Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-09-29

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young ones.
In half year there was open warfare.
Mr.. Powers had learned to dislike, almost
to hate, his step children; they to dread
and to dislike him; the mother, TO COM
pare her life with what it might have
been had she struggled on alone, or more
dangerous still, with what it would have
been had Henry lived. And one day, IN
the course of sorae dispute. abe said the
bitter things that abe had thought From
that day they lived over shoulder
ing volcano. Jealous sense of wrong
on one side, selfassertion. in spite
of shame and humiliation, ca the other.
Susan affected to be fighting her childrens
battles. when she opposed what she con-
sidered tyranny. Her husband felt that
all which be had tried to do went for
nothing, and that the children whose bread
he earned, were taught to despise him.
This was not the truth; for Susan, though
she was unjust, never said word against
he- husband, save to him, or before his
face there was left this little spark OF
truth and honor yet There were occa.
sional traces and attempts at peace until
the little girl WAS born, then the worst OF
this divided house appeared. The father
was constantly on the watch, and the
thousand little nameless ways in which
own parentage shows itself, awakened
Susan's jealousy for her fatherless ones.
And once, when Mr.. Powers struck Harry
because the baby was hurt in his play,
the mothers anger famed out" What Is
she better than my boy? wish that she
had never been born" And never in her
fathers sight would she bestow caress
upon his child. When he was out of the
way, she made up for all.
At fifteen months old the child fell Ill.
It was bad summer for babies and she
was teething; it was only weeks sick
ness, and she died. As they were putting
her into the little casket, her father turned
to his wife and said, "This is as good as
what you wished" Susan dared not ask
if the grave were to be made in her lot,
but sine hoped, till the very moment when
the carriages turned to the opposite path,
and the whole breadth of the cemetery lay
between.
IL will never go there when he can
know" said Susan to herself And in this
frame Of mind, filled with anguish for her
loss, with remorse for what she had al
lowed herself to say and feel while the
child lived, and with anger toward her
husband, she went to church on the Sun
day after the funeral, more for the sake
of getting away alone than for the hope
that any word could help her there. She
had never been in the same place before.
1t was Friday morning, and the Rev.
Mr.. Stanfield sat in his study, attempting
to write sermon of consolation. Two of
his parishioners had died that week, one
old, the other in the prime of life. He
must say something of heaven to the
mourners.
He had the text written out aye be-
lieve in God, believe also in me. In my
fathers house are many mansions" But
that was as far as he could go; the words
that he wanted would not come. He
walked out to try and work himself into
the mood, when instead Of 1t there fell
upon him such q sense Of the worth Of
man as man, such vision of his capaci-
ties, such wonders at his possibilities,
there came upon him such realization of
the soul, apart from conditions, that he
felt it must be written. What q waste of
time with the work which must be done
yet on his hands! But he put at the top
of his paper, Ye are of more value than
many sparrows," and "For we are also
his offspring" Writing was no labor
then, and before he thought of it, there
was a sermon. 81 must pick out an old
one for Sunday" he thought; but on Sat-
urdsy night he determined to preach thst.
" II is the word Of the Lord to me from
this hour, and I will say it,"
Susan Powers heard that sermon; and
it was the word Of deliverance and peace
to her sonl She sat like one in dream,
till the services ended; then rose and
went out of the house, just casting one
backward glance at the man who had
spoken, TO see If he were not indeed an
angel, then with fixed purpose in her
heart, turned toward her home. 81 will
try and keep my sight," she said, 81 will
not become blind again." For she was
like one who had just received his sight.
How all her life, TO this hour, she herself
had been the centre around which the
universe revolved her rights, her COM
forts, had been the important matters, and
people were good or bad, according TO
their treatment Of herl And yet life, her
life, had seemed only poor and mean.
No word of upbraiding, or of warning,
or threatening could have touched her as
this thought OF the value of man had
done.
Out INV CAL let Olm KNOW OF bnl9
new light that has come to inner" she
asked herself. "If I were to begin talk.
ing kindly, he would think there was
some purpose in 1t and despise me. III
tell him that have been wrong, he will
not listen, or will say some cutting thing
What shall dor" She thought Of the
children; but since the baby's death he
had never spoken, not even to scold them
He went in and out just as though they
were not in the world. At the table, their
mother gave them food which his money
had purchased, knowing that he hated
them, and feeling as II each morsel they
ate was choking her. Then the thought
came of the little grave, and how he
would go there alone at sunset would
she dare offer to 60 with himf No, her
courage was not equal to that. But there
was something she could do. She found
that her husband was busy writing in his
own room and quickly gathering her beet,
loveliest autumn flowers. she went to the
cemetery; tenderly, with tears that fell,
not merely for her loss, she laid her offer
ing On the new grave. That little mound
was an altar, and this was an Offering
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