Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-09-10

to do; IL was yours 10 bind up the hearts Of
Gods children, to make the widows heart
to sing for joy, to be a peace-maker among
your brethren, and TO advance Gods cause
and kingdom in the earth, but you have not
given a cup of cold water TO these, his lit
tie ones T."
Wrung from his own SOUL yet another's,
fainter and fainter grew the voice, and the
angels yelled their faces and turned away,
waiting, listening for his fearful sentence.
Ages seemed concentrated in that one instant
OF anguish, and he shrieked aloud.
Nathan, what upon earth what is the
matter with you ?" and Mrs. Heyworth shook
her husband vigorously. "Have you got
the nightmare ?"
"Oh, Hannah, I've had an awful dream,
an dwtui dream ~
Have you Nightmare, / expect |" and
she turned over sleepily.
1t was not the nightmare Deacon Hey
worth knew, but he did what many Of us
would not have done--determined to accept
its teaching. "Who would ever have thought
1t y be queried wonderingly to himself,
scarcely able to deny the reality of it all.
" Who would ever have thought it Of me,
deacon"
Shivering, thinking and resolving, he fell
asleep again, and again he dreamed.
He was dead-lying still and pale and
cold and yet he stood watching his family
as any curious bystander might. He thought
he could read their hearts, and TO his sur
prise there was not so much Of sorrow as
of contentment down deep beneath their
mourning.
His wifes face seemed to grow brighter,
as If world of care had been removed from
her life, "The children can have their way
now, poor thingsl" she was saying to her
self, although her eyes were wet "they
could never do as they liked when their
father was livingl" He thought Willie was
trying hard not to think how glad he was
that he could go to college at last while
Mary and Thomas were saying over and
over to themselves, No person will hinder
me now from going to school when l want
to 60" He saw another form bowed near;
it was his long-absent daughter, and through
her heart were wandering the words, Thank
God, | can come home again '
1t was terrible He tried to speak, to tell
them he was not dead, that he loved them
more than they ever knew it was in vain,
and he saw himself carried away and buried;
but he thought he could see them still--was
with them all the whle-with them, yet i'm
measurably separated from them through
days and weeks, mouths and years, he fol-
lowed them, all the time suffering remorse-
ful anguish that would have been insupport-
able but that he could not speak or weep.
lie thought it had been ten years since he
had died, and that he had long been forgot
ten by any but his family; his wife now
looked restful happy and contented, and his
children all occupied places of usefulness
and honor in the world, and he dreamed
often and often that their inmost thoughts
were, ave were never happy while father
lived, and we would never have been happy
had he not died
He tried to speak, to tell them he loved
them, that he had been with them all those
years, but he could make no sound, and they
turned away but he must call them, must
speak to them again and again he tried to
do so, and awoke.
Long the deacon pondered over his dreams,
and in his heart he felt that they had not
been of himself, but of God.
They're warnings, Nathan Heyworth r.
he decided at length, solemnly, d" warnings,
sure's you live, and yell do well to abide
by EN-"
The ice was floating away, and already the
green moss and shining shells were simmer
ing up from beneath.
CHAPTER ".
1t was breakfast time at Deacon Hey
worth's, and the meal was being eaten, as
usual, in almost perfect silence. Again and
again had the husband and father been on
the verge of speaking---hie lips only opened
to close again silently. No one knew of the
previous nights experience-of the warn
ings he firmly believed he had received
he could remain forever dumb and no one
would ever be the wiser, but he had de-
termined to right, if possible, the wrongs Of
years, and yeti was not so easy as he had
thought.
William I" he exclaimed at length sud
denly, slowly breaking an egg into the glass
beside him.
The boy looked up respectfully, but
YEARLY; he, too, had spent an almost sleep
less night--a night of tears and disappoint-
ment. "Well, father p he said, question
ingly, for the deacon had stopped to break
another egg.
"When does the examination at the col
lege begin ?"
All the blood in the boys body seemed
rushing into his face, such a strange ques-
ton for father to ask He tried to quell
his hearts sudden beating as he replied,
" This afternoon, sir" but the mother could
see how painful the suspense was to her son.
"If you can satisfy them that examine
the students, you may start to college when
ever you please"
"Father !"
Tears came slowly into the fathers eyes;
how blind he had been "Oh, father r.
but the words only ended in oonvulsivs
burst of tears, and the boy hurriedly left
the room.
Thomas looked at Mary, and Mary looked
at Thomas, aud the mother looked at them
both-the long-suffering mother whose heart
was throbbing strangely to the promise of
new born peace.
"And Mary and Thomas" continued the
deacon, after few preliminary coughs and
throat-clearings, " believe school has been
lookup Jest about week, but mebbe If
you study hard and learn fast, you can ketch
up with the best Of 'em you'll have TO hy
around, daughter, and help mother all you
can nights and mornings till l get some
help and you boys must give me lift once
in while on the farm until we get things to
work good. | want TO say just here, he said,
falteringly and blushingly yet bravely, new
ertheless, +" that ye've all been powerful good
children, notwithstandin' you couldn't often
get what you wanted, and you shan't lose
anything by it, from this on. P'r'aps father
thinks heap more Of you, than you'd think
when he's so cross and ugly likel"
"Oh, father you dear, dear father you
don't know how much we all love you !" and
for almost the first time within her remem-
brance the warm-hearted, impulsive girl
flung her arms about him and kissed him
fondly.
"Thsre, there, child, you'll spoil me - ex.
claimed the delighted deacon, blowing his
nose vigorously, and wiping suspicious
moisture from his eyes "you'n spoil me,
sure.
Nathan, husbandl" their children had
left the room, and she came up to the win
dow beside him. "What does it all mean,
Nathan p
at means that God has been teaching me
the error of my ways, Hannah, and I'm try
ing TO take the lesson to heart" And then
laying his hand gently upon the hard, toll.
worn one near his, Deacon Heyworth told
his wife his warnings.
Years have passed over them all since then,
and children's children play in the great, old
fashioned rooms. Often they meet together
there, and even the long-ago home-welcomed
'Liz'beth is with them. The mother, with
her soft white hair, looks over them all with
happy, peaceful eyes, as the father, "almost
home" tells over and over again his dreams.
Z" | can see it all, he says, "just as plain as
could that night, but 1'm not afraid now.
| know the pierced hands will welcome me
up there. and | can almost hear the anQels