Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1871-12-20
THE DEACON'S CHRISTMAS.
BY HERO STRONG.

Christmas day dawned bright and
fair and cold.
All the hills around the little country
village OF Lanbornton were white with
snow The roads were trodden hard,
and the prospect for fine sleighing I'M
der the light of a nearly full moon
never was brighter.
Deacon Haines' wife sighed as she
put back the curtain from her bed
room window that morning and looked
out.
Five years ago, that very day, the
great SHOWS of ber life had come to
her. How well she remembered that
fateful morning when. though the sun
shone gloriously, and the heavens were
blue and cloudless, all the light and
world blank of gloom, almost Of des-
pair.
Twenty-four years she had been John
Haines' wife, and in all those years she
had never repented Of her choice.
There had been many times when the
mans hard nature had wounded her
sensitive spirit, but. she trusted all
things with Heaven and uttered no
complaint.
Just, upright in all his dealings,
Deacon Haines was a man who never
erred-in his own Judgment; and mercy
was a word unknown IN his vocabulary.
If the people would live as they ought
to and as they might, he was wont to
say sternly, they would not need to be
forever crying for forgiveness.
% hoI
offended he would have cut it off, thus
obeying the scripture literally. No
atonement for any sin he might have
committed would have been too hard
for him to make-indeed he would
have rejoice in it, forgetful that Christ's
death has already atoned, and that
Heaven requires only repentance.
He was religious to a fault, for there
is such thing as carrying even ones
piety too far, until it becomes a curse
instead Of a blessing. In the simple
faith of an obedient soul there Is peace
and rest, but in the bigoted fanaticism
of a self-righteous maxwell, never
mind the rest-I am writing a story
and not a sermon.
Deacon Haines had only one child
a beautiful fair-haired, blue-eyed girl,
and in his stern, ascetic way, he idol
lied this girl. When she was eighteen
years of age, she fell in love with Roy
al Clayton, the son of a Roman Gath
oIic.
When the news of this reached the
deacon, his rage was terrible He
struck his foot upon the floor, and raw
ed with what was almost an oath, that
if ever she spoke to that base born son
of popery again, he would disown her
forever.
Emma had something Of her fathers
own spirit, and she loved Royal with
all the strength of her fond young
heart. She knew that her fathers
preiudices against him were unfounded,
for Royal was not Catholic; and she
told the deacon without hesitation that
she should follow love instead Of duty.
[ do not endorse her course-I endorse
nobody's course-I only tell of things
that see in the world, without Judging
for or against. There is only one judge,
and he knows all hearts.
Five years before, on Christmas Day,
Emma had left her home, without the
knowledge of her parents, and became
the wife of the man she loved. Imme-
diateIy after the ceremony the young
couple had taken the cars for the west,
and only once had any tidings of them
reached Lanbornton. A letter came to
the deacon in Emma's handwriting, but
the infeMble old man had brought ii
himself from the post-office, and, in the
presence of his wife, had laid it unopen-
o1.l, ,.al n ch II
to ashes.
He had no child, he said sternly-he
would hold no communication with one
who was none Of his.
Emma's name was forbidden to be
mentioned IN the household. A ser
want girl who inadvertently referred to
Miss Emma In the Deacon's hearing,
was at once dismissed, and poor Mrs.
Haines having once been betrayed into
a burst of tears by coming suddenly
upon some article of clothing which
had been last worn by her child, re-
ceived such dreadful admonition that
she did not get over trembling for a
week.
Mrs. Haines was one Of those gentle
clinging creatures who ought to be
loved and cherished by some true ten
der heart, but who usually fall to the
mercies of just such iron-natured men as
Deacon Haines. It is a law of nature,
/ suppose, and who shall gainsay it
She submitted to him in everything,
and, would no more have thought OF
disputing his authority than she would
have thought of disputing the right OF
the wind to blow in a northeast snow
storm
/ But nights, very often, when the
deacon was fast asleep, she wonld steal
softly up tie the chamber which had