Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-02-02
Looking OH the Dark Side.
By ANNA CLEAVES.

By ANNA cIEAyEs.
Talk about being cheerful and happy
when the bottom is falling out of every
thing " said mother, as she laid down heI
Knitting and wiped her speotaoles on one
corner of her apron. mo wonder Job il
| held up to us as such paragon of pa.
thence but I doabt if any one else ever
had the grace given him to endure all
manner of torments as he had and yet
sometimes think his troubles were nc
more for him to bear, than mine are for
me.
"There is your father, who works from
morning until night, barely earning
enough to keep soul and body together
but work he will, at something one
might as well attempt to stop the wind
from blowing, as to stop father from
working.
''For my part am tired of work there
is neither rest nor comfort in this world
for me. l have made up my own bed
these forty-seven years, and toiled all my
life and what has it amounted to? We
own house and some land, it is true
but what is that compared with the
all its mines of gold and silver? 1t is
astonishing to think how little we pos
sess But your father says we ought to
be thankful for the little we have. 1 dc
try to be SO, but sometimes it appears q
very little to be thankful for. We have
our health and reason, it is true; but
then we need something more-at least ]
do.
''There is the winters coal to lay in
| but where is the money to come from
And last years doctors bill, who is going
to pay that ? and the pew rent? And
where is our bread and butter coming
rom all the while Father would say
Keep your shoulder to the wheel, and
trust in Providence but when l try te
trust in Providence, it is with so much
doubt and trembling, that fear there il
very little trust about it after all
"Your father never seems to realize
our situation he comes home at nigh,
with the few shillipgs that he has earned
and hands them to me with as much salts
| faction as if they were so many dollars
If at any time we fail to meet our sx
penses, instead of fretting and complain
ing about it as l do, he will look provSk
ingly cheerful, and say, Never mind
mother; never mind hope for the best
1t is long lane that has no turning
AS if hadn't been hoping and hoping al
| the days of my life And as to the turn
in our lane, it is so hedged in with thick
cts and briers that / have given up look
ing for it long ago!
"Then to see your father sit down t.
our supper of bread and milk, and ask
blessing with as much fervor az if a roas
turkey were steaming on the table before
him F! Ii utter word of complaint, hs
will answer, Tut, tut, mother we arr
only commanded to pray for our daily
bread, and what we have is a great dea
better than none! You know it is agains
nature to be satisfied iu this world, and il
ls all for the best that we do not ge
every thing we want; for the Lord work,
in mysterious way l believe tina
myself, and His ways are uuaccountably
mysterious to me but l feel that i
wouldn't hurt anybody if had thing,
sometimes little more my own way.
"Not longer ago than last summer
hired old Pete the gardener to set out 8
oed of sage for me, thinking to realize
therefrom enough to purchase a new
| apron, if nothing more; but no sooner
Dad the leaves begun to sprout than
brought came on, and l had to stand b,
| 1t from June until August with tub o.
water and watering pot to keep it alive
| And this summer We have hsd SO much
rain, that l have been obliged to hold al
umbrella over it from morning till night
| TO prevent it being washed away, root anc
| stem. As to my apron, it is in the store
TO this day, and likely to remain there
for aught know!
"There is our orchard, too, which should
have brought us in hundred dollars a,
least, and there are not apples enough or
the trees to make a good sized dumping
| while Deacon Stills has sold Thirteen dol
lars worth off one tree. Now l shoulc
ike to know why We cannot have apple.
as well as Deacon Stills? Even the pump
kin vine that was planted near the we'll
was possessed to run over the fence jnts
aeighbor Deans yard; and yesterday, t.
my great establishment, saw pumpkin
there the size of bushel basket, and
upon inquiring learned that it was grow
| ing on our vine.
lent it a beauty ? exclaimed Mrs
Dean we are going to send it to the
Agricultural Fair. aud have no doubt bu,
| 1t will take the premium. | saw her mind
was set upon it, and as possession ia nine
ooints ofthe law, said no more, Blu,
walked away, fully determined that the
| aext pumpkin vine planted in our garden
shalt be trained in the way it should 90.
"But your father never seems vexed
with anything of this kind, nor once
speaks of the troubles of the day. A,
aight, he will lie down to sleep, and wake
in the morning as lively and CHEEKY as
cricket, while l can scarcely sleep at all
bordering over the troubles of yesterday
and wondering what will come on the
morrow. He is always SO hopeful too
No matter if the larder is empty, he will
talk about the goodness of Providence
and His loving care for us, until one
would actually suppose that, like a mes,
OF young birds, all we had to do was to
open our mouths and they were filled.
III L remind him that the -four barrel
is empty, and express any doubts as to
how 1t is to be replenished, he will nod
his head with seeming assurance and say,
Never mind, mother, it will all come
right, guess we'll weather it through
somehow. Never have wanted for bread
yet, have we p I must confess that we
never have, but who knows how soon We
may? / like to see my grain growing in
the summer, then know there il q pro
spect Of having bread in the winter.
II remember one day when your bro.
Their was little boy-dear child he il
we'll enough to do now, thank Fortune
we had nothing in the house to eat but
some rye bread and potatoes After he
had paataken of these for breakfast and
dinner, he went about the house singing
these words:
What do you think Well have for supper
What do you think we'll have for supper
Some old rye bread and old rank butter,
Bitter Eaters too