Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1875-09-23

OF the destruction he had caused. | tried
10 get him on to where once bed had
been; we had still a mattress and couple
| OF blankets"
Lucy did not speak, but her eyes were
over flowing. aud she stole her hand into
that OF Mrs. Grey. The good woman soon
| resumed her story.
Il saw even there sleep come tn subdue
and calm him. My poor child ate her sup
| per and fell asleep, and my sick boy was
| certainly better and also slept. | crept
about, gathering the broken pieces. and
| endeavored TO light the fire. A kind lady
/ TO whom | had taken some needle work
| that morning-tor several weeks | had
/ been the only bread-winner-in addition to
fthe eighteen pence had earned, gave me
"A small quantity cftea aud sugar; an old
| pewter teapot that, however battered,
| would not break, seemed to me a comfort
! er. lie would awake, | knew, cold and
| shiverlng, but hoped not until the BIne
! Lobster and every house of the same des-
cription were closed, and then his thirst
would compel him TO take some tea. |
heard the church clock strike one and il
was joyful sound; no open doors. even
TO old customers, then. | knelt down be-
tween the chldren's blankets and lny poor,
shattered husband, and prayed as never
| prayed before.
had managed TO get sufficient fuel TO
| boii the kettle aud create some degree OF
warmth, and waited patiently and pray
erfullv tor the waking. Il came at last,
The anger and the violence that had ocen
almost insanity were gone only the poor.
broken-down man was there. lie asked
what o'clock II was. | told him the church
| clock was gone half-past one. He then
asked for water. | brought him a cupful.
"a AL ft..., 4.
OF tea. Alter he had taken il. he gathered
himself up and took the stool | moved
toward him. | poured him ont a fresh cup
OF tea. lie looked for some little time va.
cantly at the table, and not seeing another
cup, he pushed that one toward me. |
drank half. filled Il agaiu, and moved il To
his hand.
My poor Katie" he sad, and kept re.
pcatIug ms name, has il come to this
only one cup between Us al!E'
And enough, too" answered. smiling
n gally A. could-"cnough 70 build A
house and home on. il We trusted to tea"
NV hat i your meanings" he inquired.
was almost afraid 70 say what meant
I bnt took courage, while trembling a
mean. darling" | answered '.that II we
/ could both be- content with the refre.hment
OF tea we'd soon have better and hlithur
hou-c than ever we had"
I've been bad father aud bad hus-
I band, he laid TOR hy this time hr
had nearly come TO himsclt-"hut nil il
gone. aud III, too lalc % mend"
made no answer, but just drew down
the blanket from the faces OF the Slcrpin.
chiidrrn-there never was anythin. touch
ed my husband like the little child
Is al guue:' | asked ana with that he
, crushed his face down on hi, cla>prd hand,
81. T.. 81. ~
tears. | knelt down beside him, and thank
ed God for the Tears. in my heart. out
! was 20 chok ed ! could not speak and w..
stayed that way ever so long. neither say
iug word. Now it j. strange what turns
the mind viii take. Even while his face
was wet with tears, my darling lifted H.
katie he said-aud it may seem to
you nothing but fond old womau's fancy.
but I've alway, thought there was no mus
ic IN the world ever so sweet a. the Nav
my husband says Katie" unto this day
"katir," he says LETS turn the cup and
see what il reads" Like all youngsters.
believe. We had tossed many cup, 10 our
boy and girl days just for laughter. lie
took il up serious Ike, and turned Il, and
"a be looked into he smiled. There's a
clear rosd," he want on, land Il house NJ
the top, and wonderful lot Of pianks;
they can't be ours, for there IS not plank
in or near the pit now"
But there will be-" | answered. eager
ly.
''lt was only yesterday, down where the
>pinuy overhangs the pool, / met Mrs
Grovely. She gave me a blithe good.norn-
ing, aud asked II my goodman was goin.
10 turn his leaf soon. Tell him 10 make
haste, from me- she said. '.lOr he's too
good a fellow to 90 much longer as he's
h..n sratu
Are YOU sure she said that" whispered
my husband.
SO told him indeed she did, and more.
She saic she was waiting until you'd re-
solved TO turn H. like "A man. and cut down
the small lot of timber tha.'s waiting for
your hatchet on the corner farm. "I'm
determined, she continued, mo one but
HIM shall fell those trees As shall want
10 use the planks in the spring, he has no
time 10 lose" She said something IN.
pleasant about the puolc-house, but |
| could not let that pass; so | up and told
her that II was my carelessness and neg
lect that turned you from your own fire
side"
~ GU should not have said that. Katie -
/ he answered. I've been a bad husband
and 4 bad father, and did not think there
was one in the place that would trust me
q "hAu ~ hOlh, AuI uis VOICE sUODk
aud faltered but he got IL out at last,
Even IL l did take turn, its not likely
you could forgive me!''
! And then fell weeping at his feet. and
| laid bare my heart, aud repeated that if
! had been what | ought TO have been, and
| kept the house he put over me fresh aud
\ clean, as ought to have kept il, instead
| of spending the morning of my days in
vanity aud ideness, we need not have been
! Nv" Shivering sinners at that hour. | re-
! peated again and again that it was my
ways that drove him 10 find by the tap
I room fire what he had lost at home; and
then | lifted up NV voice aud called To my
/ Saviour tn louA down and help US both l.
with my voice full of tears, promised my
husband il he would try me-only try me
he would see what a home | would make
io- him. He was always one for little
/ joke. aud even then he said. :and twirled
the cup. well-penished house is tea
! cup; one tea-cup between us"
Yes" said, ''if nothing stronger than
tea nows into that cup. or vets our lips
out OF that cup, We will build our house. :"
We both kept long silence, and the break
ofihat blessed day, though 1t showed me
my husbands once glowing and manly
face pale and haggard, and his hand trem-
biing-so trembling that he could not car
| - thc tea-Sup " Ills Ups Without spNifug
Its contents-brought new life int" our
shattered home.
Lucy, on that blessed day-this day
eighteen years ago-strcngrh was givel Us
bo:h TO keep our promise to God and to
each other; and somehow this text got
stamped upoa our hearts -
"We can do all things through Christ,
who strengthens us"
My poor darling! he had hard lines at
first Never was there q drunkard who
did not cast about to make others as bad
as himself. As the day drew on he had not
courage to face the street; but went up
to Grovely Manor, and told the good lady
that my husband would fell the trees that
he might be trusted. because he no longer
trusted in his own strength; that he was a
pledged teetotaler. and 1 was pledged to
make his home happy; but that We did
not trust in our pledges, but in faith that
we could do all things through Christ,
who strengthened u.s.
Sffl fhA