The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-12-31


ingness which was very touching.
Again they kneltin prayer, and again,
though without weeping, Tillie re-
When she rose, the pastor said, kindly,
+" He will take you, Title; he will make
your heart as white as snow. He loves
you, and he will help you to be patient
with everything that vexes you and
tries you"
Why was it that this dull mind, which
had 50 long and persistently refused to
seize the ideas of others, seemed to
understand these words? All, why,
but that the power of God himself was
in theml
After that, she often said to herself,
" He has taken me. He will not let
me be vexed. He loves me-" She
used these words most when she was
apparently most tired. One day she
came in with her apron over her head.
She had thrown the chicken-dish an
grily down outside the door, and had
seated herself in the attitude she always
assumed when feeling very cross and
ugly. Her mother and sisters had
learned that they could never get any
satisfaction from her at such times by
words, so they stepped outside the
door to see what was the matter. A
brood of chickens, which she had been
patiently expecting for days, had come
out; but instead of the large number
which the fifteen or sixteen eggs had
led her to expect, only three chickens
had come forth to live. The girls could
not help laughing little, but they
tyhnn rn-nntnrinpr
the room, they heard Tillie, droningly
but plaintiveiy, reiterating, {" o Jesus,
take me! Make Titles bad heart as
white as snowl DO not let her be
vexedln
Little by little she learned to conquer
herself till, except for an unpleasant
habit of darting off when something
disagreeable happened, and remaining
away by herself sometimes for an hour
or two, if not called, her family would
have forgotten that she had ever had
tantrums." They had every reason
to believe that she went away so as to
say her prayer over and over. If she
were wanted, she Away came, and not
in an impatient way. Mr. Miller often
said of her that she understood the I'M
DERIVING gospel doctrine of laying hold
upon Christ for salvation from her sins,
as distinguished from the commoner
and lower form of it, as salvation
from the penalty of sin, better than
anybody he ever knew.
Many predicted that Titles strange
conversion would not last long; but the
Lord was true to his promises in all
concerning her. She never learned to
utter many phrases in prayer; she never
mastered any of the theological ms and
outs which confuse much stronger
minds, but when she was propounded
for admission to the church there was
no dissenting voice. Tillie had been
tried for more than a year at that time,
and whatever might be said regarding
her mental attitude toward religious
truth, no one could fail to see that she
was trying, in all humbleness and de-
pendence upon Higher Power, to live
consistent Christian life.
They all hoped that the beautiful de-
velopment of Titles Christian char
acter might quicken her sluggish mind
and prepare her for work in the
world outside the drudgery to which
she seemed predestined. But only one
indication of any such quickening ever
appeared
Title was devoted to her sister Helen,
and had looked very sober and much
concerned when Helen had talked over
some of her perpleXities with the
others, for Helen greatly wanted some
money to continue her education. Til
lie knew how to wash and, entirely
without her mothers knowledge, she
went over to Miss Sykes to ask if she
could not earn something by washing
for her. Tillie also bought some eggs
from Mrs. Deacon Porter, who kept
fancy poultry, and set one of her old
hens on them, thus producing some
valuable fowls. In all, she managed to
! get together more than ten dollars for
Helen.
But Helen married at an early age,
and Rowena only little later, and
Tillie seemed to have no spur left to
make her :" smart" but good at heart
she always was after the Lord first
wrought his great work in her. AL
ways at the meetings, always with I'M
shaken faith, always praying for /" a
heart as white as snow" always fight
ing her small temptations, poor, half
witted TilEe Wicket was till her death
some twenty years later, lesson and
an example to many a more preten-
tious church-member.- Mrs. Kate Up
son Ctark, IN CongregationaRst.