The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1866-03-01
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gaz TFrom the New York Observer
THE PURITAN OF 1863.
BY MRS. B. D. G. ROBBINS.

|
BY MRS. B. D. C. ROBBINS. ...
Tt was in the early part of October,
=, that the Rev. M. Allen started to
walk to Farmer Owens over the hills.
He had to cross two low spurs on the
Green Mountains, and as he climed to
the top Of the second the rich valley
of the Otter Greek lay spread out be
fore him. At any other time he would
have stopped to admire it's gentle un-
dulations; it's great flower garden of
forest trees, rich in every color and
hue; it's silver threads winding their
way to the waters Of the Champlain,
and the glorious autumn light which
lay like a golden mantle over them all.
But this afternoon he seemed oppress-
ed by the beauty which surrounded
him. He looked upon it with eyes
misty from tears. There was dull,
heavy weight upon his heart-a weight
which even the low, fervent prayers
that he had uttered so increasingly
since noon had failed to move. Be
tween him and that landscape, we might
almost say, between him and the mercy
seat, there moved a slight, tall boy,
with a laughing blue eye, clustering
brown hair, and lips always ready with
a merry pleasant word. To-day, there
was Bennie, nutting under the bare,
brawny arms of the butternut tree ),
that came babbling from the steep
mountain side, driving the COWS along
the narrow foot-path ); standing with
Blossom under the bright maple, and
shouting with pride and JOY as she
wreathed her pretty face in the gay
/ leaves
ooh, Bonnie! Bennie - Mr.. Allan
hardly knew he was calling the name,
until it came back to him with such an
empty, mocking sound, from the heart
less echo; ''almost' - Mr.. Allan
thought, startling himself by the seem
ing impiety of the words" almost
as if there was no great, kind Father
over us ALL <5.
AS he came near Father Owens house
he saw his oxen yoked to the plough.
He knew they had been there since the
telegraph came. Mr. Owen read it in
the field, had gone to the house and
forgotten them, and no one had dared
to put them up He was a man fully
capable of taking care of his own af-
| fairs under any circumstances, never
having been known before to forget.
/ MIR. Allan beckoned to an Irishman
who was passing, and asked him to
take care of them. The man came with
all awed look upon his face, as if even
there he stood in the presence Of a great
sorrow, and without the least noise
obeyed Ef.
Mr.. Allan walked on slowly toward
the house. He had known Mr. Owen
for many years, and he knew him well.
Indeed, there was peculiar bond of
sympathy between the two men. In his
large parish, there was not one upon
1 whom the minister relied as he did upon
this strong, sturdy farmer. Many and
many an hour he walked by his side
when he was upturning the brown
earth, and had discoursed with him on
i topics which would have sounded harsh
/ and repulsive to common ears, but
! which were fraught with deep and vital
!
rect descendant from the Puritans, and
every drop of blood in his veins was
tinged with as strong and true 'sblue''
as il he himself had landed in the May
flower. He took naturally to the stern
er doctrines of religion, while Mr.. AL
Ian, versed in all the modern lore, ques-
toned and, doubted. The keystone of
Mr.. Owens theology was thesovereign-
ty of God :-sShall not the Judge OF
earth do right p This was the man
upon whom God had now laid his hand
SO heavily; and Mr. Allan felt that if
the trial brought no murmur, no rebel
lion against that mighty Sovereign, the
stern old faith were indeed rich one
in which to live and die. He knew that
one element in this war was Puritan
Sons of the Roundheads filled up the
ranks of the Northern army. They
marched to battle to strains of the old
tunes that had fingered in the nursery
and the sanctuary from the day that
Cromwell and his soldiers chanted them
on MarstOn Moor All down the aisles
! of Time came tramping to the music
mailed men, bearing on their shields
the two words, Liberty and Equality.
They trembled on Mr.. Owens lips with
his parting blessings to his boy
Would he remember them, and would
they comfort and give him strength
nom2
Where there is affection in house,
the minister is at home Mr.. Allan en-
tered without knocking, and made his
way to the large, old fashioned kitchen
in which he was sure of finding the
family.