Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-04-05

the ground ready for planting. Every
body was busy and in a hurry, rs usual
Mr.. Moore was improving, but was
still very weak. His affairs looked
very discouraging TO him, aid his de-
pressed state of mind did much to re-
tard his recovery. He had bought the
farm where he was living only the
spring before, after the planting season
was over, expecting to earn enough by
his trade, that of carpenter, through
the following season to enable him to
buy seed and to thoroughly plant the
whole place in the spring. Instead of
that he was taken sick soon after he
bought it, and had been obliged to sell
his stock TO get money TO live upon.
And now, right in the busy season,
when every hour seemed worth a day
at any other time, he was taken sick,
with no money to buy seed or the nee
essary farming implements, or. to hire
the needed help. With his mind over
whelmed with Encouragement he sat,
one evening, in the doorway of his
house, and looked hopelessly on his
still unemployed land. At the same
time Mr.. Thyson was riding slowly
along, having made an unusually good
trip with his meat, and was reviewing
in his mind with great satisfaction the
prosperous condition of his affairs. AS
he passed he saw Mr.. Moore sitting
there, and noticed that he looked very
pale and worried. A feeling of sympa-
thy took strong hold of him, and he was
tempted to stop and have talk with
him, but those fields, waiting to be
plowed and sown, spoke to him so
plainly and reproachfully that he con-
cluded he would better bow and go
along.
I'm sorry for Moore he said to
himself; that's fact. I'd be glad to
give him n lift, but I've got my own
family to look out for. If had always
given away to my feelings l wonder
where | should be now. o no! no; it
never will do. Nor'
But as he drew up to his own house
the sight of his broad acres so carefully
planted and the neat, thrifty appear
ance of all the surroundings, did not
give him the feeling of satisfaction he
was enjoying before he met Mr.. Moore.
AS he went into the kitchen where his
wife was busy getting supper, he said,
plancing out of the window at Tom,
who was having a grand frolic with his
dogs:
HIt does me good to see Tom play
ing. He has had hard winter of it.
But I'm glad let him go through it.
1t has taught him lesson he will never
forget, l guess"
"Yes, 1 think very likely" gently
answered his wife; but l have thought
many times, father, that Tom was
teaching a more important lesson than
the one he was learning. But come,
supper's ready" She then stepped to
the door and called Tom, and the sub
ject was not continued. As Tom came
in, breathless from play, his father re-
marked:
That's better fun than working
Clover's board and carrying it over to
her, isn't it?'
"Yes, sir. But I'm afraid, if Mr..
Moore doesn't hurry up and plant,
Clover will be marching back here in
spite of me, next fall. | wish l was a
rich man. I'll bet I'd make things
look different over there in no time"
Mr.. Thyson made no reply, but fin
ished his supper and went out into the
yard, where he stood leaning on the
fence, apparently in deep thought. AS
Bill, his head man on the farm, came
along, he stopped him, and they had a
quiet talk together.
Meantime Mr.. Moore had gone into
his house, utterly unable to throw off
the gloomy thoughts which filled his
mind. He saw no way out of his diff
culties. The faith and hope which had
kept him up till now seemed gone. He
went to bed early, but did not sleep for
| hours. Toward morning, however. he
fell into deep sleep. His wife quietly
darkened the room and left him. The
sun was several hours high when he
drew aside the curtain to look out.
What a sight met his eyes! Men were
plowing, narrowing and shouting to
their horses. Part of the ground was
already prepared for planting, and
there, in the barn doorway, sat Tom
and Bessie, cutting potatoes, and chat
tering like blackbirds.
"What does it mean, motherp What
does it mean?" said he, as he opened
the kitchen door.
1T means, father, that the dawn has
come. Twas very dark, you know, last
night Those are Mr.. Thyson's menr'
! oOh lllVh- sun iIlCh' w ~
l don't understand
"Well, nor |, and the men say that
they don't know what has come ovel
him, either. But he told Bill to take
men and horses and come over here
and plant whatever you wanted, anC
he'd provide the seed; and they are
working like beavers, | tell you"
The next afternoon, whom the horr
was blown, Mr.. Moore was waiting a
his gate. AS the wagon came along
Mr.. Thyson saw him, and didn't fee
at all like just bowling and passing on
No! he felt like stopping, shaking hands
and getting out to see how his mel
were doing.
"God bless you, sir!'' said Mr.. Moore
"You have given me the best medicin'
I've had. believe it's going to say,
my life. | don't know how to thanl
you, but / know that | feel like a new
man."
$50 do |, Friend Moore. So do /
But don't thank me. It's all TOMS do
ings. / thought | was teaching him
great lesson, but, bless you! he wa
teaching me greater one, all the time
Well, the Lord has great surprises il
store for us sometimes, hasn't Hep
And with fervent shake of the hand
Mr.. Thyson got back into his wagol
and drove home.
From that time Mr.. Moore's healt
steadily improved, and from that time
also, Mr.. Thyson was another man.
was the beginning, but nOtthe end, of hi
, kind deeds.
A few years later, when Tom an
, Bessie commenced housekeeping o
their own account, and Glover lowe
contentedly in her new home, Tom IT
I, marked with a merry laugh;
, "You see, father, l was longer-heaC
ed than you thought. Twas all in tn
family, after all. y Christian Union.
MI - NJ. o.1al Al.