The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1879-01-10

had visited Nellie often enough ~ SEQ
what her husband was, and "a pity her
sister with all her tender heart, but she
felt that in Helen's place she would her
sell have done differently. There were
good traits dormant in Ben Potter, bnt
\ wife, and especially sucn wife as
Nellie. could never call them out. just
now. however, she had no excuses for
him in her time; il seemed 70 her that
he had as much killed her sister and
ruined her life As II he were the worst
man on earth; and her spirit ffsmed with
the bitter indignation that Loss kindles
She was about torefcse his request in
stantly and finally, and perhaps would
have made some observations more pun
gent than pleasant, but the children
came stealing into the room, and, climb
ing into her arms, hung about her neck
and cox eret her with caresses. Poor
little souls! their Aunt Anne was AL
they had left Of motherhood, they chung
to her with grasp Of despair, as It
seemed TO her ex ;ited feelings; she could
not answer MIR. Potter then.
"Think Of il, Anne.' he said, leaving
her to Nell and Katy, 10 whom rs yet he
had not shown any fatherly devotion,
but who proved now his best friends.
Anne's plan Of lie had been to join
her brothers missi IN in Syria, and
nothing but Nellie's "a ling health. and
a dream she was afraid to acknowledge
to herself Of this very exigen ~ had kept
her so long in America. Now, as she
sat there with the two tiny creatures
for though they were really five and
seven years old, they were very small
and slight for their age clinging TO her
and kissing her with fondling hands
and cool, soft lips, flood Of motherly
longing and love burst upon her with
sudden power; was there any thing so
much her duty as TO care for these ba-
bies, motherless and worse than father
less' Were not they nearer and more
manfestly her care than the Syrian
heathenP II there was any self-denial
in the matter il would he in staying
here; for her brother had ALWAYS been
her pride and idol, and his wife was her
dearest friend from school-days. She
had looked forward TO sharing their
pleasant home and hopeful work with
warm enthusiasm all these years that
sense Of duty to Helen had detained her
at home; was that duty really over
now? Was it not all the more urgent
that she hated the idea of living under
Mr.. Potter's roof while he lived there,
too?
She prayed over il and thought over
it, and every hour brought closer aud
closer the pressure of this newer end.
ado the duty that lies nearest thee; the
rest will follow" had been favorite
school-day motto; and . higher au-
thority came 10 strengthen il. 'sHe
that provideth not for his household
hath denied the faith II she left these
children Mr.. Potter would marry again
soon, probably and who could tell in
to what hands they might fall? Her
cheeks redeemed with indignation as the
idea came to her-and If he did not at
once marry, who was there TO care for
tho Sc frail and helpless creatures? AL
ready the house was in disorder and an
archy; the meals ill-cooked and ill-serv-
ed, the rooms neither swept nor busted,
only her interference had kept the little
girls in comfort and cleanliness; it al
most seemed to her that Nellie implored
her from the grave to befriend her chill
dren, and AT last she resolved to give up
her place at Rockford and accept Mr.
Potter's invitation, and the end Of the
week saw her installed in the new posi-
ton.
Anne was born manager Her
practical talent was heightened by her
intellectual force, and itlook but short
time for the domestic machinery to get
into running order.
Mr.. Potter had less TO do with house
bold affairs than ever, and went ON even
more smoothly than in his wife's feeble
and gentle reign. He was glad to be
spared trouble; his selfish soul desired
ease and peace at home above all things,
but he desired il for himself. At first,
while Anne was comparatively guest
and his grief fresh for Helen, he ac-
knowledged some restraints Of cIvillty,
and showed that he could be gentle
man il he chose; but as the novelty
wore of he lapsed into biz old ways and
became as moody, As snappish, as in
considerable as ever. Anne was dis
posed to ignore his unpleasant ways and
try to excuse them; but in thinking Sc
riously one day about poor Nellie's
thwarted and miserable life, 1t came to
her mind that perhaps she owed some
duty to Mr.. Potter as well as to the
children; was it possible that he was
unaware Of his own disagreeable be-
haviorP Was it not really his duty as a
father to set better example TO his
familyp Above all was it the part of the
Christian, such as he professed to be, to
live such selfish, unlovely. unchristian
life? There was but one answer to this
and Anne was not . woman to shrink
from obvious duty however unpleasant,
though she would rather have
encountered q school full Of heath
en- children than 70 try TO evan