Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1872-05-17
Yes-I know that y

"Yes-I know that"
And now, my boy, do you realiz
where the heaviest part of the burden
! lodged 2,
Clarence looked upon his interlocuto
wonderingly.
IF the storm had all blown over, ant
you knew that that the sun would shin
when you next entered your home, yo'
would not feel SO unhappily p
Clarence assented
But" continued Wa,dle. "you fea
there will be gloom in your home when vol
return p
| The young man bowed his head as b,
murmurcd an affirmative.
Because" the merchant added, with
touch of paternal sternness in his tone
l'fyou are resolved to carry it there"
Clarence looked up in surprise.
IL carry it 2"
t s"Aye-you have the burden in your
heart, and you mean to carry it home. -
Remember, my boy, have been there, and
know all about it, have been very fool
ish in my lifetime, and I have suffered. ]
suffered until | discovered my folly, and
then resolved to. suffer. no more. Upon
looking the matter squarely and honestly in
the face. found that the burden which had
SO CALLED me had been self-imposed OF
course such burdens can be thrown off -
Now you have resolved that you will 60
home with heavy heart and dark face.
You have DO hope that your wife will meet
you with smile. And why because you
know that she has no particular cause for
smiling You know that her heart is bur.
dened with the same affection which gives
you so much unrest. And so you are fully
assured that you are to find your home
shrouded in gloom And, fur thermorc, you
don't know when that gloom will depart and
when the blessed sunshine of love will burst
in again. And why don't you know? Be
cause it is not now in your heart to sweep
the cloud away. You can say to yourself
ID can stand it as long as she can" Am
I not right ~ s
Clarence did not answer in words.
II know am right" pursued the mer-
chant; ''and very likely your wife is saying
to herself the same thing. So your hope Of
sunshine does not rest upon your willing
ness to forgive, but upon the inability to
bear the burden. By and by it will hap
pen, as it has happened before, that one of
the twain will surrender from exhaustion ;
and it will be likely to be the weaker party
Then there will be a collapse and arecoDcil-
iation Generally the wife fails first be-
meath the CALLING burden. because her love
is keenest and most sensitive. The hus.
band, in such case, acts the part Of a cow
ard When be might, with breath, blow
the cold away, he cringes and covers until the
wife is forced to let the sunlight in through
her breaking heart''
Clarence listened, and was troubled. He
was not fool. nor was he liar During
the silence that followed be reflected upon
the past, and he called to mind scenes just
such as Mr.. Wardle had depicted And
this brought him to the remembrance Of how
he had seen his wife weep when she had
failed sud sank beneath the heavy burden.
end how often she had sobbed upon his bo.
som in grief for the error.
The merchant read the young mans
thoughts and after time he rose and
touched him upon the arm.
Clarence, suppose you were to put Oh
your hat and go home now. Suppose you
should think, on the way, only of the love
and blessing that might be; and, with this
you should enter your cottage with
a smile upon your face; and you should put
your arms around your wife's neck, and kiss
her, and softly say to her, my darling. [
have come to throw down the burden l took
away with me this morning Tt is greater
than I can bear Suppose you were to do
this. would your wife repulse you %
'Repulse me - -
"Ah, my boy. you echo my words with
an amazement which shows that you under
stand me. Now sir. have you the courage to
try the experiment ? Dare you be SO much Of
a man Dare you thus try to initiate your
Divine Teacher? Or do you fear to let
your dear wife know how much you love
her? Do you fear that she would esteem
and respect you the less for the deed Tell
me. Do you think the cloud of uuhappi-
pess might thus be banished ? O, Clarence,
if you would but try p
Sarah Spencer had finished her work in
the kitchen. and 10 the chambers, and sat
down with her sewing in her lap. But she
could not ply her needle: Her heart was
heavy and sad, and tears were in her eyes.
Presently she heard the front door opon,
and step in the hail. Certainly she knew
that step! Yes-her husband entered
And smile was upon his face. She saw it
through her gathering tears, and her heavy
heart leaped up. And he came and put his
arm around her neck, and kissed her-and
he said to her in broken accents
DARLING, I have come home to throw
down the burden I took away with me this
morning 1t is more than can bear y
And she, trying to speak, pillowed her
head upon his bosom and sobbed and wept
like child.
Oh, could be forgive her? His coming
with the blessed offering had thrown the
burden Of reproaches back upon herself
She saw him noble and generous, and she
worshipped him. 8 ~
But Clarence would not allow her to take
all the blame. He must share that.
.'We will share it SO evenly" he said
''that its weight shall be felt no more. And
now, my darling, we will be happy"
always"
4 i: X = q *
Mr.. Wardle had no need, when Clarence
returned to the store, to ask the result
He could read it in the young mans brim
ming eye, and in his joy.inspired face
It was year after this-and Clarence
Spencer had become partner in the hous'
that Mr.. Wardle, by accident, referred t
the events of that gloomy morning.