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


ious my Lucy should be very perfect; and
| If her faults were not known how could
| they be corrected2 And she has just dis
played one"
"a faultp repeated Lucy, opening her
great gray eyes.
eyes; you interrupted me at the COM
mencement of story you said you wished
| to hear, and now l feel indsposed to tell
| it,"
"Oh," exclaimed the repentant Lucy
| "indeed will not do so again; / will beas
silent as ever you could wish, and as al
tentive; did not mean to be rude, dear
Grannyp
"where did leave OFF, questioned Mrs.
Grey.
"You said we were not inclined to see
faults in those we love-" replied Lucy.
"ob, remember. "Well, dear, we had
everything very tidy and comfortable, and
my husband had plenty of work. did
not think 1t then, but had cause to mourn
IL afterwards, that though loved my hus-
band, was not so careful in my early mar
red life as should have been OF his little
home comforts. His dinner was not al
WAYS ready to the moment, as ii ought to
| have been; nor was the hearth swept and
the room tidied up, as IL is wife's duty to
see that it is when her husband comes
home from his days work. The hour or
| two of evening when the toll of the day is
ended, should be happiest of the four-and-
twenty, and cannot fail to be so If house
hold, however small, is properly cared for.
During the early days of our married life
we never omitted reading portion of the
testament, and sometimes singing the verse
of hymn, before we retired for the night.
Mr.. Grey had a beautiful voice." said the
old lady, with very pardonable pride, land
as you know, he leads in the church still.
After we had been married a year, it pleased
God to make an addition to our family.
That should have increased my dexterity,
so that my attention to my child should
not have been taken from, but added to,
the comforts and pleasures of our home,
but instead OF that, my new duties render
cd me Needless, and often sloppish. My
| husband liked to see me neat and trim in
my person.
"'Katie,' he used TO say, Il only ask TO
see your hair brushed and shining, and
your apron and cotton gown-as they used
| to be-clean.' lie would often take the
broom and sweep the hearth, and make up
the fire, and put the white cloth on the la
BILE for supper and though / knew that was
what ought to have done before he came
home, yeti don't know how it was-I did
not improve. / had grown rather too fond
of gossiping with neighbors who were idlor
than myself, and carrying my child-who
certainly was a beauty-about to have it
admired. That was our first baby-our
dear blue eyed boy. almost seemed fond
er of showing him off than looking after
my home. When rich married people
| don't think rs much of each other as they
ought to do, they have many things TO
look to for happiness; but if the lamp
which led the poor TO the altar grows dim,
the house is dark indeed-the light of their
life goes out with itr'
Lucy looked at Mrs. Grey with wonder
ing eyes for she was the neatest and nat
test old lady you could see anywhere, and
was held up as pattern TO all the young
girls in the neighborhood.
81 do not know how it was, or when 1t
began, but we often forgot to read our chap
ter. My husband did not continue as good
humored as he had been during our early
days, and l did not see how much of that
was my fault for not making him comfort
able, as l had done at first. He was very
fond of our baby, but the poor little fellow
grew i'll and peevish. He could not bear to
hear it cry. When it began TO cry he
would take up his hat to go out. The very
thing which ought to have sent us on our
knees in supplicatlon that our infant might
be restored to health, seemed to break in
upon our prayers; and, instead Of the
hymn-except, indeed, on Sunday evenings
my husband, who had, as told you, a
beautiful voice, would bring home a new
song which he wished to learn, so that he
might sing it at the Tradesmens Club at
the Blue Lobster.
Slowly but surely he began, instead of
returning home in the evening, to attend
these club meetings. Then / saw my dan
ger, and how foolishly, If not wickedly,
had acted in not attending to my first earth
ly duty.
zone morning-I never shall forget i'll
rose determined to get my washing over
and dried and out of the way, as he had
promised to return early. There is moth
ing, except scoldng wife, more misera-
BILE TO poor man than finding the fire from
which he expected warmth and comfort
hung round with streaming or damp
clothes that a brisk, good manager would
get dried and folded before his return.
az had made such good resolutions but
darling" said Granny, after pause, ~
trusted to my own strength. 1 did moi
then, as do now, entreat Gods help-ask
for Gods help to enable me TO keep them
/ was too fond, in my young, proud days
of trusting entirely in myself-to my own
will. Well, dear, l suffered one small
matter or another to call me away, and an
old gossiping woman and her daughter
came and wasted my time; and when !
heard the church clock strike, and knew
my husband would be in in less than hall
an hour, and nothing ready TO make nm
comfortable, though he had had a haru
days work at the saw pit, in wet weather.
/ could have cried with shame and yeSa-
ton. My resolve had been so strong-ih
what Pin my own poor, weak strength
Well, l hurried, but ii was hard racing al
ter mspent time. My husband came III
dripping wet, about five minutes before Inc
usual hour. lie looked at me, and al Inc
clothes-line that was stretched in front o.
the fire, and, with small chopper that he
had In his hand, he cut the line, ana uowh
went my half-dried clothes on the not oVei
clean sanded floor. "A soft answer turhetl
away wrath, saith the proverb; bnt dc
not give the soft answer, and the wratl
, was not turned away.
r every well, Katie he said there is nj
nIace here for me to sit and rest, and NJ
supper ready but l can get sitting, resting
, and supper at the Blue Lobster, where ma