Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1869-03-24
THE SURE ANCHOR;


THE PURITAN OF 1863.
It was in the carly part of October, --, that
the Rev Mr. Allan started to Farmer Ovens
over the hills. He had to cross two low
spurs OF the Green Mountain, aud as he climb
cd to the top of the second, the rich valley of
the Otter Greek lay spread out before him.
At any other time he would have stopped to
admire its gentle undulatons; its great flower
garden of forest trees, rich IN every color aud
hue its silver threads winding their way to
the waters Of the Champlain, and the glori-
GUS autumn light which lay like a golden
mantle over them all. But this afternoon he
seemed oppressed by the. beauty which sur
rounded him He looked upon it with eyes
misty from tears. There was dull, heavy
weight upon his heart-a weight which even
the long, forvent prayers that he had uttered
so increasingly since noon had failed to move.
Between him and that landscape, we might
almost say, between him and the mercy seat,
there moved a slight, tall boy, with laugh
ing blue eye clustering brown hair aud lips
always ready with a merry pleasant word.
To-day there was Bennie, nutting under the
bare, brawny arms of the butternut tree /;
throwing his line into the little brooks, that
came babbing down from the steep mountain
side driving his 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.
"Oh, Bennie Benuie !" Mr.. Allan
hardly knew he was calling the name, until it
came back to him with such an empty, mock
ing sound, from the heartless echo "almost, ~
Mr.. Allan thought, startling himself by the
seeming mpiety of the words" almost as if
there were no great kind Father over US all, 3"
As he came near Farmer Ovens house he
saw his oxen yokcd to the plough He knew
they had been there since the telegraph came.
Mr.. Owen had read it in the field, gone to
the house and forgotten them, and no one had
dared to put them up. He was man fully
capable of taking care of his own affairs un-
der any circumstances, never having been
known before to forget.
Mr.. Allan beckoned to an Irishman who
was passing, and asked him to take care Of
them The man came with an awed look
upon his face, as If even then he stood in the
presence of great sorrow, and without the
least noise obeyed.
Mr.. Allan walked on slowly toward the
house. He had known Mr. Owen for many
years, and he knew him we'll Indeed, there
was peculiar bond of sympathy between the
two men. In all his large parish there was
not one upon whom the minister relied, as he
did upon this strong, sturdy farmer. Many
and many an hour had he walked by his side
when he was upturning the brown earth, and
had discoursed with him on topics which
would have sounded harsh and repulsive to
common ears but which were fraught with
deep and vital interest to them. Mr.. Owen
was a direct descendent of the Puritans, and
every drop of blood in his veins was tnged
with us strong and true blue" as if he
himself had landed in the Mayhower, He
took naturally to the sterner doctrines of reli.
gion, which Mr., Allan, yersed in all the mod.
ern lore, questioned and doubted The key
stone of Mr.. Ovens theology was the SOW
ereignty Of God. Shall not the Judge OF
all the earth do right = This was the mau
upon whom God had now laid his hand SO
heavily. Mr.. Allan felt that if the trial
brought no murmur, no rebellion 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 filed up
the ranks of the Northern army. They
marched to battle to the strains Of the tune.
that had fingered in the nursery and the sane.
tuary from the day that Cromwell and hi,
soldiers chanted them on Marston Moor. Al
down the aisles of Time, came tramping t.
] ii. ,,,,laI ba,,
shields the two words, Liberty and Equality
They trembled on Mr.. Ovens lips with hi,
parting blessing to his boy, Would he re
member them and would they comfort anC
give him strength now
Where there is afiliction in a house, the
minister is at home. Mr.. Allan entered with
out knocking, and made his way to the large
old-tashioned kitchen, in which he was sur,
Of finding the family.
There, by table, with his arms folded an,
laid heavily upon it, sat Mr.. Owen. Hi
wife was in a small rocking chair by the fire
and Blossom, young girl, sat between them
Mr.. Owen rose TO welcome him so die
Blossom but his wife did not notice him.
she sat STILL rocking herself to aud fro, look
ing at the blazing wood
Mr. Allan put hand in the brawny on,
that was held out toward him, and laid tn,
other on Mr.. Ovens heaying breast " NJ
friend" he said, " how is it with the decree
of God ?"
" Just and true are all thy ways, tho,
King of Saints" fatered out the man
There was something strange in his voice
a thin womanly sound, so unlike the deel
stentorian tones in which he had Away
spoken before Mr.. Allan, when heard il, al
most felt us if it had dealt him blow
" Thank God He has not, then, forsakeI
you, and from the depth of this deep trouble
you can still say The Maker of all doetl
we'll"
" Yes, yes"-and for an instant there gim
mered from his dull eye a spark of the ole
controversial fire" You don't suppose
have held ON TO that anchor when the skies
were cloudless, and the little waves just rock
ed my bark, to let alone of it now-now
when the great waves and billows are going
over me, do you ? I've planted it firm, anC
it don't yield no, il don't yield, but the
strain is terrible God send il may carr,
me into port oh, Mr.. Allan, say it will. Il
. has seemed to me to-day, so dark, so wonder
ful, so inscrutabe that he--my Bennie Mr.
Allan, there is good wise purpose behind i
all. Can you see it2'
"To bring you nearer the Kingdom said
the minister.
"0h, don't tell me that can't boar it
God is too wise. He knows a hundred such
souls as mine are not worth ore Of my Ben
nie's. can suffer if am too great a sinner
for Gods grace to save, but Bennie Bennie !
| have sat here all day, since the news came,
wondering, wondering he wasso good son,
and Mr.. Owens voice grew almost inarticu-
late ia its emotion" such dear, precious,
noble boy | thought when gave him to
his country, that not father in this broad