Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1877-09-01

the doctors part. There is a resort, 1
understand, where the most absolute
repose both of body and mind is en-
ioyed."
"Where, my dear9 If you could only
gop
Yes, 1 think so sometimes" said
May; "but there is little hope for along
time yet. We do deal of bending
before we break, Aunt Dodo. Be
sides, there are the children. She
looked up fiercely. Was this hollow,
despairing face that of "sweet May
Linton ?" "The life of mothers in
poverty is more cruel than that which
criminals lead as punishment for their
crimes, she said, with bitter conviction.
Aunt Dodo said nothing, but while
May took heavy pot from the fire, she
wiped her aged eyes with her sleeve, still
holding the apple knife,
Why, aunty, said May, turning,
"are you trying to scalp yourself ?"
az, Aunt Dodo dropped her arm, and May
knelt at her side and put her arms about
her. A tall form stopped in the doorway,
but neither saw. ~ ElKeE q
a. 6 1t is not quite what we expected of
life, is it, aunty 2" said May. "But God
and heaven and hope and love remain
just the same, only the present is hard,
and hides the truth from us at times.
You must not believe" she went on,
"that Hal and are less dear to each
other than of old; but when he comes in,
full of his politics, and angry at this
man, and eager about that one, and finds
q cross, faded wife, who somehow seems
to blame him, / dsre say, though she
never means it, and when the children
trouble him with their noise, and don't
look as neat as they used; and L feel all
the time while I'm getting the supper
as if I could die of pain, and weariness
worse than pain, or give one dreadful
shrek and go mad, and get rid of it all;
and have to fight it down, and go on
seeing to fifty things at once, don't you
see, dear, we cannot exactly be as we
were five years ago? And yet if 1 were
to die, don't you suppose L know how
Hal would feel, not counting the need of
me for the children or the work, but just
the loss of me and my love? And if
Hal should be brought home from one of
those political meetings to speak no word
of anger or hope about any man, or any
word to me ever again May rose and
clasped her hands" aunty, it would be
worse, a thousand times worse, than it
would have been five years ago., when I
was his itty bitty pa'idge." And May
sobbed wildly. -, ~.
A deeper sob, like an echo, startled
them, and they saw Harry, who, with
his head on his arm, had sunk into a
chair by the door,
/" My May my poor little love p. he
cried, as he took her in his arms and
looked into her eyes, :" I came home to
night very angry and obnoxious fellow.
| have lost the election, and, what is
worse, Martin has gained it. But now ]
am glad, and not sorry, for [ am going to
spend my time and strength in serving
my May instead of my conntry."
And Harry was us good as his word.
Six-eighths of the time he had given to
political excitement he restored to his
business, and the mortgage was cleared
from the homestead in short time. The
hours at home were hours of mutual
help and harmony; for a strong, deter.
mination will carry all before it, like the
turn of the tide. .f
Many a rest on the little lounge, while
the maid-of-all-work was putting the
kitchen to rights after tea, did May en-
joy.
Many an evening, when the children
were asleep, her husband sat beside her
her sensitive clinging spirit resting in his
loving presence, and her strained nerves
relaxing from their long fatigue.
Harry" said Aunt Dodo, during {
flying visit, "happiness is the best and
truest condition, of course, but think
you will agree with me that the happi
ness we have fairly won is worth the
most; and, May, we can not really de
serve it until we have learned tht
uses of iadversity. "-Harper's Basar.