Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-10-07

dropped in and asked me to go to church
with her in the evening. l burst into
tears at the thought of my miserable
condition. When [ told her that [ had
no clothes fit to wear, and as | thought
over my past unhappy, discontented life,
| wished that [ was as rich as when we
were first married-rich in the love and
tender care of dear husband and the
possessor of comfortable home and warm
clothing, but now it seemed as though
God had punished me for repining, and
made me drink the dregs of the emp Of
despair. But [ succeeded in making
myself little more respectable looking,
and when evening arrived accompanied
Mrs. Blake to the church. 1t had been
years since | had visited the house of
God before, and many were the painful
recollections which passed through my
mind remembered the lovely Sab
baths long ago, when John and [ would
walk arm in arm through the double
row of elms which lined the road, and
with hearts full to overfowing with
gladness, take our seats in the old church
where our parents had been in the habit
of worshiping, and then | recalled the
dying words of my mother as she told
me to trust in God and be thankful for
all the mercies which l had received
Oh, that | had taken her advice. 1t
seemed to me that this one thing, un-
thankfulness. had blighted my whole
life.
The minister announced his text
strangely enough. 1t was as follows -
ga merry heart does good like mcdi-
cine 1t seemed as though the sermon
was intended expressly for me, and |
determined that when | arrived at home
I would try this new medicine.
Arriving at home l found the house
full of strangers, and John, my John
whom l had just determined to try to
make happy, lying upon the bed with a
terrible cash cut in his forehead. He
had been out drinking with his CON-
rades, and stumbling, had fallen with
all the weight of drunken man, strik-
ing his head upon an iron scraper.
The doctor said (in the mean time
looking suspiciously at me- he must
have the tenderest care, and even with
that his recovery was doubtful
For weeks [ nursed him, hoping and
praying to God that he might be re-
stored to ME in health and strength
My prayers were answered, and in a
few short months he was able to walk
about, and shortly after to 60 to work
The poverty I passed through while
John was confined to his bed, was such
as to make me content in almost any
condition of life afterwards,
One day, talking over old times. John
said, ''Rushie, hope you will forgive
me for all my past ill-treatment of you. "
| told him we were equally to blame,
and so we would let by-gones be by
cones. ''But John, said l. chow came
you to commence drinking?'
81 was troubled in my business, ~
said he, land then, when | came home,
you did not seem happy to see me, and
home seemed dull and tiresome, so |
thought one evening I would go into the
saloon and get glass of wine to cheer
me up. [ found the saloon brilliantly
lighted and decorated with mirrors and
pictures, and among the frequenters
found there were many of my friends
Although | had a pleasant time for the
first few nj ghts, but soon [ found thu
love of drink growing upon me, and
| VIuly CudC III UlC cuu
'biteth like a serpent and stingeth ikt
an adder Let us, Rushie, bear witt
, each other, and if we can only remember
to love, honor and cherish, all will b,
WELL
We have learned lesson by expert
+ ence, and for many years our lives hav
been one long summer day.
+ The sooner the lesson is learned "bea
q ard forbear,' the sooner the happy re
suits that are to follow.
8 Thirty years of welded joy have gon
, far toward erasing the memory of tel
years discomfort and sorrow, but Joh
: carries the scar on his forehead, am
perhaps few of my gray hairs are at
4 trlbutable to the same cause