The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1875-07-20

had been one year on his first circuit be.
fore came to help him." 21's
:',How many times have you. moved in
all, do you think?"' t..y.,,.t ii 3,,s..
"Just fourteen times' And putting
her hand lightly on Aunt Kitty's, as il
she would not be misunderstood, sister
Sylvester said, by way Of explanation,
.'That was because, in a news country,
there can be so fewparsonages, and SO few
houses, or even parts of houses, iunoccu-
pied"
20 dear {! o dear !" sighed Aunt Kitty.
elbow awfully you must have suffered
Have you not felt as if you wanted to die,
sometimes :" '5~' '''
''lf1 ever did, dear Aunt Kitty, I am
afraid that should be too much ashamed
of my cowardice and weakness to say
much about it. For have learned" said
sister Sylvester, ''that praying to die is a
very poor preparation to enable us to live
and accomplish the work God assigns
to u.s.:
20 my! o my" again sighed Aunt
Kitty. ''How you do talk! Tell me one
thing more. How did you stand it, " hen
you lost your fou: little children, who
died. they told me. partly from cold, and
your want of the things you should have
had to make you and them comfortable
in your moving from place to place! You
need not mimi telling me, you know" she
added, kindly.
The two ladies had drawn close toceth.
er. They were both earnestly interested,
and apparently unconcous of being listen
ed to by others. Tears stood in their
eyes, heart was answering to heart. as SIS
ter Sylvester replied, TREMENDOUSLY, Tut 0
so sweetly:
my four precious little ones are not
lost, Aunt Kitty, nor separated, although
their little graves are many miles apart.
| know that they are all together, in my
Father S house above, cared for and safe
and happy; and that he called them at
the best time both for them and u.s.
sit is we'll for you if you can think
that said Aunt Kitty, and the tears
were coming streaming down. s'But. to
me, Reuben and the little boy and girl
buried are in their graves. That is where
they seem to me to be. And I tell you
sister Sylvester, it is cold, dark place to
lie in, and dread to think OF it. There
is a feeling Of horror about it,
| l wish | could picture the glow of light
and Joy which cleaned amid the tears
from sister Sylvester's eyes and face, as
she said:
''Dear Aunt Kitty, the grave is not the
abode of our little ones, who have been
redeemed from the curse Of the law by
the precious blood of Christ. 1t is not
the place where our loved ones stay, who
have died in the Lord. 1t is on y the
drcssing-room of heaven, you know, where
the Sustained. way-worn, wearisome gar
ments of earth are exchanged for the glo.
rious robes Of Immortality. The poor
dnst, which sleeps in the grave until the
Master is ready to use it again, is very
different from the conscious. responsible
being who laid it down, to be clothed anew
in vestments white and pure, without spot
or wrinkle or any such thing
| Then, with glad smile, she went on I O
say:
''Only think Of this wonderful life, with
Its education and discipline, its long years
of training and development, it's aspira.
tons and possibilities, all ending in the
grave, after few short years of almost
abortive effort! What a waste it would
be! How unlike any other exhibition of
the work and utilization of our God For
you know that nothing is lost, nothing is
superAucus, nothing without a definite
purpose, in all the economy of nature, as
we are told by the wise and philosophical
of all ages
Aunt Kitty was wiping away the tears,
as she answered: eff could only SCI it
as you do! But this world is al; I seem
to see.''
':You KNOW said sister Sylvester,
show earnestly you have been urging me
to get a home for myself; now let me tell
you about the house that my husband
and 1 are trying to build. When we com.
menced life together, we both felt the ne.
cessity of having permanent home, and
we laid our plans just as wisely as We
knew how. After asking for wisdom, we
became assured that, in very few years,
the earthly house of our tabernacle
a0ould DISSOLVE; so we concluded not to
be too anxiously concerned about that.
And God has wonderfully kept us. Even
what seemed to be trials have proved
blessings
"Just tell me- asked Aunt Kitty here
eagerly, ''do you believe that you have
seen more sorrow and trouble in your life
as preachers wife, than if you had been
rich, and trying to enjoy yourselves 2
II am sure We have not. know re-
piled sister Sylvester that it appears a:
if our lives were one continued well-sprjng
of Joy. We have had so much Of love
and gladness. and so little of sorrow
Our work has been our delight. O, you
don't know what comfort it is to trus,
in the Lord -
Il know it is true, or you would moi