West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-07-31

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self has give We to enjoy. Don't ye 90
Co misjudge Him So
"Oh! II He has taken Fred from me
if He has shall hate Him, shall
hate Him." cried Annie, wildly. clench-
ing her slender hands. 'Ohi IL God is
so cruel, so pitiless as that / will never
love Him, never pray TO Him again,
never, while live!"
annie Annie! God help We. We
! don't know what We are sayingn' ex-
claimed the poor old woman, with tears
dropping over her withered cheeks
! How dare we call Him cruel II He
bids ye let go your hearts dearest.
| what right have We even so To set your
! Will against Him as made We, and rs
works all things together for your
! good? My Jem says there's reason
in all the Lords doings; it's only our
! eyes as is weak and don't always see
! plain. It's wicked of We to talk so.
Annie, and / couldn't a-bear il, only
Jem says he is sure the Lord don't
listen when we speak that we don't
mean; and We don't mean what We are
saying now. Why, ye've just said
there 5 no blessing i'm the world as has
been denied we your life long, and vet
now ye couldn't take one sorrow from
| linn even II lie sent IL ye,'
"Only not this one?" sobbed Annie,
her face hidden in the old woman
dress. 'Only not this! / could bear
anything else; but only not thisr'
80, Annie! it's no for us to say
what shall be of the Lords sending
What He sends, good or bad, that must
we take; and it's no for us to choose
the what or the when. If one poor soul
/ ltgr Loo, Il Al. -
come into the world somewhere by rea-
son of it. It's so that some one must
| bear the grief We say We can not, nor
will not, bear. Is others stronger than
| We, then, that We should be spared, and
! your pain put on them? What right
/ have we, Annie TO claim to be spared
and take no part in the world trouble?
/ The very trees has storms sent them
and stands up against them whilst they
| can. So them that God sends this sor-
row TO the day, whoever they chance to
| be, must cen submit their wills to It,
and, rs my Jem would say, may the
! gracious Lord Tighten it to the heart He
| fixes it upon"
The old woman bowed her head rev.
erently rs she spoke, and Annie looked
up at her, half awed, though with
checks still wet with rebcllious tears
| And Just there, some one stopped over
them and lifted the young girl to her
feet, softly saying her name. All what
| voice of all living could so say it save
one? 1t was as if her lover had been
! given back to her from the very regions
of the dead, and, after an almost fright
| ened glance at him, Annie threw herself
I upon his breast. with an inartculate cry
of relief and rapture. Perhaps when
| souls first meet i'm Heaven they feel
| somewhat as she felt in that moment
But the young man gently unclaSpcd
her clinging arms, and, holding her
I hands in one of his, went nearer the old
nurse, and stood looking down at her
without speaking.
"Oh, Mr. Fred" the old woman
cried, catching his hand, while look
OF such unsellish delight irradiatcd her
wrinkled face as absolutely TRANSPORTED
it. The Lord be thanked that it is not
We who have been takenr'
mo, not 1, " Fred said slowly, while
she. in the relief that seemed to set all
her senses free again, heard the cricket
chirp, and saw how the golden needle
of light had slipped away from her lap,
and felt it where it lay bright and warm
across her foot. Not |, - he said, "but
another" And there he pause / again,
| finding speech difficult, and laid bis
hand on her shoulder rs if to steady
her; and then, in despair mt his own
! cowardice in breaking the news to her,
/ he turned abruptly to Annie. "Help
/ her if you can, Annie he said. Tell
| her. Jem was on the train, too. 1t is
/ her Jem who was killed.
! The old nurse spoke never word.
] Did gbp tfnInV-fanHJ M. f.It
bling; but she did not weep or moan or
move by a hairs breadth; only sat with
her hands dropped hclplessly in her lap.
| looking unseeingly up at him who had
| brought the news. 1t seemed as if the
silence could be- felt Annie had flung
| herself on her knees by the old wom-
ans side again, and was covering the
/ poor old hand with vain kisses and
vainer tears. Her heart was full of an
intoIerablc pity. that took almost the
shape of self-rcprOach What words of
comfort could she dare to speak TO one
who was old. and weak, and poor. and
helpless, and who had lost, not one gift
out of many, but the one only blessing
she had?
For a few moments the stricken
woman sat there speechlcss, aging yisi-
bly, before their eyes i'm the first awful
shock of the bereavement. She was as
If she had gone deaf and dumb and
blind i'm an instant, or rather. as il.
with faculties all Overstraned AMI
tense, she had been suddenly plunged
into % sphere with which theirs had no
communication But after time she
reused herself with an effort, drawing
a long breath, and moistoning her dry
/ lips.
Don't fret for me. children" she
said, brOkcnly, with wan smile. NOV
ing her hand, trcmblinglv. TO Annie s
HAIR. "SOme one had to be taken, We
see. and some one has 10 sufr r. and It IS
better / than another; for I've not so
long rs some 20 wait IT,. near the
closing OF the day with me. the night
will be upon me soon, and / don't need
the strength TO bear It, a- them as has
but begun the day. Don't ye fret.
Annie. don we fret, dear The Lord
has laid Ills burden upon me: but Ills
hand viii be under wncn my old feet
fail"
She got up unstcadIly, still smiling
that faint wan smile, and stood 20 mo
mcut loo ing uncertainty about her. as
ii tying TO- find herself in this strange
world he was lost in, and, suddenly.
the chrp of the cricket smote her car.
like 70 familiar sound from the friendly
old world of the past. linking the then
and the now together The conscious.
ness came slowly back into her eyes as