Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-12-12
"My House" and Sour House" "

| beautiful suburban town. MY house rs
large and handsome, with cupola, aud has
a rich lawn before it. II is surrounded by
a broad piazza, and graced and shaded by
ancestral elms and huge buttonwood trees.
Its barns and stables are large and well
filed its orchards are gorgeous with fruit,
in the season, and the fields around it seem
alive with the golden grain that waves in
the wind. Everything about the place tells
of long-continued prosperity. The rich old
squire who lives there rides about with fine
horses and talks great deal to his neigh
bors about "my house, my orchards, and
my horses.'
His wife is evidently the lady of the
region. She was model housekeeper and
dairywoman in the days when they worked
on the farm, and is now an oracle on many
questions. She, too, talks of "my house,
my horses, and my estate
These persons each brought property to
the other aud the two interests had. unfor-
tunately, never flowed together and formed
one estate as they should have done so
there were always two separate interests in
the house.
Of course the property belonged. legally.
to both but. as each had snug little fund
laid away, the question was always to be
settled, if repairs were to be made, or horses
or furniture bought, who should pay for it.
1t seemed but proper to the husband that
carpets, and sofas, and "women's toggery -
in general, should be bought by his wife
also the cows as the lady was at the head of
the house. But she said " You walk on the
carpets, sit on the sofas, and eat the cream
and butter Just as much as | do, and see
no reason why you should not at least help
to pay for them"
Such discussions often occurred, but, on
the whole, each uphods the interests of the
other against outsiders, and gets along with
out open rupture. They ride about in bet
ter dress than their neghbors, they receive
and return visits and are called the leading
family in town.
But my house." as some of the waggish
boys have named the great square mansion,
is nobody's house but its owners. No guest
who could not return hospitality in equal
style is ever asked to tarry for night there.
All ministers sojourning in the place are
directed by them to the humble parsonage
for entertainment Every weary, homeless
wanderer is pointed to the distant aims
house; and a neighbors horse or COW which
has strayed from its own enclosure is at
once put into pound by the Squire's man.
If an appeal is made for any benevolent
object, the Squire says, $50 to my house
and ask my wife to give you something"
She, in her turn, points the applicant to the
field or the orchard, and says, $50 down
there, and ask my husband to give you some
thing" So one puts it on the other, and
nothing is given; and neither the town nor
the world is the better for their living.
This is the way things are done at "my
house"
tl,n Oh s
two wide-spreading ems stands very mod
est cottage nestled in vines and flowers,
with curtains drawn up to let in the light of
Gods blessed sun, and an ever-open door
with great chair in full view, holding out
its time-worn arms, as if to invite and wei
come in the weary passer-by. The birds are
always remembered here in their times of
scarcity, and so in token of their gratitude
they gather in the trees and carol out sweet
and merry songs by way of paying their bills.
! Gods peace, as well as his plenty, rests
on this place, and while its owners call it,
in their hearts, Goods house, they speak
of it TO others, always, as "our house."
Twenty-Five years ago a sturdy, brave
hearted young mechanic bought this one
acre of land, and with his own hands dug
and walled cellar, at times when he had
no work for Others When he had earned
an additional hundred or two dollars he
bought lumber and began to build a house
People asked him what he was going to dc
with it, and he replied that If he should live
to finish it he was going to live in it, and
asked loosely if that wasn't the best thing
IA man could do with house.
Well, in two years the house was finished
to the last nail and hook. Then he wen,
away, as it was thought, for a wife In 9
week he returned, bringing with him somt
neat household furniture, and three per
sons instead of one only.
He did bring wfe-a bright-eyed, merry
hearted young grl-and also two aged wo
men" our mothers" as he called them.
The first night in the house they dedi
Gated their humble home" our house "--to
God, and in the name of the Lord they Sc
up their banner, praying that ever after thi
his banner over them might be love-
Many a family moves into new hom'
and asks God to come in and prosper them
and take up his abode there; but they d,
nothing to draw him thither. They begil
for self, and go on for self and sometimes
God leaves them to themselves
But the young owners of A" our house -
the children of "our mothers made thei
little home his home and the home of hi
poor and feeble ones. "Our mothers nov
laid down the weapons of toll over which the
had grown gray, and came out of the vale o
honest poverty into the sunshine of plenty
E Their hearts grew warm in this gift o
double love. They renewed their yout
like the eagles, and were soon again stron
ior work in the home and among the les
favored.
In the first days at their children's hom,
ono of ~ our tnofhar. - Qnoka of Hanrv'e Ia,
house." when he checked her, saying, Neve
call this my house again. built it for Go
aud for all of you, and want it Away
called 'our house. There is yet one thin
want done here before ! shall feel that
have made my thank-offering to God for tn
+ health and strength and the work whic
d have enabled me to build and pay for thi
: house. | promised then that no stranger G
a wanderer should ever go hungry or wear
o from this door. You have made sure of
y neat aud sunny room for our friends. No
n | want bed, chair, and a table put in tll
d shed.chamber for such strangers as we cal
= not ask into the house. ! want also to Fl
. the little store-closet under the back stat
N way with provisions to give the needy. The
will then not be our own and ii at an
time we should be short of money, we wi
not be tempted TO say, have nothing
give want TO live for more than sci
y and know you all share the feeling,
It want to feel that God is here, and TO live
's ii we saw him and were all under his actu
ID guidance and care, and that he sees and a
:, proves our way in life"
II Thus was "our house opened, and thu
fy was it kept-a home sanctified 10 humani
and TO God.
The years rolled away not without change