Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1862-04-04

4 y, )
fragrance, cast its leaves, and at last
only it's root was left; and what dews or
sunshine could nourish it in soil that
grew more barren year by year-a soil
overgrown with thistles, and rank and
noisome weeds!
Yet, all these years, the barns and
store houses, the land and gold of Isaac
Parsons increased, and God sent children
two boys and girl-to soften the
hearts of the father and mother, and be
to them angels. of new covenant OF
household peace and tenderness. But
alas! the sweet faces and all the beauti-
full ministrations of childhood never ac-
complished their mission; and with hearts
and tempers soured and fretted and worn,
| Mr.. and Mrs. Parsons counted the years
growing over them, and 10Th felt that
their marriage had been a mistake and
misery, and with blind eyes that would
not see, and hard hearts that would not
understand, each blamed the other. and
mutual recrimination only produced
fresh bitterness.
At last crisis came. Mrs. Parsons
had set her heart that autumn on new
parlor carpet, which was in no wise un-
reasonable, and in which her husband
ought to have INDUCED her; but the
manner of her request-which was in
reality command-at once reused the
inherent stubbornness of the man and
he fatty refused her Then followed
passionate words and angry retorts, till
the husband and wife separated with
mutual bitterness and rage.
| nuded chicken, and plunged it into a
pan Of hot water, her eyes glanced on
the weekly paper, which lay on the ia
BILE, and they settled on this passage,
which completed short sketch.
"Who, when he was reviled, reEiled
not again, but committed his cause to
him that judgeth righteously,"
And these werds stole, in a still, re-
buking voice, through the stormy soul
of Mrs. Parsons. She had read them
innumcrabie times before, and they had
for her no special message for meaning,
but now God had sent his angel to drop
them in her heart; and in moment
something of the real sin and wrong of
her life rose up and confronted her.
She sat down in low chair by her
kitchen table, and rested her forehead
an her hand. The hard, fretfpl angry
look went out from her face, and was
succeeded by soft, thoug htful express
sion, and the sunshine hoyerod in yearn-
ing, golden, shifting beauty about her.
And the years of Mrs. Parsons mar
ried life rose up pale and sorrowful faces
from the dead, and looked reproachfully
upon her, and suddenly, ia sharp, clear,
strong features, stood revealed to her
reused conscience the heavy part she
had borne in all the sin and misery that
had blasted her married life.
And then her womans memory went
back to her first acquaintance with Isaac
Parsons; he had chosen her from among
a score Of others, who envied her that
good fortune; and now the early days
of their ceurtsiiip came over the soft
ened heart Of the woman as the first
winds Of the spring come up from the
south, and go softly over the bare de-
spairing earth. Then she saw herself
once more, a shy. tremulous, joyful bride
at this alsar, leaning on the strong arm
and tender heart of Isaac Parsons, to
whom she gave herself 81 dly and trust
ingly, as a woman should.
And she remembered that morning, a
little later, when her proud and happy
young husband brought her to the house
which had been his fathers, and now
for little while the thought of her
being mistress Of the great old farm
house fairly frightened the wits of her
She meant to make it sweet and
happy home for Isaac Parsons. She
remembered as though it had all hap
Ipened yesterday, the little plans and
contrivances she had made for his sur
prise and their mutual comfort
But the quarrel came. How we'll she
Iremembersd it, and how clearly she saw
now the foolish and sinful part she had
borne in that. If she had controlled
her temper then-if she had only been
gentle and patient, forhearing and for
giving, instead of being proud and pas
| sionate, fretful and stubborn! If she
had only borne her womans burdens,
and done her woNans S duties! Here
the wife and mother broke down; she
buried her face in her apron, and cried
like child
Mrs. Parsons was an energetic, de-
termined woman, and when she had
once made up her mind on any course
of action, she would not shrink back
from: it. What went on in the softened
womans heart that morning, as she sat
with her apron to her eyes, and the sobs
in her rocking to and fro in her low
chair, and the sweet, restless sunshine
all about her-what went on in the wo-
mans softened heart only God and the
angels know 4; x K x =
''Are you tired, Isaac?'
The farmer was wipiug his face and
hands on the brown crash towel which
hung near the window He was a tall,
stalwart, muscular man, sun Drowned
and weather beaten, yet had keen,
kindly eyes, and the hard features had
an honest, Intelligent expression. Mrs.
Parsons was cutting a loaf Of rye bread
at the kitchen table Her husband
turned and looked at her Il moment as
though he half doubted whether he had
heard Alright. His wifs's face was bent
over the bread, and he could not see 1t;
but the words came a second time:
care you tired, Isaac?'
1t was a long time since Mr. Parsons
had heard that quiet voice. 1t stole
over his heart like wind from the land
of his youth.
/ "Well, yes, 10 feel kind of tuckered
out. It's hard work to get in all that
corn with only one hand beside Roger.