Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-09-12
In the Dark.

stood with beautiful child, trying to
look out into the night. There was no
moon the stars were hidden behind dense
canopy of clouds, and as we pressed our
face against the pane, only blackness of
darkness met us from outside. All, this
is dreary enough" | said TO my own heart.
This is like some peoples lives, dark to
hopeessness-no ray of cheer before them,
let them strain their eyes as they may" But
| kept my thoughts to myself, for young
hearts should not know how closely life and
nature correspond in some gloomy times.
Suddenly light, ripplng laugh broke from
my companion. How very dark |" she
said. This is night of all others such as
| love ~ This night l' exclaimed "This
dark, gloomy night when no one can see a
step that they must take Z" She laughed
again. "But do not want to see a step
that | must take" she said. al do not
walk-l drive home always with my father
That is the very reason why take so much
pleasure in the dark" But even then"
said, 81 do not understand. 1t must be
pleasanter, even if you do not walk, to go
under bright skies, with the stars shining
above you and clear light upon the road"
She shook her head, and looked at me with
earnest thoughtful eyes. al do not know"
she said, :" can not tell you how it is.
When the road is so light that the pony
hardly seems to need any driving, my father
lets me take the reins, and we laugh and
chat together as we drive along but on a
night like this it is very different He takes
the reins in his own hands then, and is so
busy watching the road that sometimes he
hardly speaks to me once all the way. Then
| creep i'll among the cushions and lie still,
and laVp snpl hut,t,u hx,
thinking how dark it is, and how cannot
see whether we are in the track, or just on
the brink OF precipice, or even lost, but
that my father can, and though | cannot
see his form, he is there, close before Inc,
holding the reins i'll his strong hand, aud
never taking his eye from the way for
single instant Oh, it is better than all the
bright nights together; and when, once in
while, he turns his head and says, All
safe, my little one ? | say, All sale, ai.d
then curl down closer in my corner anu
ieel such glow rising up in my heart, it
keeps Inc warm Oh the coldest night And
then at last-it seems very long sometimes
! hear his voice again, saying, Here We
are !! and look out and see the bright
light streaming from the windows, and we
are at home - ! took the pure child-iace
gently in my hands, and looked into the up.
turned eyes 81 understand, now," said
but how would it be II some one else than
your father were driving, and you did not
even know who had the reins Z" A look of
surprise, half disnayed and half reproach-
iul answered before her words. "Why,
what a strange question p she said. "Ol
course, | should not like it then | should
not 1t like then | should be terrified, and
crying to every one we met for little light.
But that will never happen, for my father
always goes with me; he will never trust
me to amy one but himself !" All, sweet
child, what lesson have you taught us
There are dark nights in our lives, as well
as i'll our world but in the most rayless oil
them all, our rest may be most sweet, the
glow III our hearts most warm aud bright if
we do take our refuge i'll remembering
whose hand holds the relns, and when dark
and storm are safely passed, we shall see
light flaming before us and know we have
reached home at last l-Chrisiian Mirror.