The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1865-05-17

go. Nanny, papa has come. papa
has Gomez shouted little Harold james.
>pringing to meet his sister, as she return
ed from afternoon school.
"llas he ?" cried Mary, her gentle
face lighting up with joy. 50. how
glad am he was not killed, and now
! shall have my ring" and she followed.
with flying feet, her little brother into
the house.
Her overhowing joy was somewhat
damped at sight of the rough, red-faced
soldier, who, clad in worn and dirty
clothes, sat in the corner of the room.
smoking an old black pipe. But he took
the pipe from his mouth and held out his
hand to her with Il smile, and after hesi-
tating looked towards her mother, who
nodded to her TO 20 on, she drew near to
the man and kissed him.
"Iou have almost forgotten you father,
child" he said.
Mary blushed but made no answer.
Her father had been the hero of her daily
and her nightly dreams. She remember
ed him as one who had always been kind
TO her, and who had seemed to her child
ish eyes as the very pattern Of all that
was noble and manly. She could not
quite reconcile his present appearance
with her memories and her dreams. She
had an instructive feeling, too, that her
mother was disappointed and grieved, for
what, she could not have told. Some
thing was wrong, and little Mary's heart
sank heavily, while even merry Harolds
song Was stilled. His sunny face became
very grave, and retiring to corner he
sat down, and leaning his curly head
against the wall, applied himself to his
eyer-present comtorter-his thumb-and
remained silently sucking it for a long
time.
Mamma" said Mary, when she had
said her prayer that night, and her moth
er was about leaving her 10 her sleep,
''we expected to be very, very happy
when papa came home but we are not,
are we I"
"Do net talk SO, my 1--we" said her
mother, gently. "Your papa is very lir-
ed. lie has Travelled far, and had a very
hard time. Tomorrow he will feel bet
ter, and so, l hope, shall we all"
As the mother turned away, tears
rolled from her eyes to the floor.
All when something Is wrong with or
ina friend how long can true aud loving
heart be deceived When the war broke
out and Leonard James felt 1t his duty
to 60, his wife tried not to oppose him
She gave him up TO her country, sorrow-
ing and fearing most Of all that he was
not Christian, But she committed mn
into the hands of God, believing that He
had power TO keep her husband as safely
ON the battlefield as AT home. Leonard
had been absent three years and half.
and had sent home little money. and had
written inirequently. Whenever he did
write, he made 50 many plausible excuses
for his neglect that Mary hoped through
all, that it was his misfortune and not his
fault which caused il.
But her heart misgave her. She reas-
oned braye!y against her heart. Alas!
1t was truer than her head-as hearts are
apt to be.
Poverty had come upon her She had
struggled hard with want and i'll health
but she would not allow herself to
blame Leonard. By-and-by he would
return, and then all would be right
She talked much of their dear papa to
her children, teaching them to remember
and love him, and to long for his return
He had written that he would certainly
bring Mary ring when he came, and