Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-02-10

having all to themselves, as Susan had
hoped.
No two persons could begin life together
with less realization of what each was to
bear and to forbear. The husband, now
past forty, had been bachelor, waited on
as a person of consideration in the house
where he had boarded for fifteen years.
Susan's first husband had treated
her with tenderness and considcra-
ton, much as if she were child. Now
these two had come together, one because
sweet face, made interesting by its black
surroundings, had charmed him the 9TH
| er because she wanted provisions for her
children. When the hard places came,
thew were the harder that neither had
any stock of experience to draw from.
Mr.. Powers had no though Of reconstruct
ing his habits to suit a house with three
young children in it. Susan had no inten-
ton of keeping her children from noisy
play, or sending them to bed early to suit
his whims. If he had always spoken, and
it was done, then little change would be
well for him. He though little disci-
pline, in the way of suppression, would
be good for the 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; their mother to COM
pare her life with what it might have
bee nhad she struggled on alone, or more
dangerous still, with what it would have
been had Henry lived. And one day in
the course of some dispute, she said the
bitter things that she had thought. From
that day the lived over smouldering
volcano; jealous sense of wrong on one
side; self-assertion, in spite of shame and
humiliation, on the other. Susan affected
to be fighting her children's battles, when
she opposed what she considered tyranny !;
her husband felt that all which he 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 her husband,
save to him, or before his face; there was
leftsthis little spark of truth and honor
yet. There were occasional traces and
attempts at peace, until the little girl was
bonn then the worst of this divided
house appeared. The father was constant
ly on the watch, and the thousand little
nameless ways in which own parantage
shows itself, awakened Susan's jealousy
for her fatherless ones. And once, when
Mr.. Powers struck Harry because the
baby was hurt in the play, the mothers
anger famed out-"What, is she better
than my boy? I wish that she had never
been born" And never, in her fathers
sight, would she bestow oaress upon his
child when he was out of the way, she
made up for all.
AT fifteen months old the child fell i'll
it was bad summer for babies, and she
was teething; it was only weeks sick
ness, and she died. AS they were put
ting 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 she hoped till the very mo-
ment when the carriage turned to the OPP
posite 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
allowed herself to say and feel while the
child lived, and with anger toward her
husband, she went to church en- 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 III the same place before.
1t was Friday morning, and the Rev.
Mr.. Stanfeld sat in his study, attempting
to write a sermon of consolation. Two
of his parishioners had died that week,
one old, the ether in the prime of life; he
must say something of comfort, some
thing of heaven, to the mourners. He
had the text written out " Ye believe in
God, believe also in me. In my fathers
house are many mansions" Bnt that was
far 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 it there fell upon him
such a sense Of the worth of man as man,
such vision of his capacities, such Won
ders at his possibilities, there came upon |
him such realization of the soul, apart
from conditions, that he felt it must be
written. What a waste of time, with the
work which must doue 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. q
must pick out an old one for Sunday" he
thought; but on Saturday night he deter
mined to preach that, at is the word of
the Lord to me for this hour, and l will
say it,"
Susan Powers heard that sermon and
it was the word of deliverance and peace
to her soul She sat like one III dream,
till the service ended then rose and went
out of the house, just casting one back.
ward 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. q 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
fort had been the important matters, and
people were good or bad according to
their treatment of her! And yet life
had seemed only poor and mean.
No word of upbraiding or of warming
or threatening could have touched her as
this thought of the value of man had |
done.
But how can let him know of this
new light that has come to me ?" she |
asked herself eff I were to begin talk
ing kindly, he would think there was
some purpose in it, and despise me- Ii I
tell him that have been wrong, he will
not listen, or will say some cutting thing.
What shall do?' 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 f 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 go with him? No, her
IL