Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-01-18

! -Whlch was beyond the wisdom of many VIII
passed for more knowing men When "fh
Brigadier, as he facetiously styled her. plan
ned picnic, he groaned, but he was dis
Greet enough to do it inwardly. He kne,
what it involved His wife would name th
day, the spot, the route, the hour to start an
return, and the character of ''the spread
and packed by proxy the nch-basket for ev
! erybody who was to 20. II was of no avai
Tor him to tell her that it would rain-as
! generally, did ttla.sS ome other party woul
have the boats that the pickles would be for
| gotten, the jam leak out upon the sandwiches
the dishes get broken, and the train be late
such things almost always happened, am
yet she had the pleasure of laying out 'j
beautiful time, and would sit on the stile an,
continue to smile amid the ruins of her plans
with IA sweet serenity that an excursion int
the happy land could hardly have improve,
upon.
Where shall we 20 next year. CAPTAIN >
her husband would inquire, upon such occa
slons. with his most aggravating, martyr-lik,
air, AS they sat waiting for let-up in tn,
shower
'Nowhere-if we wait for you to move
ducky," she would respond with a good
nature that was as invincible as her courage
Aou can hugh at my planning, of course
but everything that goes rightly. and that /,
guided by intelligence, in this world. move,
upon plan. DO you suppose God started
this world of ours, that none of us half an
preciate, without knowing whether it was tc
be round or square-solid or liquid-beauti
full or ugly? When get to Heaven the first
thing l shall ask for will be a copy of the
working plan of the Architect of the Univ.
erse."
II don't doubt it :" laughed James rueful-
ly,-'for my part. l shall look up my friends
and get good seat at a symphony concert. ~
riot without me if have to carry nv
plan under my arm. But there'll be time
enough for everything then. Soberly, now, -
why not make plans for a day. month or a
year rs well as plan of life The man who
starts ON the journey of life bound nowhere
in particular generally brings up there
Yes and if he starts for somewhere in
particular he generally doesn't If he takes
to the river, there is a cataract halfway down.
II he sails the sea, there are head winds and
rocks and icebergs. If he treads the beaten
path. people jostle and crowd ahead or he is
held back by the weight of his coat-tails. -
and Mr.. Marlowe looked with an expression
of mingled fondness and discouragement at
his growing family of children. "AIan pro-
poses and woman disposes." laughed he, as a
hnal conclusion, and between us. | think
they who drift get about as much enjoyment,
and make Just AS good progress. as we do who
Try to navigate. Take your places as best you
can do the duty nearest to you, and live one
day at IA time. Who ever saw Tomorrow"
II should like to give you even your din
H'J" on that plan. or no-plan, for one week
only said the wife, amid the laughter of the
company, who knew quite well Jamess fond
ness for Il good dinner. For one" she CON
cluded. rising and preparing to put into exc
cuuon her plan for getting home, Il hold
that 1t Is our duty to plan everything to the
best of our ability and do our utmost to car
ry 1t out and leave the stars in their courses.
or other people and things in theirs, to thwart
us If 1t be so ordered Let those go il blind
who have no eyes to see and let people drift
who are either too unskllful to sail or too Ia
~ TO row and with this scattering shot
she marshaled the forlorn picnickors to the
station, and busted herself ON the way home
IN arranging children's Birthday party. n
round OF calls, charity concert, and the fam
lily meals for the coming week.
OF course she came out strong on HOLIDAYS
and special occasions. Thanksgiving din
ner was her delight. Every dish. of course
and the people who were to eat it,-where
each one was to sit. and what games they
were to play TO settle their dinner, were all
clear 10 her mind two months beforehand
for the performance of parts already mentally
rehearsed Anything that interfered with her
plans, and came in the way of "A surprise, was
accorded grudgng welcome. Things that
happened she had no great opinion Of as
she grew older and her habits became more
fixed. And as ii large share of the good
things of life come TO us in the way of what
her husband called "happenstances." her phi
losophy had many severe tests. To plan for
pleasure only to reap disappointment, and
then TO meet happiness quite Unexpectedly on
the road, had Il tendency, she declared, to be-
little ones estimate OF intellect
Sometimes it was the unsystematic James
who was tried-as when her plans failed to
doye-tail on to his calculations. or she "car-
ried the thing too far, rs he expressed it, On
one occasion they were to move and as she
had planned to direct the whole work of Lack
ing up, of cOurSe-such is life she was tax
en- sick But her will knew no illness, and
from her bed she dictated the contents of ev-
cry box and barrel, until terrible headache
her to le TO the rest the care of
the odds and ends. As she lay moaning in
with hot congresses on her head,
and the house was hushed to stiffness, her
husband saw slight motion of her hands,
and heard her parched lips whisper his name.
Bending down tenderly to catch her words,
heard her say -
'I-was thinking-how we could carry the
-Jfdt-irOHs. Couldn't you"
This was too much. James rushed from
the room and sought the open air, where he
ndulged himself in familiar references to va
rious heather gods and dead military heroes.
including great Caesars ghost" with n yarie-
ty of emphasis and gestures. Do not Judge
him harshly. He was only man.
Mrs. Marlowe's girl was boy-the fourth
lf the series, a new but not improved edition
When he was nine years old, and her eldest
son was Do she sent carefully made but
very yellow and old-fashioned assortment of
little girls clothing down to the Children's
Home, with a sigh, but no tears,
The first son, under the stress of unimpair-
ID energy of management, went TO college,
pulled through after fashion, and immedi-
Itely took his knowledge of Greek roots and
'lassic literature into n coal yard where he
made money in Il manner that proved his pos
session of the instinct for accumulation, and
hen used his gains in fashion that reflected
10 credit on his culture.
The second boy, impatient of study, went
rom the high school into a newspaper Office,
md turned his mothers anxious forebodings
nto a resignation that was as near to JOY as
he ever came when plan miscarried, by
u blllAlhlt ANNNtho III lllb lllOlGbblOl.
The third son, whom she had consecrated
0 the ministry during revival that occurred
bout the time he was born, bought sheep
anch in Texas and the ease with which he
mastered the dialect of that region affords lit
lie room to expect that he will come any near
r fulfilling his mothers hopes than is involv- |
d in being a lasting subject for home mis-
iOnary work.
Jimmy, the youngest son, was intended for |
he law, but he is just now driving street. |
ar His bent toward horses was stronger |
han his mothers ambition in the direction of |
he bar
Mrs. MarlOwe came near to the end of life |
Without making any plan for dying. Consid-
ring that death is the most fearfully
hing in the world, how few people do give
ny thought to it But when the inevitable
hange drew near her ruling passion came to
he front
james, dear" she said ''you have been a
ood husband to me, and grieve to leave
on, and take the last journey alone. But it
in't far, and you'll be coming SOON This is
Wednesday l shall probably die tomorrow.