The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1861-02-27

fused to be engrafled upon Fred, though it
was uaturol to his sisters. At family prey.
ers, while the rest listened to the service,
Fred described diagrams on the carpet With
the toe Of his shoe, or rummaged with
one hand among the promiscuous collection
which he carried in his pocket, or planned
the next chestnut excursion, and was of
with a whoop and bound az soon as his
father said "Amen." Not one deliberate
act of malice, or violence, or mischief, did
Fred plan or execute but he was boiling
over with animal spirits, which must find
vent somehow and the perpetual air ofre-
straint about the family, the subdned tone,
and the solemnity Of bis mothers appeals to
him to repent and give his heart to Christ,
only drove him to the opposite extreme. In
vain did she tell him, when his merriment
became unbearable, that "the laughter OF
fools was like the cracking of thorns under
q pots" he hated the author of those words,
because he somehow felt, though be could
not say it, that mirth was part OF his ma.
ture, and could not, and would not be ignOr.
ed. In vain did she tell him that the sway
OF the traDsgressor is hard )" and that she
feared he was sin the broad road to death )"
The only hard way for him was the way of
precision, and grave, steady application: If
she had told him that these were the ways OF
traHsgressors, be would have fully believed
her.
The good mother had 10 her heart conse
Grated this first. born son to God, and her
fondest hope was to see him a minister o
the Gospel. She used to take him alone
into her room, and read to him, and pray
with him, and weep over his want of inter.
est when he would break into the story o.
young Samuel or Timothy with, "What
time is it, mother! Msynt 60 pretty
soon :" By the time he was ten or eleven
years Of age, he had begun to consider him.
self a scrt of reprobate, given over, sit was
no use for him to try to be good as he could
see, and yet he didn't see what he had done
that was very bod only he couldn't be as
mother wanted him to be, and he supposed
he was an awful sinner for he had always
been told that he was"-and lie began to do
from perverson what he had formerly done
from excess of spirits and love OF merriment.
About this time the church to which Mrs.
Chase belonged had q new minister-not
very young, nor very attractive at first sight.
His predecessor, cold, grave man, who
preached sound doctrine, but took no per.
sonal interest in the youth of his flock, had
been rather dread to master Fred, to whom
he looked like perpetual exclamation
point, in view of his misdeeds. But the new
minister, who come to stay few days at
Deacon Chase's, while the parsonage was
being painted, was entirely different sort
of man. Fred eyed him uskance, and came
very reluctantly to be introduced to him !;
but there wassomething kindly in the min.
ister's manner as he said to him, after the
first salutstions
"Was it you | sew feeding the rabbits
this morning :"
Fred colored with glow of conscious
pleasure, as he said: "Yes, sir" and add
ed, timidly, II tanned them myself" ..-
"Ah," said the minister, 81 should like to
visit them with you by.and by"
Fred hardly felt satisfied in his own mind
as to the proprety of minister ticking an in
terest in rabbits they were worldly con
Germs, he supposed, and he had 60, the idea
that every thing which was not religious
was sinful. However, he led the way tri
umphantly, when the minister was ready to
visit the rabbits, and could not help feeling
kindly feeling toward the man who could
be in his company for hours without looking
or speaking reproaches. In day or two a
pleasant cordiality sprung up between the
pastor and the erratic boy, and one evening
the latter was delighted and surprised by the
PASTORS asking him to 60 the next day to
show him where the woods were, for be
loved forest rambles. Fred could hardly
sleep that night for anticipation, and was VI
at the dawn of day, AS he passed the dool
of the minister's room he heard him praying
and softening his steps and hu,hiDg his
whistling, he glided down stairs more quiet
ly than he was ever known to do before
They were of as soon as breakfast was
over, two or three miles into the thick
woods, and Fred leaped over the rocks and
turned aside the refractory bushes, and NOV
ed intrudiDg branches and stones from the
minister's way he showed him where the
psrtfidges had their haunts, and the wild
rabbits were to be entrapped, and the rare
wild flowers were to be found, and gathered
the choice berries on green leaves for bis
new found friend.
"Do you love the woods and all the wild
thugs and curious places !" he ventured tc
ask at length, as the minister mounted q
high rock which overlooked secluded little
kpond.
The minister replied "Certsinly do
and love good boys company, too" be
added, with q smile. H4
swell, i don't think you are much like
old Mr.. Cranston. Thought it was wicked
to love such .hiugs." he added, with boyist
bIuLines Q aGt w aiiG ga' 4