St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-11-29
A Renaissance.

aside in the pastors study.
A Reminiscence.
My dinner table was laid for invited
guests, and everything was ready fol
them to be summoned into the dining
room. l gave parting glance at my
well arranged table, and felt proud and
pleased. | knew that the dinner was
well-cooked, and the feeling of satislac-
tion which possessed my soul more than
compensated me for the extra labor and
care l had had in preparing it. l seat
ed my little girl, five years old, fresh
and sweet i'll her clean starched dress,
in her high chair, aud was about to
turn to go into the parlor to call them
to dinner, when a sudden cry from her
made me look back. She had by some
terribly unlucky accident, overturned IL
tureen of gravy, and the greasy liquid
was rapidly spreading itself over the
table. My temper rose in a twinkling,
and an angry exclamation rose to my
lips. | was Overwrought with work
and excitement, for dinner party was
not common occurrence i'll our quiet
household, and our guests were those
of whom, to tell the truth, | stood some
what in awe. A minute before, every
thing was so auspicious, and now, what
should l do! 1t seemed drop too
much for my tired nerves-many drops
too much for my table-cloth. | WAS
about to jerk my child down angrily
tlOm the table, when a blessed infiu-
ence held me. L caught the expression
on her face. Such a sorry, frightened,
appealing look never saw, and sud-
denly picture of the past came, and
stood ont wildly before my minds eye.
My child's face revealed feelings which
| had experienced twenty years before.
l saw myself a little nervous girl,
about eight years old, in the happy
home of my childhood. 1t was a stormy
afternoon in winter. 1t was when coal
oil lamps we're first introduced, and
father had bought very handsome one.
The snow had drifted up against the
kitchen windows, so, although it was
not yet night, the lamp was lighted.
Mother was sick in bed, up stairs, and
we children were gathered in the kitch-
en-; to keep the noise and confusion
away from her. | was feeling very i'm
portant, helping get supper; at any
u
my otficiousness, | seized that lamp,
and went down cellar for some butter.
| tried to set it on the hanging shelf,
but alas! didn't give it room enough,
and down it fell on the cemented floor.
never shall forget the shock that it
gave me. l seemed almost paralyzed.
l didn't dare to go up stairs, and l was
afraid to stay down there, and, to make
it worse, heard fathers voice in the
kitchen. He had cautioned us all, again
and again, to be careful of that lamp,
and now, there it lay, smashed to
pieces But his voice seemed to give
me the impetus ! needed to go up, and
meet the scoldiug or whipping, OF both,
which felt sure awaited me, and which
| really felt l deserved. So | crept up
over the dark stairway, and, as | enter
ed the kitchen, | met father with such
a stern look upon his face that | was
frightened. | saw there was no need
to tell him what had happened. He
had heard the crash, and if he hadn't, !
guess my face would have told the sto-
ry. The children stood silently around,
waiting to see what father would do,
and saw by their laces that they were
horror struck, for that lamp had been
the subject of too much talk and won
der to be smashed without a sensation.
AS for me, felt so frightened, so con-
fused and sorry that l couldn't speak.
But upon glancing again at father l saw
the angry look die out of his eyes, and
one of tenderest pity take its place. |
dout not that he saw the same look in
my face then that l saw in my child;s
face to-day. In a minute he had lifted
me in his arms and was hugging me
close to his breast. Then he whispered,
oh, so kindly, "Never mind, little
daughter, veal know twas an accident.
but | hope you will take the small lamp
when you go down cellar again." Oh |!
what revolution of feeling expert
enced. 1t was such surprise to me
that l was suddenly overwhelmed with
feelings of love and gratitude, and bu-
rying my face in his whiskers, sObbed
as if my heart were breaking. No pun
ishment could have affected me so much,
and nothing can ever etface the memo
ry of it from my mind.
How loved my father to-day, as the
sight of my own little girls face brought
it all so freshly before me! Will She
love me as dearly, | wonder, twenty
years or more from now, because, NOV
ed by the same God given impulse that
stirred my fathers heart in that long
ago time, was able to press the little
frightened thing to my heart and tell
her kindly that | knew she didn't mean
to spill the gravy, and that knew she
would be more careful another time !?
Will she he helped by it, when she is a
mother, as l have been helped to-day 2
Oh how impossible for parents to esti-
mate the effect of these seemingly little
events .f0.
If it had taken as long for this to pass
through my mind as it has fol me to
tell 1T, my dinner would surely have
been cold, and my guests tired of wait
ing. But it was all done in a twinkIinp.
and buOyed up by new and sudden
strength, quickly wiped off the soiled
cloth, spread thickly folded clean one
over the place, and called my company
to dinner. Strange to say, the awe /
had been feeling for my guests was
gone. l felt easy and TRANQUIL. and
such remarkable spirit of happiness
and sociality prevailed, and everytbino
passed off so smoothly, that | couldI't
help feeling as if unseen hands and an
unseen presence had helped me through
it all Christian Weekly.
9 A Paris paper tells of a feeble
tenor singer who lately made his ap-
pearance on the stage at Moulina. AL
here, and was received on his entrance
with hlsses. Without appearing to be
moved by this stormy reception, the
artist advanced to the front and ad-
dressed himself to the pit. "Gentle-