Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1870-07-29
Selett storp.
LIGHT OUT OF DARKNESS.

Il hate everybody" cried the woman.
And why does thee hate everybody ?"
The questioner had just taken some
work in that little, faded room, and pity
ing the little faded woman. 50 wearily
stitching. because she had found her in
tears, she had sat down to talk with. and
try and comfort her.
"l'll tell you why: because I've been
deceived all my life, from the time was
child-nothing but deceit from the era
die to the grave Anyhow | don't look
for much else
Thee will find that shall not deceive
thee" said the other softly.
The woman turned To the face in the
neat. gray bonnet, and scanned il for
moment.
you'll be the first, | was about to say
the Lord forgive me. | believe my
trouble has made me bitter, somehow.
There have been few Of your kind good
to me-youre a Quaker, amt you?"
Yes belong TO the Society OF Friends
was the quiet reply. but there are
many outside our society who would be
just rs kind Thee mustn't lose faith in
human nature entirely"
You see I've been so cheated ~ the
woman walled again-''at least it seems
so. When was 4 child had step
molher-yes, two but the first was as
kind as my own mother could possibly
have been; the second-O my dear ma d.
anu it makes me shudder to think of her
deceit, of her meannesS, Of her cruelty.
Ny father suffered as we'll rs for ten
long years, and at the end OF that time
was married. Everything promised well
then; my father gave US house and
we were happy. But my husband-ho,
too. had deceived me his habits were
bad. For time all went we'll; it was
only gradually the truth leaked out. for
my husband loved me, and tried TO do his
best by me, but the faults OF his youth
clung to him.
The first time he came home drunk |
was in agony prayed God to to let me
die, for had never seen such sight be-
fore. Well, need hardly tell you how
it went on; how Year after year we grew
poorer, until with five little children |
found myself one day in miserable tene-
ment house and something standing in
the middle of the floor that | hope you
may never sea husband brought home
dead.
Ahl that was dreadful time. My
father had died. and my stepmother pos
sessed her part of his property, SO that |
had scarcely a friend. Still, some of his
relatives buried him, for which was very
thankful, but they did little for me and
the children.
Oh, it was trouble to live all those
years; you would have thought so, and
five little children to bring up. could
not give much time TO them, and was
so hurried and driven by work, that l
couldn't bring them up properly. They
mixed with bad company. and saw the
worst examples, and I've often been
thankful that my little Lottie died. and
got out OF the way of temptation. She
was a beautiful child, was my Lottie too
beautiful to grow up in poverty, and the
Lord took her. She died when she was
ten years old, and Il kept her in comfort
| if half starved the rest" cried the wo-
man, with laugh that was terrible to
| hear.
Not comfort did the darling want,
not one. | begged believe | would
have stolen,n she added. with q hard
look, "before she should have suffered.
Her talk ought to have made Christians
of US all, for do think she saw the very
angels of heaven, days and days before
she died Dear little soul! she wasted
away to a shadow" sobbed the woman.
wiping her eyes on the coarse work she
was busy on. Il see her every night,
though it's fifteen years ago, lying in that