Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1867-08-23

DY degrees, until the neaQ gets nearer, dDl
at last is driven right into the soft deaI
board.
Not much in it say you. Perhaps moi
to your way Of thinking; but every man tc
his trade, and, you may depend upon 1t, IN
every trade there's a similar feeling. I've
seen blacksmiths laugh as they pegged away
at their iron the old cobblers grin as they
drew the wax-end tight the painters wag
their heads as they laid on the hattlng; and
something O. the same kind in most trades (;
and it's only reasonable that it should be SO,
for fellow would not be much OF work
man If he didn't love bis craft.
Well, was busy driving the nails IN
piece of boarding, thinking all the time
about the missus coming 'own, when
makes false stroke, hit the nail O. one side,
and it flew up and caught me right in the
eye.
Talk about agony! No one knows what
| suffered, for in a short time the infiamma-
tiOn spread from one eye to the other, and |
was quite blind. so that had to be led home
to my lodging Perhaps you know what
bit o. dust, on lash or anything o that
kind is in your eye you know the pain and
worrying it gives you so you can think
what / suffered-a great, tall, stout fellow
as | lay turning about, with the sweat drop
ing of me
Doctor came. and did all be could. Next
day came, and the pain seemed easier. Next
day alter came, and letter saying my wife
wonld not be there for another day and some
one had to read it TO me, for everything was
black as night; and at last. worn out with
pain and lonesVmeness, and the horrid fear
that was to be a blind, helpless man, 1
turned over upon my face, and stopped there
till the pillow was quite wet
Yes, know it was the act of a child
but felt like one then, as | thought of the
bright light of Gods sunshine gone from
me forever; that should gaze no more up
on the loving face OF my own wife, and that
the merry, bright eyes of my little ones
would sparkle for me no more. That | shO'd
henceforth grOpe about in the dark, seeking,
like that sorcerer in tbe Testament, for some
one to lead me by the hand. That |, the
great man of bone and muscle, should be in
a moment stricken down helpless, to be
henceiorth burden to my poor wife, and
we-pOOr people.
Ii was the act Of a child | know; for
with an exceeding bitter cry, lay there and
sObbed mIserably. while every tear smarted
and burned like melted lead running over
my eyeballs. o yes, 1t was the act OF q
child, and knew that | was now as help
less as the weakest. How lay and thought
of poor blind Samson, and pitied him How
called to mind those with sightless eye
balls whom had often passed by uncaring-
" and how thought and though; what
could do for my bread in the long, long
night that seemed my future.
"In the dark in the dark l kept on
sroaning to myself as | Law; and then
thought OF the past time, and now great a
blessing | had thOughtlessly enjoyed and
then the thought come to me of other bless
ings which never seemed blessings before,
for being mostlings short o'money. always |
thought myself hard used, and growled |
more than need have done. And at last |
all thinking and suffering, my head seemed |
to get hot, and turned delirious, half I
mad, you know,-and went on terribly, | |
suppose, till two days after, when | seemed |
to wake up in the dark, and lay still, think |
ing and wondering where | was, till heard |
a noise as Of some one moaning, and | calls /
Dut who's there - l knew who it was /
directly, for Just heard the word - Tom
sObbod out, and then there was an arm un-
Ter my head, and tears falling upon my poor /
iightless face, and such tender, hopeful /
words whispering to me, as made my heart /
swell and beat; and | felt that, come what |
might, ht,-come stikness, come sorrOw blind, |
Or able to see-I had some one to lean on, |
and to lead me by the hand.
We were quiet then. and lay on my side |
trying to look through the darkness at that !
dear old face that / could feel close by me.
as some one kneeled down by the bedside;
but no, could not see 1t with my eyes,
though | could with my heart. And then /
she stopped sobbing, and talked Of hoping /
for the best. and how the eyes Of the blind /.
had been opened, and that perhaps my afiiic |
ton might, by His help, yet be removed |
And so we talked, and she said that We
would SORROW no more about it, and then
how much she could get by needle work,
and ALI on so hopefully, that seemed to
brighten up; but only for a few moments,
for knew what dead, helpless burden |
should be And then she mnst have seen
my face working, and, poor lass she broke
down herself, when | said she had better
have been left wilder,
At last, in the quiet o that little room,
not a sound to be heard but the twitteuDg
o birds outside the window, said, IN bet
ter hope, some words with her. as she knelt
by me, but we got no farther than "Thy
will be done.
Dick Smith, | never knowed how much
love, and tenderness, and gentleness there
was in this world until grOped about it in
the dark. I'd been bitter, as many disap-
pointed wOrkiDgman. and rallied at my bet
ters, but now, in the midst OF my trouble,
learnt that | had walked all my life IN the
dark, stumbling about, and not seeing the
blessings that were spread around me. We
never knew want during that dark month
we spent in that pleasant country place,
where my wife led me about amongst the
sweet spring flowers, where everybody had
kind and loving word for me. TIE governor
allowed me halt wages, and somebody did
needlework, and they used to pay her dou-
BILE and treble and send me all sorts o. things,
SO We were well off. Then the doctor came
every day, and told me | wasn't to fret
about 1t, for be hoped should get my sight
yet.
One day | sat trembling in my chair, with
the doctor operating-not trembling at the
pain, but for fear he might have been de-
ceived somebody stood there, too, holding
my hands, for she had got leave to be pres-
ent. All at once there Was bright flash of
light, and then felt my head swim, and
tainted dead away, for could not stand up
against the swelling joy that burst upon me.
As keen pair of eyes, as ready pair of
hands, and as willing and hopeful heart as
hope are TO be found in any workshop in
England, Dick Smith; and m humble and
thankful man for 1t. But. Lord bless you, |
has my fits of i'll temper when things goes
three-cornered and then Patty comes and
whispers-GOd save her-in my ear, when
the sun shines again, and | think Of old
times before my accident, and say to her,
"Eyes shut, Patty. | was in the dark.
Cur non inauguTaTe!
This Latin, literally construed, signifetf
that dogs are not inaugurated or rather
were not in Cicero's days. Everything els