Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-05-03

Anu tnen L lell weeping NJ MS leel anu |
laid bare my heart and repeated that If I had |
been what ought to have been, and kept |
The house he put over me fresh and clean,
ls ought to have kept IL, instead of spend
ing the morning of my days in vanity and
idleness, we need not have been two shv-
ering sinners at that hour. / repeated
again and again that il was my ways that
he had lost at home and then 1 lifted up
my voice and called to my Savior to look
down and help us both. I, with my voice
full of tears, promised my husband If he
would try me-only try me-he would see
what home I would make for him. He
was always one for little joke, and even
then he said, and twirled the cup, "A well
plenished house in tea-cup one tea cup
between u.s.
YES l said, IF nothing stronger than
tea flows into that cup, or vets our lips out
Of that cup, we will build our house,
"We both kept long silence, and the
break of that blessed day, though it showed
me my husbands once glowing and man
ly face pale and haggard, and his hand
trembling that he could not
carry the tea-cup to his lips without spill
ing its contents-brought new life into our
shattered home.
"Lucy, on that blessed day--this day
eighteen years ago-strength was given us
both to keep our promise to God and to
each other; and somehow this text got
stamped upon our hearts:
awe can do all things through Christ,
who strengthens u.s.
"My poor darling he had hard lines at
first. Never was there a drunkard who
did not cast about TO make others as bad as
himself AS the day drew on he had not
courage TO face the street; but I went up
to Crowley Manor and told the good lady
that my husband would fell the trees that
he might be ,rusted because he no longer
trusted in his own strength that he was a
pledged teetotaler, and that was pledged to
make his home happy but that we did
not trust in our own pledges, but in faith
that we could do all things through Christ,
who strengthened us.
"Stil the lines were hard. He mad to
bear up against the taunts and the sneers of
his boon companions, and had TO strug
gle hard TO give desOlate room the well
come home-look that would prevent him
wishing for the lights, and the warmth, and
the excitement, and the praise his songs
were sure to obtain. But, however canty
the furniture, poor mans house can al
ways he neat and clean; that is in the pow
err of the poorest and though when he re-
turned from his first days timbering there
was but one tea cup between us, the old
darned cloth was clean, the teapot and fire
bright No lords children could be clean
err, aud he said it was as good as Il nosegay
to kiss their sweet checks. 1t was hideous
to see how his old companions doomed in
upon our poverty, and tempted, or tried to
tempt him back. One terrible druukard
sta ggered in and mockingly asked if l
would give my husband leave to go for an
hour-just half an hour even-and rose
and went into the little bedroom. knew
| could trust him, because he had ceased to
trust himself. And blessed God when |
saw the tempter staggering forth, deriding
my husband, and prepared TO commit vio-
lence on any who opposed his progress.
at is some time before neighbors or once
friends can believe in a drunkard's refor-
nation. The dear, good lady who took the
surest way to insure his, lived to see our
our growing prosperty-'building house
with a teacup,' she always called it-and
my good man was not slow TO declare the
effect the clear high road pictured forth in
the fairgrounds had upon his Imagination
on that memorable night. Our necessaries
Oh 10, 81 S1n 10 ut fret
but the neighbors when they saw how
hardly and earnestly my husband worked,
offered us credit for what they thought we
needed but we resolved to abstain from
all luxuries until we could pay for what
we got. Some of our little valuables had
been left at the public house as security for
scores, and the landlord thought himself
most injured man when my husband re-
deemed his one article of finery-a gold
shirt-pin that had belonged to his father.
We learned the happiness every Saturday
night of adding to our comforts; and from
that day my husband has always found
his house swept and garnished-no damp
linen hanging about, no buttonless shirts
or holey stockings. The children were
sound of discord and contradiction has
never since been heard within our home.
The habits of our first months of marriage
returned-a few verses of Holy Writ, Il
prayer and n hymn refreshed the memory
of our bond with God and with each other
We feel those exercises far more impress
sive now than we did when we practsed
a.. tIar t,a
result of a living faith.
"Iu less than six years my husband built
this cottage, l may say with his own hands.
We got the bit of land at a low rate, and
over hours he worked at 1t as only teto-
taller can work. Our Willie has never been
IA strong lad, and the doctor says If he had
been even Il trifie wild he would have
been long ago in the church-yard. With
all my love for his beautiful infancy, did
not do my duty the first two years of his
life. A careless wife is never a careful
mother, whatever she may think; but 1t
pleased the Lord to let in his light upon
us before the night came. And ii was not
folly TO carry two things first into this house
our Bible and the old teacup that attract
ed your curiosity. II is not too much to
say that the cup often reminded us OF
our duties. And you can understand now,
/ think, why Goodman and Granny Grey
value it before all the gay china that could
come from beyond the seas-for | might
rightly say that, by Gods belp and bless
ing, this house was built out of that tea
cupW
BASE INdRATITuDE.-A Detroit man,
who had contributed a bundle of his cast