Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-01-25

turn. But now:
Il will pray for you while gone,
Sill" she said. ssOh! do come home
sober this once just this once !"
AS they sat down to their meal
that day, Tim McCarter, who ran the
pump-station and boarded at SiPs,
noticed a solemnity quite as uncom-
mon to Sill as to the coil regions.
When little Bess folded her arms in a
make believe "grace," tears came to
her fathers eyes again, and he left
the table for a moment, but Tim
leaned back in his chair and smiled.
Only the previous evening he had re-
marked:
SIT is too bad to teach a child
such nosense!"
TINS avowed atheism was ever
cropping out. He was proud to pub
lssh 1t, even in the presence of despe-
ration, pain and moral death; un-
willing to accept the faith of little
soul, teaching how forget
full we may be of the least of His
commandments.
Saturday night and no Sill! She
had prayed, and prayed, and prayed;
wept, first for her own, and then for
Sil's sins. The strong gas fire sup
piled by the oil we'll near at hand,
burned bright enough to tighten up
the room and give the hour.
Moments passed forever! On the
pillow lay little golden tresses-
sweet little Bess! Her mothers only
earthly comfort-only joy! SO pure;
no angel face so unmixed with the
worlds vexations and trials And as
these thoughts formed within her
mind, more prayers 60 up, more tears
fall from the mothers sunken eyes
Tim McCarter's cavilling came to
her mind and it seemed as though
her aching heart must bear the brunt
of everybody's sins, even Tins. So,
mole prayers and tears, more tho'ts
-unspoken thoughts. Half thoughts
perhaps Thoughts like the zephyr
calm on the summer sea, after the
tempest has roared its loudest, done
its worst so, 10 this mariner on life's
troubled pillows, came peace, u
calm. quiet that might not have
been expected, and every whisper
echoed peace, peace, peace; undls-
turbed save now and then a passing
bird; wing,-a white wing,-an
angel! Oh. an angel! Little Bess an
angel too! Now at the fountain
Now at the throne! The golden
throne Now clapping her hands
her voice growing sweeter and soft
er! Now singing in cadence SO
unlike and yet so like herself! Now
at the great gate inlaid with pearls
and diamonds! Now turning the
knob, and lifting the latch as easily
as any one could, letting in some for.
given sinner! "Why, how did you
get In, Tim ?-you we're so wicked
didn't think you could get in to see
and share this glory!" He seemed
to point to little Bess, whose ringlets
were now as white as her wings, anG
whose voice mingled with the falling
of the waters at the spraying foun.
tain, around which assembled thous.
ands of the redeemed, but some one
opened the golden gate SO wide, Sc
much wider than Bessie did, tha
though no one came, the cold drove
in and chilled her through and thro'
She wonld have fallen from the chair
had not Sill Renwick entered the cab
in door in time to catch her i'm hi'
arms and say, "Mary, never tastec
drop"
She replied, "You were so good t.
me this time," and lifting her TO th'
couch, she never spoke again.
Just one wintry blast too many
One more human machine worn ou
with drudgery, the ceaseless strail
of poverty, penury and disgrace-n'
comforts in life-the cherished hop
in the cherished offspring the onl
vltal-spark, and rum the destroyer.
Rum! Rum Rum!
Adown each drunkard's throat i
poured in one unquenchable admix
ture love, comfort, respect, honor
joy, brain, life and blood, and think
ing men abet this blood-sapping
life-destroying crime !!
y y \
Another change! Death never en-
ters household without leaving
gap untitled forever! The loss of th
devoted and unselfish Mary Renwic
made unmistakable impression o
Sill. His work now was to carry
measuring stick from tank to tank
and keep the daily runs of oil O.
Bear Creek Farm. Tim McCarte
remarked once or twice, in his roug
way:
Il am glad, Rem, that you hav
left off drinking but because you
wife is gone you don't want to &c
down in the mouth, but brace up"
Tim was good-hearted and clever
irrespective of his principles Oh re
ligion,'' as he would express 1t neve
drank too much himself, yet hi
course of reasoning was too phile
sophical to present finer feelings
he possessed them. One thing h
could not fathom as the weeks wen