Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-03-20
tfllsleliallp.
The Puritan of 1853.
MRS. r D. c. ROBBINS, OF MDDLEBuRY.

D. c. ROBBINS, OF MIDDLEB1ET
1t wac in the early part OF Octo5er,-, that
the Rev. Mr.. Allan ted 20 walk 10 taTtner
Owens, over tne hills. He had t. cross Two low
spurs OF the Green Mountains, and as he Climbed
to the top of the second the rich valley OF tie
Otter Creek Law spread out before him. Al any
other time he would have stopped u adnrle Its
gentle undu ulat.oLs its great Hower garden o.
forest trees rich every color and hue It's sill
yer threads winding jhel5 Vsay To thc "4ters OF
the ChampIaln, and the glorious sUtuuIn Light
which Law ike golden mantle over them ali.
But this afternoon be seemed oppr ssed by the
beauty which surrounded hin. lie looked upon
it with eyes m-s5y from tear. There was d
dull heavy weight upon his heart-a weight
which even the lUag, iervens prayers that he BAD
uttered go increasingly since noon had iaIied 10
move Between hun and that landscape, We
might almost say between him and the mercy
seat, there moved d slight, tall boy, with d
laughing blue eve, clustering brown hair, abd
lips always ready with d pleasant word. l.
day there was Bernie, nutElng under the bare.
brawny arms Of pUtte:uu5 tree; throwing
his line into the ilt!e brooks, that came oahbinz
down from the steep fnOun;-in side {; driving ais
COWS along the marrow ioOtpAth stIadlf Z
with Blossom under lhs bright maple, and shout
ing with pride and JOY as she wreathed her
pretty face in he gay leaves.
Oh, BennieI Bennie . Mr.. A llan hardly
knew he was calling the name. until
D1Ch 10 MIN Win cuCi- LiOChiJS sDOAOs
from the heartless echo; - Amos MIR. Allan
thought, startling himself by the seeming i'll
piety OF the words-'' almcsi as II there were
no great. kind Father over Us all
AS he came near Farmer Owen Is house, he
saw his oxen yokcd t. the plow He knew
they had been there since the telegram came
Mr.. Owen had read it III the field, gone to the
house and forgotten them, and no one had dare
put them up. lie was man fully capable OF
taking care OF his own afai under any clIcum-
stances, never having been known before " for
get
Mr.. Allan beckoued to lrishmau who
passing, and asked him 70 'akc OF them.
The man came with on awed lOIk upJn his face,
as If even there he stool IL me presence OF Il
great sorrow, aud without the least noise OOeyed.
Mr. Allan walked slowly ,0Hard the muse.
He had known Mr.. Owen toF many ycars, and
he knew hiul well. IudeeG ..efe was peculiar
bond OF sympathy be .Neen the two men. In
all bis large parish, there Was not one upon
whom the minister relied be I'D upon this
strong, sturdy farmer Many and many an
hour ne had walked by mis- side when be
uptuInng the brown eartD, ana bad discussed
with MIN topics which would have eJunded
harsh a. repuIsive u common ears, bus which
were fraught with deep an4 vial IL erect to
them. MIR. Oxen dlTect descendant Of tAy
PurItans, and every drop OF blood III his veins
was tinged with as strong and true : blue,
If he himself had landed in the May flower.
He took naturally to the sterner octrInes OF re-
lIgion while MIR. Allan, yersed IN all tie modern
lore, questioned and doubted. The keystone Ot
Mr.. Ailan's theology tie sovereignty OF
God Shall not the Judge OF all the earth do
rIght3" This was The man upon whom God
had now laid his hand so heavily and Mr. Al
Ian felt that ii the trial brought no murmur, no
rebellion against thas Mighty Sovereign, the
stern old iaIth were indeed d Tich one,
which To live and die. He knew thai ele-
nent IN this PUTItan. f the
Roundheads filled up tie ranks oi the r1-thern
army They marched TO battle to strains u the
old tunes that had fingered IN the nursery and
the sanctuary from the Oay that Cromwell and
his soldiers chanled ;hem Oh Marsion Moor.
All down the aIsles Of Tune tramping TO
the music mailed men, bearing on their shields
the Two words, Liberty ami Equality. They
trembled on Mr.. Owens lips With his partir
blessing to his boy. Would he remember them,
and would eney comfort and give him strength
now,
Where there is affi ction ii d house, the min
lister is at home. Mr. Allan entered without
knocking, and made ms way 10 the large, Old
fashioned kitchen which he of find
ing the family.
There, by table, with his arms folded and
laid heavily upon 1t, sat Mr.. Owen. His wIfs
was in d small rocking chair by the fire, and
Blossom, young girl, sat between them.
Mr.. Owen rose 10 welcome him so did Bios
som but the wife did not noce him, she
still, rocking herself 10 and fro, looking at the
blazing wood
Mr. Allan put a hand the brawny one that
was held out toward bin, and laid the other Oh
Mr.. Owens great heavlng bFeas..
I" My friend be said. - bow Is It ith the +
DEGREES of God
just and true are I'll thy ways, thou King
of SAINTS, faltered out the man.
There something strange In his voice,-a .
thin, womanly souud, 50 unlike the deep, stem
torian tones III which ne had always spoken be
fore. Mr.. Allan, when he heard It, amos. ielt
if ii had dealt him blow.
IS Thank God lie has not, then forsaken
you, and from the depths Of this deep trouble
you can still say, The Maker of all doeth we'll
'' Yes, es,-and Tor instant there glIm-
mered from his dull eye spark of the old con-
troversial fire. You don't suppose have held
on to that anchor when the skies were cloudless,
and the little waves rocked my bark, to let go
OF 1t nOw-now, when the great waves and biz.
lows are going over Inc, do you ? I've planted
1t hrm, and 1t don t yield no, u don't yield, but
the strain is terrible. God grant 1t may carry
me into port; oh, Mr.. Allan, say 1t will. liz
has seemed to me to-day SO dark, wonderful,
80 inscrutable, that he My Beanie! Mr.. Allan,
there is good, wise purpose behind it all. Can
you see 1t "
50 To bring you nearer the kingdom" said
the minister.
"Oh, don't tell me that, can't bear it, God
Is too wise; he knows hundred such souls
mine, are not worth one of my Bennies. can
suffer 1t / am too great sinner for Gods grace
TO save, but Bennie Bennie | have sat here
all day, since The news came, wondering, Won
oering he was good son, and Mir. Ow-
ems voice grew almost inarticulate in its emo
tion,-''suc dear, precious. noble boy
thought when gave him TO hIs country, that
not iather in all this broad land
precious gift,-no, not one. God forgive
If my grief is sin. Mr.. Han, the dear boy
only slept minute, just little minute, at
his POST, know that was ALL for Bennie never
dozed over duty. Low reliable he was "
and Dir. Owens eye wandered out over the
brown fields, with such perplexed, wandering
look. '' know he only tell off little sec
ond he was SO yonug, and not strong, that boy
ot mine Why. he tall as l. and onIy
Eighteen and nov they will shoot him because
pc wac found asleep when doing sentinel duty"
M owen repeated these words very slowly, as
if endeavo.ing to find out eheir true meaning
go '''Twenty-four hours, the telegraph said :
only twenty-tour hours. Where is Bennie