Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1873-08-13
Having Nothing yet Possessing
All Things.
ny MRS. Z. PRESrIss.

'N'h ARi cuts ~ AiN NiNNkt~HNhlNfu Collin
Of her own ROOM Her coarse food revol;
her invalid appetite She is not gifted il
intellect; has no culture in the sense II
which that word is used there is nothinI
attractive about her person she is only
plain, unlearned suffering woman, whom
people would patronize If they knew he
wants, and then 60 away and forget. Bu
she is not trying to live in pleasure, and $,
is not dead while she livetb. She has learn
ed, not through any might or wisdom o.
power Of her own, that God is the elemen
IN which the human soul was formed t,
live, and in him she lives and moves an,
has her being.
Let US hear what she says about it:
al never had any thoughts about any
thing 1t was just get up in the morpn,
and 90 to work, and work all day long, ana
when it came night 20 to bed and sleep
Ii went on until was eighteen years old
and then ohm came to see me. aud we 90,
taking about being married some time
After that the work did not seem so hard
| would got TO thinking about him, and the
time would slip away, aud when it came
night he always came, aud We saved aud
planned aud talked about having snug
little home Of our own. II anybody had
come along then aud talked to me about
God and Heaven, should not have listened
| should have said, I've got John, and
that's enough
"But one day | bad a fall. was sit.
ting in the wagon on a chair, and the chair
upset and | fell out backwards At first
they thought wasn't burt much, and |
kept expecting and expecting to get well
But instead OF that | grew more helples.
each day. My mother had led hard life
before, but now she had my work to do
and had me to take care Of But when she
began to break down, John came and lived
here as if he was her own son, and helped
lift me when | had to be moved, and wa.
kind and gentle, like woman.
80 it went on for good while, and then
it began to come to me that should never
get well, and never be Johns wife. | lay
and cried about it when nobody was by
aud | said to myself, other girls are well
and strong, and get married to ones they
love, but I've got to lie here, and it's hard
it's hard'
"And then | noticed how loving John
was to little children, how he was alway,
bringing them in on his shoulder, aud max
ing much Of them. And one day | said tc
hint came out the minute | thought oil
it-'John, you'll never marry me; shall
never be well enough. And you ought not
to be tied to me. You ought to ind a nice
tidy girl, and get married to her. He said
he never could or would, aud got up and
went and sat on the doorstep, and | heard
him sigh twice. And lay all night wish.
ing | hadn't spoken these words, for
thought if they drove him away from me
to some other girl, should die.
80 years went by, aud he was as kind
and gentle as ever, but began to miss
something out of him. 1t isn't worth
while to make long story Of it. lie was
ever-so-much ashamed and cried about it,
but be wanted lass who could make a
home for him, and | made it easy for him
and he went and got married to Huldy
} ones. The first time he brought her to
see me | felt as if could strike her dead.
But after they'd gone, asked mother to
bring me little looking glass. | hadn't
thought to look at myself for long time.
Well, what did | see Not the whole
some young thing John used to court, but a
faded, worn-out, uncomely, oldish woman.
My forehead, that once was white and
smooth, was nothing but set Of wrinkles
my eyes, that used TO laugh so, had grown
dull and leaden; aud where was round
and plump, was now long aud lean.
lay and looked at myself a whole hour,
aud then | forgave John aud lluldy, aud
said, 1--we got mother left, and there's no.
body after all, like a mother"
But somehow | pined for john, and
the more | broke down the more wore on
mother. I'll make it as short as | can
mother died 1t seems strange that didn't
die, too, but | didn't | Just lived and
suffered
Somebody had got to take care of me,
but nobody wanted to do it; was so frac-
tious aud complaining But at last an old
woman came, for the sake of earning her
living, poor thing And John sometimes
brought Huldy to see me. She had no
reason to be jealous OF what little there
was left of me, and she wasn't. But when
saw those two young things together,
realized that John was not my John any
onger, and | missed his love and missed