Weekly Trinity journal., 1877-05-05
THE SHADOWS WE CAST.

ture DullulnR mateflagS, ana rs Jne MINI
ic castle rose before his eyes in graceful
proportions, a new pleasure swelled in
his heart he felt himself to be the Gre
ator of " thing OF beauty" and was con-
scious of a new born power. Arch, wall,
buttress, gateway, drawbri1ge, lofty tow
or and battlement were all the work of
his hands. lie was in wonder at his own
skill in thus creating, from an unseemly
lot of toy materials, a structure Of such
rare design.
Silent he stood and gazed upon his cas-
tle with something of the pride of an
architect who sees, after months or years
Of skillfuly-arplied labor. some grand
conception in bis art embodied in imper-
ishable stone. Then he moved around,
viewing it from every side. 1t did not
seem to him toy, reaching only few
inches in hight, and covering but square
foot of ground, but real castle, lifting
itself hundreds Of feet upward toward the
blue sky, and spreading wide upon the
earth its ample foundations.
As the ldea grew more and more per-
feet, the chld's strange pleasure increas-
ed. Now he stood with folded arms,
wrapped in the overmastering illusion
now he slowly walked around, viewing
the structure on all sides, and noting ev-
cry minute particular-and now sat down,
bending over it with the fondness of a
mother bending over her first born.-
Again he rose, purposing to obtain an
other and more distant view of his work
hut his foot struck against one OF the but
tower and battement fell in hopeless ru-
in.
In the room with the boy sat his father,
reading. The crash disturbed him, and
he uttered sharp, angry rebuke, glanc-
ing for moment toward the startled
child, and then returning his eyes to the
attractive page before him, unconscious
of the shadow he mad cast upon the heart
of his child. Tears came into those fair
blue orbG, dancing in light a moment be-
fore. From the frowning face of his fa-
ther, to which his glance was suddenly
turned, the child looked back to the shape
less ruins of his castle. Is it any wonder
that he bowed his head in silence upon
them, and wetted them with his tears?
For more than five minutes he sat as
still as if sleeping then, in a mournfuI
kind Of way, yet almost noiseless, he com.
menced resorting to the box from which
he had taken them the varions shaped
pieces that, ftly Joined together, had
grown into n noble building. After the
box was filed, he replaced the cover and
laid it carefully upon shelf in the clos
ct.
Poor child That shadow was deer
one, and long in passing way. His mo-
ther found him, half an hour afterwards,
asleep on the floor, with cheeks flushed to
an unusual brightness. She knew moth.
ing of that troubled passage in his young
life; and the father had forgotten, in the
attractions of the book he was reading ;
the nomentary annoyance expressed in
words and looks, with power in them
10 shadow the heart of his child.
a young wife had busted herself for
many days in preparing a pleasant sur
prise for her husband. The work was
. finished at last and now she awaited his
return, with heart full of warm emo
tions. A dres sing gown and pair of
elegantly embroidered slippers, wrought
by her own skilful fingers, were the
gifts with which she meant to delight
him. What Il troop of pleasant fancies
WAS in her heart how, almost impa-
tiently, did she wait for the coming tw-
light, which was to be dawn, not ap-
proaching darkness, to her {!
At last she heard the step of her hus-
bard in the passage, and her pulses leap
ed with flutteripg delight. Like bird
Upon the wing, she almost flew down to
meet him, impatient for the kiss that
awaited her.
To men, in the world Of business, few
days passed without their dsappoint-
ments and pcrpeAites. 1t is mems bus
lness to bear this in manly spirit. They
form but portion of life's discipline, and
should make them stronger, bravsr, and
more enduring. Unwisely, and we may
say unjustly, too many men fail to leave
their business cares and troubles in their
woI kshops or counting-rooms, at the
days decline. They wrap them in bun
dies and carry them home to shadow
their households.
1t was SO with the young husband on
this particular occasion. The stream OF
business had taken an eddyng whirl,
and thrown his vessel backward, instead
of onward, for a briet space and, though
it was still in The current, and gliding
safely onward again, the jar and disap
pointment bad fretted his mind severely.
There was no warmth in the kiss he gave
his wife, not because love had failed IN
any degree, but because he had let care
overshadow love. lie drew his arm
around her; but she was conscious of a
diminished pressure in that embracing
arm.
Are you not vel! ?" she inquired.
With what tender concern was the
question asked
" Very WELL" he replied.
He might be in body, but not in mind
that was plain, for his voice was far from
being cheerful.
She played and sang his favorite pieces,
hoping to restore, by the charm of music,
brightness to his spirit. But she was
conscinus of only parlial success. There