The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-03-16
THE ODD SENTENCE.

~ JIG Sflid5 WIFI AION H.
sit will pass an hour away"
Very well,' answered the young
| wife. ''Good-by e, Maurice.
And then she went on patiently with
her sewing; and if she did give very
small sigh, Maurice did not hear 1T, for
| it was lost in the noise which he made
with the door, and Carrie did not know
whether he had answered her goodbye
or not.
And then she was alone.
She looked very neat and pretty-she
generally did; but her face was rather
sad now
The room in which she sat, though
small, was in the very incest of order,
the hearth clean-swept, and the fire
burning brightly. But of what use was
it all? Carrie felt>inclined to ask her
self She had hoped, and tried, and
waited; but Maurice was just as cold
and unkind as ever.
She had married him-such a short,
and yet such long time ago, it seemed
because he had asked her and because
she had loved him; and it had never oc-
Cured to her until lately that possibly
he might not have loved her; even though
he had asked her to marry him.
But now ! knoaO that he did not, :"
she murmured, sorrowfully, to herself
just one woodland one look told me- -
And letting her work fall on her lap,
she satin silence, thinking deeply.
But presently little cry sounded
tiny, helpless wall, and Carrie started
up, and happy, anxious color flushed
into her face in moment.
She hurried up stairs.
MY baby!' she uttered, softly. 'tAt
least l have my baby boy! And / will
hope on for all besides. -
Disregarding conscience-stings, Maui
rice went on his way.
He chose to think that he was poor;
| and he was inwardly, at every step he
took, bewailing his hard lot, and his dull
and cramped and narrow and--as he
considered it-even narrowing existence
And where was he goingP
TO spend the evening with some old
| friends, who Were-or he would have
said so-far better off than himself.
| He had not vet learned that "a man q
| life consistent not N the abundance o.
| the things which re possesseJh." And
| he lost the enjoyment he might well
| have taken in what ne had IN the folly
/ of forever regretting all that he had not.
A few minutes later he had taken his
| accustomed place in large and pleas
| ant family sitting-room, and was talking
and laughing with his friends, and their
| young sisters, as gayly as possible.
But while he talked, his glance wan
| dered round the room, and rested again
| on the mantle-shelf.
| He knew the apartment well, and had
often compared it with his own tiny par
| lor at home, much to the disparage-
| ment of the latter. He knew every ar
| ticle of furniture and almost every orna
! ment At what, then, was he looking!
At a slate with very pretty, orna-
| mental frame, which hung in a con
| spicuous position over the mantle-shelf
| On il was written in chalk in neat
round hand, the words:
Made to tread those steps with sor'
row which / might have trod with de
light
Maurice read the sentence again anc
again. He could not keep his eye:
from it.
Presently the youngest daughter O
the house Annie by name-a lively
girl of thirteen or fourteen. ran into tho
room She was favorite with Mau
rice and he with her.
.sWhat is your opinion of our last new
ideaP" was almost her first question a:
she gave a little nod in the direction o.
the Slate 1--WE all think it lovely!'
And then, scarcely waiting for any
reply. she chatted fiuently on, giving {
detailed account of 1.-The odd sentence, ,
; as she called it, from beginning to end
! s.And So" concluded she at length
s'every day, directly the clock in thu
hall has done striking twelve, any ont
who pleases may write a fresh sentence
, on the slate. Something really sensibl'
and useful, of course, or papa will no
allow it to remain. have chosen some
thing for tomorrow if 1 can only ge
+ the chance of writing it. / viii show
to your
, And she ran away, 10 return the mex
minute with school-book of extracts
t in winch she rounu ana pointed out q
Maurice the following:
IF we examine the results of forbear
ance, and contrast them with the result
) of Impotence, irritability, and intoleT
ance, the balance will be found to be al
{ on one side. Restraint in the expression
of unpleasant feelings or harsh thought
is the foundation-stone on which man.
happy home and many near and dea
! friendships are built. y
Maurice read every word much NOR
J attentively and thoughfully than ANN
, had expected him to do.
Il think you like our idea, she said
Maurice replied that he liked 1t pan
tieularly.
Papa says Miss Annie once NOR
continued, s.that it viii improve all on
minds and make as think; and chat W
can never tell who besides ourselFe
may read the odd sentence for the day
nor where its influence may end.
1.-The influence will spread, and .
will the example, which shall follow
for one, y said Maurice.
And Annie was delighted.
Much earlier than usual Maurice wa
ON his way home, still endeavoring, a
he went, to digest the odd sentence
MADE to tread those steps with sorrow
, which he might have trod with delight.
:, OH yesl it would be just so with him
he knew that very weh-if he did no
take care; for our lives, as he reminds
himself, are q great deal more in on