The Grand Haven news., 1864-12-21

of his Office window 70 the river, which
rolled It's dark, sulleu waters 10 the dis
tauce, and . fierce temptation had rushed
over him TO hurry and bury out all
his pain and anguish under the dark ruff
fed sheet Of water. But John ia his se-
cret distress, knew that the temptation
was the voice of the devil entering his
soul; he was man who feared the Lord
and kept his commandments; he put the
temptation aside. e. .sl
The young husband had not doubted
the wife's heart for moment; but he
bad expected to see her almost stricken
down to the earth, with the first tidings
of the ruin Of the house in which he was
the heaviest partner. He knew that her
youth had been nurtured in all the grace
and luxury that wealth confers, aud he
feared the thought of going into the
chill Of poverty. He had not looked for
loud lamentations, or bitter reproaches,
but he dreaded the silent tears, the mute
despair of the white face. = 3os0IioF 4
So John Malcolm raised his hot face,
stained with tears that were she'd for her
sake, and looked into the eyes Of his
wife; she answered with smile that set
her face in new sacredness and beauty
to her husbands eye-a smile SO sweet
and tender to him, SO bravely defiant for
the worst the world could do for them,
and it said to him at once all that her
words would and could not.
+ "Ah, Mary, my wife," said the mer.
chant, 81 thought when / came into my
house an hour ago, that / was a ruined
man; but now l feel as though / were
rich one." 'fssT eso.iti.
"Ruined with me and the children,
Johnr 1A a l11lsl afn. ei I
"But, Mary, poor child, you don't
know what it is to be poor, to give up so
much Of the ease and luxury to which you
have been accustomed"
You say that, John, before you have
tried me, and seen what of courage, and
powers of self-sacrifice there are in my
nature"
The noble words had a fitting empha-
sis in the sweet smile, in the steadfast,
dauntless tones. we g3r
{" But we shall have to give up the
house, Mary"
!" Well, we can be just as happy in a
small one. Our love has broader foun-
dation than stately rooms and costly fur
niture. Well take cosy little cottage
somewhere in the country, and instead Of
three servants get along with none."
Hearing these words, John Malcolm
looked at bis wife, but he did not say
what was in bis heart--a thanksgiving to
God for the angel he had sent to. walk
with him. He took her hand and held it
close in his, while he told her Of the
temptation which had beset him before
the failure Of his house had become GER
tain--a temptation by yielding to which
ho could have saved himself from failure.
But it must have been done by dishon-
est means, by taking advantage Of 9TH
ers in his power-in short, by fraud,
which though mans laws could never
reach, Gods did, with that eternal "Do
unto others as you would they should do
unto you." IS 4ss.
40, thank God thank God you were
delivered from this evil" said Mary NAL
colin. IL had rather you would 90 down
to your grave without dollar than have
committed this SIM" and the tears filed
her blue eyes as she spoke.
And afterwards there fell little silence
between the two, husband and wife. II
was broken by the latter. She looked In
to the mans face, and her fingers sifted
themselves through the dark hair that
had no specks Of gray, and her look bright,
grateful, loving and touching, conveyed
great deal. ~ \
What is it, 'Maryl"
"I was thinking, John, how much bet
ter of am TO day than thousands Of
wives throughout the land. How many
there are who sit in their lonely homes,
wearing the slow hours away, with hopes
and fears for husbands that are gone to
the war, and whose dreams at night are
filed with visions of bnttle-felds where
the one beloved face lies white and ghast-
ly on the sodden grass, with no hand to
offer the last cup Of water, no ear to
catch the last low word. Ah, John, my
eyes have never searched, as many
eyes do, for your name among the list Of
killed and wounded; and failed seems a
word to thank God for, when think of
that" r.s a.
She was crying now--the broken mer-
chants wife--crying for JOY. se.,es
"Mary," said John, " never thought