Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1868-07-16

~ al uought ana lille and unsoiled
whiteness had prevailed, | had dous
good as could. had sought To assuaee
suffering, 70 wipe away tears, TO olotle
the destitute, and feed the hungry.
had loved god and human Kind. had
obeyed, SO far as knew, all the pereen,.
Of Christianity, had been religion,
not with the service Of the lips alone, bu,
with every impulse Of my heart, and vet
God has melted out 10 me such fate,
Was it deserved
Again and again | pondered these
thoughts When saw heavy blows laid
upon the shrinking, tender flesh Of my
darling, and heard the sweet little voice,
that should have been attuned only 10
merriment, lifted up in wailng and cries
under punishment of childish offences
not worthy of the name, and knew that he,
as well as |, was but the slave Of irrespon,
sible tyranny that ever grew, a foul
growth, in our home, and fattepcd in his
own lawleSgness, dared To question, i'm,
patiently, the Wisdom that permitted
this.
"rerhaps was wrong that | did not
strive TO bear these things more quietly
and unQuestionably. do not quite be-
lieye il, though. Surely these mother In.
stinets were implanted by God, and h.
did not give me this beautiful, blue,eyed
rosy.iieshed babe for my own with the in.
tention that should look ON quietly and
with resignation and behold him tortured
and suffering beneath harsh and brutal
blows Mo- | can never believe. that, or
| must forget that "Hc is Love"
The years passed on, Other children
were given 10 me, beautiful and dear.
More beautiful, perhaps, but none so dear
as Edelwild For one reason, perhaps, |
never dared love another as | loved him
No other seemed 50 much given a len,
From the first | scarcely hoped TO keep
them. Edelwild was strong and sturdy,
stood well and strongly on his round lii.
tie limbs, and looked the world, which
must have seemed so hostile 10 him, in
the face with bold, brave eyes,
"How gloried in him, the brave little
man Mothers comfort and protector"
| used to name him, mentally, with
warm, fond heart, as dared look forward
into the swift advancing future, and knew
that ere long the pretty, puuy, loved, but
iEt ones would have vanished from my
arms, and returned To- Him who gave
them.
~ was right in my fears More than
once he was left to me my only one, and
a little mound in the graveyard told
where the household pet slept its last
sleep. | had closed the dear, dimed eyes,
clothed the little form in its white grave
dress. cut away the bright curl for re-
membrancc,' more than once, and said the
last farcwclls TO those 10 be henceforth
unseen. Edclwild was still left, growing
day by day, even nearer-snll my yer!
own.
at was ever a sad home, but there was
one evor living joy in it, never loudly
acknowledged, but very quietly, lest 1t
might be taken from me by hate or Jealous
rigor Sometimes we were left alone
little time, 10 enjoy, half-trembling our
own brief reprieye from daily torture
But those were Joyous days, and tried to
forget, and Danish dread Of the future
More thun ever, then, my heart grew
TO Edelwild's and he seemed my very
own.
ut was in one Of these absences, those
/ brief dclusiye seasons Of muking Joy,
that one of the torccst trials Of my life
occurred.
II had not for long held faith in the
truth Of him whose sole mission in lie
seemed TO be the making of my misery
and vet il was sad shock when all his
infamy was made manifest.
Then. had been fierce loyc-makin-
and even al preparation for pretended
marriage. TIN, had been interrupted. |
need not, would not, contidc To- your in
noceut ears all thu loathSomt details |,
Is enough that this I'D to the interference
Of friends hitherto sgerted to nay plead
ings, and divorce.
Il never dreamed that :ha iulumanity
OF separating me from my dasllHg would
be perpetratcd. Mine-'my very own,
as had 50 often called him-torn from
me- md consigned to another whose h.t,
had 81 ow how unfit he was for the task
of wat hing aud rcaring'a young cv-
istence.
l. :. Yet CIV on that anguish must be horne
as 50 much else had been fr5e front
martial bonds at last, | looked for som,
shadow Of hap nness. But then my darl.
ing, temporarily consigned Ia the secure
care Of friends, as | too fonlly dreamed.
was torn from me. The law held that
other rights were superior to mine. and
there was no resource for reversal OF IT.
decision. Power ever drives he weaker
to the wall, and submit sion ~as forced
upon me.
Lob, Ruth l cannot tell you-l oulI
not if l could-how dark were tho.r
coming years. Neither in hea ven nor ga
earth did my eycsbehold any Ii ght iiAo
was oblitcrated, and prayed .'or death
as one prays for long and happy da 5 when
life seems brightest.
At last, when the paroNysms 81 an
unhappy life have passed away, and ilr
tranquility Of tho days which hold not
fear nor dread has come, we realize the
futility of prayers like this. and their il-
sensate wickednesS, and become con-
WINGED that the will OF the Maker Of all
things is better by far than ours. We NOT
only acquie4ce III it, but we acknowledge
its goodness, even from the black shadow
OF our dislppointments,
Il think such has been the order ot
these hopeless years. acquicsce now.
know my life, perverted from the end
and uses TO which it was once devoted,
is wholly changed, and, in a sense, wreck
ed. | have long ceased even to hope for
happiness, But only seek quiet and calm
ness; and | try - do some good to sui
fcring souls--to lift some fellow creatures
to the light, who have been stricken down
in blindness and darkness amidst life is
harsh struggles. | hope some have been
happier that have lived and suffered,
and gained some lessons and some power
to warn and guide from harsh experience.
| believe it, and it helps me to bear my
fate, unhappy as it is.
Ozark years passed ere Edelwild came
to me, and-oh hardest grief of all--hs