Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-02-01
The Deacon's Gift.

fore the tiny mirror in the front of the
kitchen clock. He stopped and writhed and
made astonishing faces at himself in the
hopeless struggle to fit the buttonhole in his
collar to the button at the back of his shirt.
He did not swear, but judging from his
looks he evidently thought swear.
"Why, father What's the trouble ?
Here, let me button it Sit right down
here, and let me fix you off ~ and the pale,
worried-looking woman laid her hand coax
ingly upon his arm.
"Well, button it, then, If you're going to
should like to know if Pm never to have a
button right as long as live. Two women
folks, and nobody to take a stitch in my
clothes Where's Mary She's always out
of sight when she's wanted"
There was no fault with the button or the
hole, but only with the stiff, clumsy fingers
unused to any service so small But his
wife did not tell him that the secret of his
inability to manage his collar lay in the
very fact that all his life two women
folks " had done it for him. She only fas-
tened the necktie, brushed his hair, and
helped him on with his overcoat saying
gently, al presume Mary's getting ready to
90 with you. You know you always liked to
have her go to meeting with you on the last
night of the year."
"Then if she's going, tell her to come
along can't wait for her to put on all her
furbelows. Iwant to stop at Squire Nelson s
about that mortgage. OF course he means
to foreclose."
"Oh, no | l don't believe it, Gideon. He
isn't any such man." and the poor woman's
face grew shade more weary and white
"but you go right along, and Mary will go
when she is ready. It's beautiful night,
and I'll walk down with her myself. You'll
be there to come home with her ?"
"Of course l shall. III be there if for
nothing else than to keep George Nelson
from coming. He needn't think I'm going
to let the farm and the girl both go into his
fathers family"
"Now Gideon, don't talk so You've been
behind on the interest before this, and
Squire Nelson was willing to wait. don't
believe he will touch the farm"
And the deacon didn't believe it either
but he didn't get much comfort from that,
since it did not alter the fact of his not hav-
ing the money due, or save him from the
rasping duty of saying so to the bland old
Squire. And Deacon Frost was the last
man in the world to let his wife be comforted,
If he was uncomfortable himself. He al
ways told her the darkest side, and with an
air that made the meek soul feel in some
mysterious way responsible for all his woes.
He looked and acted as if they were her
fault; and she had grown so used to it that
she often acted herself as if it must be So
So when he added sullzily that il his son
had "behaved himself and stayed at home
and helped him, the mortgage would have
been paid off long ago." she only sighed, but
did not venture to speak good word for her
boy
As the deacon, smoothed and brushed and
grumbling STILL passed out, Mary came into
the room Just in time to hear the vigorous
bang her father gave the door; in time, also
to hear the great hutteriug sigh, almost 9
sob, that broke from her mothers lips.
"Father gone ?" asked the girl.
"Yes, dear, and I'll walk down little
way with you," said her mother, STOPPING tc
pick up the stocking she was darning, thus
hiding her face from her daughters question
ing eyes.
"No, mother, l don't want to go. can't
let you go out on such cold night. | was
going more because thought father would
expect it than for anything else."
"Perhaps he will not mind" said the
mother, hesitating, though, as usual, he
was not pleased that / did not go, and
thought perhaps l ought to, if it would make
him any happier"
"But it wouldn't, mother DEAR" said the
young girl, hastily, and throwing aside he
cloak, she drew low chair to her mother
side and gently pulled the darning from he
hands, as she went on really think tn
more we try to please him in every littl
thing, the more faultfnding and exactinl
he becomes"
"Hush, child" and the mothers THU
hand passed softly down the girls cheek t.
her lips.
Mary captured it in both her own, kissed il
and answered laughingly: -
"Don't hush me, mother. I'm not chill
any longer, aud see my father as l woul
see any other man. The fact is, we hav
spoiled him, until his habit of finding faul
with trifes and holding somebody respons
BILE for all his discomforts, is almost unendr
rable He isn't conscious of it, and if t.
night at the meeting somebody should te
him of it, he would be as much surprised a
anybody"
"And he would pray as earnestly as an,
body to be delivered from it." said his wifi
"Yes, if they succeeded in making hir
believe he had such fault" laughed Mary
but we two, who love him best, have nevt
dared to let him know we saw it, so he coul
not be easily convinced"
"He's a good man, Mary, good Chri
tian man, honest as the light"
"Aud cross as bear, and,-"
"Maryl"
"Mother " and Mary's eyes twinkled.
al never knew you to speak so of yol
father"
"But I wish had spoken long ago an
I'm going to speak now. I'm going to te
hin, ubat think abnut n oil rThinb ph
doleful, forlorn Christmas we had "
"But your father never kept Christina
When he was young the people of this sc
ton thought more of the first day of Il
New Year, and l doubt if he ever had
present in his life, and when your broth
used to want to hang up his stocking,
would tell him what hard times he had as
child that he was glad to get enough to 81
without asking for presents. OF courl
even when had saved up few sixpenc
to buy the child gift such remark to-
the pleasure out of it, SO as he grew old
we said nothing about it to his father but
used to manage to slip a new handkerchi
or necktie, or a pair Of mittens into
drawer
"Yes. understand it, mother, for ev
now, if he looks at me when have on n,
dress, | feel suddenly guilty and as if
old one ought to have served another yea
"Well, he has great many cares, chi
and he cannot help being angry wheneN
he is in debt. He's growing old, daught
and we mustn't mind his ways. TONIC
he was specially anxious to get off early a
everything went wrong You know he
never late to church," added the loyal W
anxious to say all possible good.
"All that may be true, mother, and {
in the world he bears things like a man a
Christian. I've no doubt he will give
good testimony to the mercies Of the p
year as anyone in the meeting tonight,
he will fret just as quickly If the breakf
is two minutes late tomorrow morning
don't want this kind of religion, moth
A faith that won't help man keep
temper isn't worth having" And the ri
face flushed with the energy Of her word
"Stop, stop, my child You don't ku
what you are saying Your brother Ha
said that before he went away. Don't let
hear it from another child. There's
fault in the faith. There's no fault in
precious Christmas Gift, sent us from G
II we take 30 sparingly and use so bin
that we miss the blessedness that is ev
Christians heritage, the fault is not in
Giver or in the Gift. Your fathers fat
your mothers, Mary, and she tells you it
been her only strength and comfort and
light You will come to know it some ii
for yourself, and believe my boy, if he Ii
will come to know it too"
Seeing her mothers agitation, the girl
no more, but gently led her ON to talk OF
brother who left home at the age of sixt