The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1865-08-24

- L l. ~ A w IA, ~ w
the children go with him, and of course tn
mother must follow to take care Of them
do not know that there in any harm il
this, / am sure Charles does not thinl
there il, but do wish that could tax
just one walk alone with him.
"Octobsr 9Th. fAttered myself tha
when the evening grew long Chales would
read to me - he used to before we wer,
married. He has a fine voice for readiag
and my favorite books seem doubly inter
esting when he reads them aloud, but Mrs
Martin spends every evening with us, ant
rs she is not fond of books, Charles think
it would not be polite to read whom she Il
present. ..'. s..r.... ".". ......
II try in vain to feel an Interest," in hel
conversation, but my mind will, in spite o.
my efforts, go back to the happy days a
my fathers fireside, and I sometimes find
myselflonging to make one Of that cheer
ful group.
"Januaryl, IL. I Thought that when
we lefths large kitchen, and each Of us
performed our household labor in our OWE
respective sitting rooms, might perhaps
have little more quiet, but 1 was mista-
taken. Charles is angry il send the chill.
dren to their mothers room, and that is
harder to bear than their noise.
This morning arose with headache,
and it seemed to me there was even more
confusion tnan usual. At length, after
bearing it as long a. could, I told the
children that they must go to their moth
er's room and remain a couple ofhours, as
was not well. Ny husband arose and
followed them, shutting tho door hard af.
ter him, leaving me iu an agony of grief
and tears. .
''Euening. When Charles first left me
was much distressed, fearing that had
acted, from a wrong impulse, and alarmed
at the tumultuOus feeling that welled i'm
my breast, so unlike what had seemed to
bs my natural disposition, but soon went
about my work again, replacing the things
that the children had thrown around ma
king some PREPARATION for dinner, and then
writing few lines i'm my journal, the on
ly friend to which can confide my grief.
~ had often heard my mother say that 1t
was q reliefin lines of trial to minister to
to the wants Of some one more unhappy
than ourselves. Although 1 doubted
whether there could be any one found in
the vicinity more miserable than was at
that time, yet determined to visit a cabin
that had noticed i'm one of my rides, and
had been surprised by seeing a smoke is
sue from the chimney Of SO dilapidated
building. "a.
Filling basket with what I thought
might be acceptable to the inmates, 1 set
forth. The ground was covered with snow.
which reflected the light of the sun with
almost dazzling radiance. As 1 walked
briskly onward my spirits rose, 30 that
had no longer any difficulty in restraining
the tears which at first had been 10 ready
to flow. -...-..r .r.- ... .s.
~ found the cabin inhabited by an old
negro woman, who was creushing over a
few smbers on the hearth. She received
knew de good Lord would send
old Dinah something; He ncber let me go
hungry yet
''Shs then went on to tell me how her
husband and children had been take en- from
her, one after another, until she was left
alone in her old days; but, said shs-'De
Lord makes me happy widout 'em. He
can make us happy wild noting but Heself
GAS returned home, I pondered these
words long and earnestly. This morning
for the first time l doubted the continuance
OF my husbands affection for me; but i
endeavored to Danish such Thought ir-
stantly, for there was such agony in it that
felt that it would kill me or drive me
still az the scenes of the past
six months came before me, it would re-
turH .gain and again. Gould my Heay-
enly Father make me happy without that
earthly love? Was there such power as
that in the religion Of Jesusf' was re-
solved to test 1t.
"When I reached home, found my dear
father and youngest brother, the darling
AS my father folded IRE in his arms, he
.aid-'How thin and psIe you have grownv
But / was able to answer his searching,
anxious look with a bright smile. How
thankful felt that the keen anguish Of
the morning had passed away. ......
According to the resolution. formed du-
ring my homeward walk, when came to
my roonr thfs evening, took the word of
God, and knoeling down besought Him to
help me to understand and practice its
teachings.
II then committed to memory the latter
part Of the first, and a portion of the sec
ond chapters of Matthew. Ny mind has
dwolt particularly upon the clause-'Thou
shalt call his name Jesus, for He shall save
His people from their sins
~ never realized so fully before that SIN
in ourselves or others is tho cause of all
our suffering, and never felt 20 strong q
desire to be pure in hoart.'
"Jan,sar.y ,. 1t has been . year since
wrote in my journal-a year of outward
trial and suffering, and yet have been
sustained and comfortsd in manner
wholly incomprshsnsible TO me before
yielded my proud will to that Of nay Ma
ksr. nF #.1 lo geo.. .
II have overcome my dislike to Mrs.
Martins children by ministsring to their
wants day by day, as tenderly as though
they were my own, telling them sweet
stories from the Bible, and teaching them
their duty to God and to each other.
trust the seed thus sown in these young
hearts may result in eireverlasting good.
"At first wassomevhat actuatsd by the
hope that my efforts might please my hus-
band; but he il more devoted to Mrs. Mar