Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1862-07-10
THE UNMEANT RBBUKE.
~ LIFE LESSON.
BY sYLVANus CoBB. sR.

Charles Nelson had reached his thrty-ffth
year, and at that age he found himself going
down hill. lie had once been one of the hap
pest OF mortals, and no blessing was wanting
to complete the sum of his happiness. lie had
one OF the best of wives, and his childen were
intelligent and come y. lie was a carpenter by
trade, and no man could command better wages,
or be more sure of work. If any man attempt
ed to build house, Charles Nelson must boss
the job, and for miles around, people sought
him to work for them. But a change had come
over his life. A demon had met him on his
way, and he had turned back with the evil
spirit A new and experienced carpenter had
been sent for by those who could no longer de
pend upon Nelson, and he had Sc tied in the
village, snd now took Nelson's place.
On a back street, where the great trees threw
their green branches over the way, stood a
small cottage, which had once been the pride of
its inmates. Before it, stretched garden, hut
tall rank grass grew up among the choking
flowers, and the paling of the fence was broken
in many places. The house itself had once
been white, but it was now dingy and dark
Bright green blinds had once adorned the win
dows, but now they had been taken of and sold.
And the windows themselves bespoke poverty
and neglect, for in many places the glass was
gone, and shingles, rags and old hats had taken
llS plaCe. ~ SlIple Iooh dt tHe HOuSe ana IT'S
accompaniments told the story 1t was the
drunkard's home.
Within, sat woman yet in the early years
of life, and though she was still handsome to
look upon, the bloom was gone from her
cheek, and the brightness had faded from her
eyes. Poor Mary Nelson! Once she had been
the happiest among the happy but now none
could be more miserabel Near her sat two
children, both girls, and both beautiful in form
and feature but their garbS were all patched
and worn, and their feet were shoeless. The
eldest was thirteen years of age, and the other
two years younger. The mother was hearing
them recite grammar lesson, for she had re-
solved that he. children should never grow up
in ignorance. The could not attend the com
mon school, for thou9hiess children sneered
at them and made them the subject of sport
and ridicule but in this respect they did not
suffer, for their mother was well educated, and
she devoted such time as she could spare, to
their instruction.
For more than two years, Mary Nelson had
earned all the money that had been used in that
house. People hired her to wash, iron and sew
for them, and besides the money paid, they
gave her many articles of food and clothing
SO she lived on, and the only joys that dwclt
with her now were teaching her children and
praying to God.
Supper time camc and Charles Nelson came
reeling home. He had worked the day before
at helping move q building, and thus had
earned money enough TO find himself in ium
for several days. As he stumbled into the
house the children crouched close to their
mother, and even she shrank away, for some
times her husband was ugly when thus intox-
Gated
o, how that man had changed within two
NOT Hno tha
town. In frame he had been tall. Stout COM
pact and perfectly formed, while his face bore
the very heau-ideal Of manly beauty. But all
was changed now. His noble form was bent,
his limbs sh.unken and tremulous. and his face
all bloated and disfigurcd. He was not the man
who had once been the fond husband and doting
father. The loving wife had prayed, and wept,
and implored, but all to no purpose the hus-
band was bound to the drinking companions of
the bar-room, and he would not break the
bonds
That evening Mary Nelson ate no supper, for
of all the food she had in the house, there was
not more than enough for her husband and
children but when her husband had gone she
went out and picked a few berries, and thus
kept her vital energies alive. That night the
poor woman prayed long and earnestly, and her
little ones prayed with her.
On the following morning Charles Nelson
sought the bar-room as soon as he arose, but
be was sick and faint, and liquor would not re-
yve him, for it would not remain on his stom-
ach. He had drank very deeply the night be-
fore, and he felt miserable. At length, howey-
er, he managed to keep down n few glasses of
hot sling, but the close atmosphere OF the bar
room seemed to stihe him and he went out.
The poor man had sense enough to know that
if he could sleep he should feel BETTER and he
had just feeling enough to wish to keep away
from home so he wandered off toward wood
not far from the village, and sank down by the
side of a stone wall and was soon buried in a
profound slumber. When he awoke, the sun
was shining down hot upon him, and raising
himself 10 sitting posture, he gazed about
him. lie was just upon the point of rising,
when motion was arrested by the sound of
voices near at hand. lie looked through a
chnk in the wall, and just upon the other side
he saw his two children picking berries, while
a little further off were two more girls the
children of the carpenter, who had lately moved
into the village.
"Come, Katy" said one of these latter girls
to her companion, "let's go away from here, be-
cause if anybody should see us with those girls
they'd think we played with 'em. Come"
"BIt the berries are so thick here" remon-
stratcd the other
Never mlnu-We II COME out sometime Wnen
those little ragged drunkard's girls aren't here.
So the two favored ones went away, hand in
hand, and Nelly and Nancy Nelson sat down
upon the grass and cried.
Don't cry, Nancy" said the eldest, throwing
her arms around her sisters neck.
"But you are crying, Nelly"
80, can't help it," cried the stricken one.
"Why do they blame us P" murmured Nam
cy, gazing up into her sisters face 80, we
ale not to blame. We are good and kind, and
loving, and we never hurt anybody. o, / wish
somebody would love us | should be so hap
py."
"But we are loved, Nancy Only think ol
our noble mother. Who could love us as she
does P"
81 know-I know, Nelly but that aint al -
Why don't papa love us as he used to do P
Dou't you remember when he used to kiss us
and make us so hoppyP o, how wish he
could be SO good to us once more; He is not
"-sh, sissy don't say anything more. lie
may be good to us again if he knew how we
loved him know he would. And then be-
lieve God is good, and surely he will he p us
sometime, for mother prays to him every day
"Yes," answered Nancy, 81 know she does
and God Must be our father sometime"
"He is our Father now, sissy"
al know it but he must be all we shall have
by-and- by, Tor don't you remember that mother
told us that she might leave us one of these
daysP She said cold finger was upon hel