The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1873-12-23

hectluB upon lnelr prODaDle eHecJS.
Her excited feelings found relief in tears,
and sharp, angry speech formed itself
into sentences in her brain, as she put
the paper into her husbands dressing-case.
The unkind words, however, remained un-
spoken. Indignation and self-assertion
gave place to sympathy, when she saw his
pale, harrassed face, and felt the change
in his manner once so cheerful, now de-
pressed and constrained.
If he only would confide in me-" she
thought, as she watched him during the
dinner, trifling with his food, and making
vain efforts to answer the children's merry
questions.
"Papa, Christmas is just three weeks
from tomorrow !" announced Master
Albert triuniphantly. "Im going to have
lots of things"
$50 is p exclaimed Tommy. "Are
you going to hang up your stocking,
papa ?'
Mr.. Morrison nodded, and smiled faint
ly.
"Me know what Santa Claus will bring
me-" said Ray nodding her head, and
swinging her silver mug in the air.
"Your stockings are too little to hold
anything" said BERTHE. "You'll have to
borrow pair"
Ray surveyed her small foot ruefully.
Me det papa's," she exclaimed, bright
smile flashing like sunbeam over her face,
while general laugh followed her speech.
How many bitter words and wicked
quarrrels have been prevented by the pres
ence of little children. Hard thoughts and
unkind intentions die away and are forgot
ten before their fearless remarks and inno-
cent glances.
Yet in contemplating his merry boys
and girls, Mr.. Morrisson's misery was in
creased hundred fold. "Must / drag
them down in my own ruin ?" was his
weary, unceasing thought.
After Edith and BERTHE had gone to study
their lessons, and Tommy and Ray had run
up to their nurse, Mrs. Morrison confided
to her husband her plan of economy.
He agreed to it, kissing her and thanking
her, but not volunteering a word in expla-
nation of his difficulties.
"How useless am to him." she thought
bitterly. ga mere toy to be caressed and
petted, but not worthy of trust Or even of
sharing his trouble" Then came the an
swering thought: "He knows how help.
less am, how powerless to aid him. He
is bearing all his troubles alone, trying to
shield me from suffering" Still, she felt,
"this uncertainty is harder to endure thar
a complete knowledge of the worst that
may happen" -...
Mrs. Morrisson's small schemes for do
mestic economy were not productive Of any
visible good effects. After the first week
the children, who were in the beginning
wild with delight at having mamma to
dress them and put them to bed, pined for
their old nurse. Jane sang for them, and
repeated endless nursery rhymes and fairy
stories with untiring patience night after
night, until their sleepy lids gently closed
in sound slumber.
Mamma was abstracted and quiet, sing
ing by snatches in sad tones her favoritc
hymns, and often unconsciously breaking
off in the middle of sentence, to think OF
the husband sitting in the room below
his depressed, altered countenance, and
the change in his once cheerful bearing.
The cloud on his face grew darker each
day, and yet he kept his own counsel
One evening he came in late, looking so
utterly miserable and overwhelmed, as it
we're, by his troubles, that his wife put her
arms around his neck and kissed him, un-
able to speak word of welcome or COM
fort. He sat dewn, and then, strong man
as he was, he put his hand over his face
and sobbed aloud.
"Albsrt, my darling What is it. What
is coming?' ..e.., a u.
Failure and ruin, Gerty. My last hope
is gone. have just seen my uncle. He
won't do a thing to help me. The business
built up, Gerty, to see it break and go to
pieces ] have worked hard you know II,
ever since was eighteen years Of age. l
have given the best twenty years of my
life to it, and now it win be destroyed--all
my labor goes for nothing. Thank God
you have this house. They cannot take it
from you and the children"
"Who are they?'"
my creditors. They can not touch
this, because your father gave IT to you,
never owned It,"
why not sell it, and pay your debts
with the money!" Mr., Morrison smiled
drearily.
II would be but drop in the ocean,