Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-06-02
A Heavy Burden.


"Rather heavy burden, isnti it my boy :"
Clarence Spencer, to whom the words had
been addressed, turned from the ledger, and
looked towards the speaker. Clarence was
a young mau-not more than twenty-five
and he was book-keeper to Solomon Wardle,
a pleasant faced, keen-eyed man of fifty, who
had spoken.
"A heavy burden, isn't it, Clarence ?"
the merchant repeated
And still the young man was silent. His
looks indicated that he did not comprehend.
He had been for some time bending over the
ledger, with his thoughts far away; and
that his thoughts were not pleasant ones
was evident enough from the gloom on his
handsome face.
"My dear boy, the burden is not only
heavy now, but it will grow heavier and
heavier the longer you carry it,"
"Mr. Wardle, do not comprehend you"
"Ah, Clarencel"
al certainly do not"
didn't call at your house for you this
morning."
Clarence nodded assent.
"And didn't see and hear enough to re-
veal to me the burden you took with you
when you left You must remember, my
boy, that am older than you are, and that
| have been through the mill. You find
your burden heavy, and I've no doubt that
Sarah's heart is as heavily laden as your
own"
And then Clarence Spencer understood :
and the morning scene was present with
him, as it had been present with him since
leaving home. On that morning he had
dispute with his wife. 1t bad occurred at
the breakfast table. There is no need of re-
producing the scene. Suffice it to say that
it had come of a mere nothing, and had
grown a cause of anger. The first had been
| look and tone; then flash of impatience /;
then rising Of the voice; then another
look the voice grew higher; the reason was
unhinged, passion gained way and the twain
lost sight of the warm, enduring love that
lay smitten and aching down deep in their
hearts, and felt for the time only the passing
tornado. And Clarence remembered that
Mr.. Wardle had entered the house and
caught sight of the storm.
| Aud Clarence Spencer thought of one thing
more he thought how miserable he had
been all the morning; and he knew not
how long his burden of unhappiness was to
be borne.
Honestly, Clarence, isn't it a heavy and
thankless burden ?"
The book-keeper knew that his employer
woo his frisnd, and that ha was trne
hearted Christian man and, after pause
he answered :" Yes, Mr.. Wardle, it is a
heavy burden"
"My boy, am going to venture upon a
bit of fatherly counsel; hope | shall moi
Offend"
"Not at ALL" said Clarence. He WINGED
little, as though the probing gave hin
new pain
ain the first place" pursued the old man
with quiver Of emotion in his voice, "yor
love your wife ?"
"Love her Yes, passionately."
"And do you think she loves you in re
turn ?"
al don't think anything about it.
know"
"You know she loves you ?"
eyes"
"Then you must admit that the troubl
of this morning came from no ill-feeling a
heart 2"
"Of course not"
at was but surface-squall, for whicl
you, at least, are very sorry 2"
moments hesitation, and then" Yes
yes am heartily sorry"
"Now, mark me, Clarence, and answe
honestly; Don't you think your wife is
! sorry as you are 7"
al cannot doubt it,"
"And don't you think she is suffering a
: this time 2"
"Yes."
"Very well. Let that pass. You kno,
she is bearing part of the burden ?"
"Yes, know that"
"And now, my boy, do you comprehen
a where the heaviest part of this burden
+ lodged ?"
Clarence looked upon his interlocuto
9 wonderingly.
e "If the storm had all blown over, and 20
knew that the sun would shine when yo
}. next entered your home, you would not fe'
I, 80 unhappy ?"
i Clarence assented.
It "But," continued Mr.. Wardle, you fes
e that there will be gloom in your home whe
# you return ?"
it The young man bowed his head as he r
p piled in the affirmative.
p "Because," the merchant added, with
touch of parental sternness in his tone, "yo
r are resolved to carry it there"
q Clarence looked up in surprise.
Is al carry it ?"
n "Aye; you have the burden in your hear
n and you mean to carry it home. Remen
" ber, my boy, have been there, and kno
| All dDOub IL. nave Dtcu VOL lOOlSH III IL
a lifetime, and | have suffered, until di
n covered my folly, and then resolved that
i. would suffer no more. Upon looking Il
matter squarely and honestly in the face,
found that the burdens which had so gale
y y me had been selfimposed. OF course sue
y burdens can be thrown off. Now you ha'
i, resolved you will go to dinner with hea'
y heart and dark face. You have no hol
~ ~ that your wife will meet you with smil
4 And why? Because you know that she h
\, no particular cause for smiling You kno
~ ~ that her heart is burdened with the atfli
a tion which gives you so much unrest. Al
~ = you are fully assured that you are to fiji
=, your home shrouded in gloom. And furtht
Id more, you don't know when that gloom W
IT. depart and when the blessed sunshine
re love will burst in again. And why dor
ne you know? Because it is not now in 20
'r- heart to sweep the cold away. You say
ic yourself Il can bear il as long as she can
is Am not right ="
III Clarence did not answer in words.
y, al know | am right" pursued the mt
n chant; "and very likely your wife is sayil
&c to herself the same thing. So, Clarence,
ag does not rest upon the willingness to forgi'
st but upon the Inability to bear the burds
a" BY and by it will happen, as it has happen
before, that one of the twain will surrend
is from exhaustion and it will be likely 10
CHI the weaker party. Then there will be C
en- lapse, and reconciliation. Generally
nd wife falls first beneath the calling burd'
III cause her love is keenest and most sen
,g, tive. The husband, in such case acts I
ng part Of coward. When he might, witt
lh- breath, blow the cloud away, he oringes a
en- covers until his wife is forced to let the 81
gi- light in through her breaking heart"
les Clarence listened, and was troubled.
be- saw the truth, and felt its weight. He "
va not fool, nor was he liar During the
no lence that followed he reflected upon
on past, and he called to his mind scenes j.
IL. as Mr.. Wardle had depicted. And Il
brought him to his remembrance of how