Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1866-02-16


listened to him codly while be poured out in frculicd
words the story Of his temptation and Of his sim Colby
then, IL statue had opened It's mouth and spoken,
she said,
Wrong is wrong. see no excuse for your crime.
Have you done with what you wished to say}"
And just when he had heard from the judges lips
his sentence he bowed mutcy bis stricken head and
she went out
After that The prison walls shu, him in.
The generosity Of those who might legally have claimed
the little home where al Jane Armsuongs welded life
had been passed. spared it to ho stricken woman and
her children So She lived on there doing any work she
could obtain, managing keep the household in decent
comfort but living such a life as / have told you "a
lie utterly barren Of grace and beauty and JOY. In
this shadow the children had dwc tl their faces
sad with premature despair which could never de-
scribe.
And now The five years almost over; and next
week it would be time for james Armstrong to come
home. In all this time no word or message nom his
wife had eyor sncc reached hin She had never been
known to mention his name A. first the children had
asked for him but she had always hushed them SO
sicrny that they had learned to understand her
will and had gone silently in the shadow which over
hung tho house.
10 was Saturday afternoon of that last week before
the one in which her husband would be free - when
from the gate to the door the minister in whose church
She used to sit Sunday after Sunday oy her husbands
side Il was long since she had seen him -s she had
never been TO church since the shadow came and on
his few visits She had shown him plainly how unwc
come he was that he had been constrained stay away
lie came now with message urgent ms that Of Ma
than the prophet when he went TO King David with his
Thou art the man, an GRAND that would not brook
delay or denial.
She offered him a chair in gloomy silence that prom
ised ill., She motioned the children to 90 Jut, aud
they obeycd her noiseessy spirits Thon she looked
at him, as Il waiting TO know Dis purpose.
Daughter" he said, in low penetrating tones that
seemed to search her very heart, "dd you ever sin
against God ;"
Every transgrcssion Of her life seemed as IL sum
moncd for Judgment by his will, To rise before her.
Even as James Armstrong bad DONE when he heard
his sentence, she bowed her head in shame and silence
DO you hope, then, ever to be received into Ills
heavenly homcs"
Through grace, through infinite mercy, l hope,
She answered in low, awo-stricken tones.
The old man and looked down on her as the angel
Of justice might at the last. Ills voice rang clear and
solemn through the low room.
" Is any mercy promised to them who have shown no
MERGE With what measure You moto il shall bc meas
ared to you again.
She understood his meaning She bowed her head
lower STILL and her spare bent figure shook like reed
in the tempest Of her emotion,
dared not forgive Inn or love him., She murmured /
thought it would be fellowship with evil 80 touching
the accurseI thing
"And so You limited Gods mercy; This and this !
may do and be forgiven ihi. other thing be did, and
even crrng, earthly love shut the door against
the sinner stricken and repcntant That James Arm
strong should be judged and punished ly tho law which
he had violated just and right but who made gov
his judge, gave You the right to say him. humbed
in the dust before you, am holier thai thou tell
you the sin Tor which be suffered will be blotcd ont long
before you viii be forgiven for your hard thoughts Of
him - for the bitterness Of all these cruel years"
And then, leaving these last words to ring and echo
in her like a Of doom, he went his way.
The next day Sunday, and Jane Armstrong passed
it in strong prayers and crying She had been cold and
bitter and resentfu before looking forward to her hus
bands as a new burden, fresh disgrace trial
too heavy to be borne Now her heart began to soften
toward him. Once persuaded that she had right to
care for him that to show him mercy would not be de
basing her soul the old love poured in upon her
like aood-tide. She found herself growing feyerishly
cage for his coming
Monday morning she went to work, trying to restore
to her home some Of its old brightness. Ornaments
that had been hidden away for years we're brought out
and restored to their places. She bought pot or two
Of fragrant flowers for the windows Of her south sitting
room, and tied the curtains back with gay ribbons Ts
the children, looking with wondering eyes, she said
over and again, only these three words Of expla
nation
"Father is coming"
She made pies and cakes every thing that James
Armstrong liked best found place in her pantry.
wednesday morning she knew his prison doors would