ought to come to us first, yet l
know they never will, Mary never
would, anyhow; know her Of Old
She's immoyable as rock I have
heard her say that she believed that the
hardest thing in the world that could be
required of her, would be to acknowledge
a fault, and that if she once got angry
at person, she did not think she could
ever forget it, and love that person as
well in futures Now in this state of
things, we are only getting more and
more estranged, and | am tired of it
l don't feel happy it seems to me that
we ought to do right, whether others do
right or not; and /, for one, feel sorry
that anything of the kind exists!' aF
I" "So do /, but whose fault is, it, pray
tell? 'tisn't ours, certainly. ~. ....,
"Not ours to begin with, perhaps; but
we have helped to widen the breach, and
no-doubt we have done wrong. | know
that I have; it is wrong to cherish such
bitter resentment, and to speak harshly
of any one, as. We have Of them And
John, 1 don't believe you realize the
amount of evil that we have taken into
our hearts since this difficulty arose
Why, don't you know that we are get
ting SO we pick flaws with everything
that Smiths folks do. We envy them
their prosperity; we secretly rejoice at
their misfortunes; we feel Jealous of eV-
cry movement they make; charging them
with bad motives, and crediting every
evil rumor that is circulated about them.
Why, l feel, sometimes, as though [ had
sinned more than they have; [ have
magnifed their faults; have forgotten
my own sins, in looking at theirs; and
this morning when 1 prayed: "Forgire
us our tre&spasses as ace torgire those soho
krespass agdinstusr Twas really shocked
when /, thought ,ohat had asked for
Oh, ,,if God forgives me as l forgive them,
I fear I shall have but small chance Of
salvation. 7fi7'' 5-'D f'2- '.'' 't
Mrs. Jones was getting warmed up
with her subject and she sank back in
her rocking chair which she had taken
beside her husband, and covering her
face with her hands, she, sat for some
time in silence, but as Mr.. Jones made
no reply, she rocked forward, and tap
ping the floor with her feet, she fdgit-
ted about a moment, and began again:
II know what you are thinking of,
John. 1 know that have always held
you back when you felt disposed to make
any advances, and that 1 have said ten
words to your one about Mr. Smith, and
his wife; but that is my way, you know.
What do, do with my might; and
now. that I feel the necessity of exer-
cising forbearance, want to be as thor
ough in the good work as was active in
the evil practice of denouBeing every
thing our ueighbors did, suspecting all
their intentions toward us, and harping
forever upon the injury we had received
at their hands. know that I said that
! never would cross their threshold again;
but "a bad promise is better broken than
kept, is wise old saying, and I'm will