Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-12-13
Deacon Pitkin'SFarn
by HARRIET BEEcHEE STOWE.
CHhPTER III.

presence of possible tragedy. Wien the
concert of life Is playing the gayest and
ARREST music, it requires only the change
of a little fat or sharp to modulate into
the minor key,
There seemed at first glance only the
elements joy usness and gay ETY. in the
surroundings a the Pitkin farm. Thanks
giving was come-the family, healthy,
rosy, and noisy, were all under the one
roof tree. There was energy, youth in
teligence, heauty,-a pa of lovers on the
eve of betrot al Just in that misty, golden
twilight that precedeJ the full sunrise of
avowed and accepted love, and yet behind
it all was walking with stealthy step the
shadow If coming sorrow.
'What in the world ails James," said
Diana as she retreated from the door and
surveyed him at a distance from her
chamber window. His face like a
lands ape over which thunde cloud has
drifted, and he walked beside his father
with peculiar air OF proud displeasule
and repression.
At that moment the young man was
struggling with @ bite est sorrow that
can befall you h-the breaking up of his
lfe-purl ose. lie had inst come to de-
cision TO sacrifice his hopes OF education,
his mans ambition, his love, his home
and family, and become a wanderer on
the face of the arth. How this befel
le uires sketch of charac er.
Dea on SilaS Pitkin was a fair speci-
men of class OF men not uncommon in
New En- land -mel too S ensitive for the
severe physical conditions of New Eng
land life, and therefore both suffering an
infiicting suffering. He was a Fan OF the
finest moral traits, o. incorruptib.e probi
ty, of scrupulous homo, of an eXacting
nf cinanrn ~ n
But he had begun life with nothing: his
whole standing in the world had been
gained inch by inch by The most unremit-
ting economy and self-denial, and he was
a man of little capacity for hope, of whom
It was said, in proper phraseology, that
he took things hard" lie was never
sanguine Of good, always eXpectant of
evil, and seemed to view ife like sent-
mel forbidden e. sleep and constantly UNI
der arms.
For such man 10 he harassed by a
mortgage upon his homestead was a steady
wear and drain upon his vitality. There
were times when a osi i've horror OF dark
ness came down upon him-when his
wifhS untroubed, patient hopefulness
seemed TO him like recklessness, when
the smallest item Of exp nse was an in
tllerable burden and the very daily
bread OF life was full OF bitterness; and
when these saroXysms were upon him
one of the heaviest of his burdens was the
support of hi, son in college. 1t was true
that he was proud Of his sons talents and
sympathized with his love for learning
he hal TO the full that sense
of the value of education which is the
very vital force of the New England mind
and in an hour when tn ngs looked
brigh or to him he had given his consent
to the scheme of q college education freely.
James was industr Gus, frugal, enerCet-
ic, and la engaged TO pay the most Of
his own pcnS,s by teaching in the long
winter vacations. But unfortunately this
year the MapletOn academv, which had
long been promised to him ior the winter
term, had been taken away by little
maneuyer of local politics and given to
another, thus leaving him without re-
source. This disappoin nent coming
just at tie time when the yearly interest
upon the mortgage was due had brought
upon his ia .ner one o those paroyysms of
helpless gloom and discOuragement in
which the very world Sc 2emed clothed
in saek-clOth.
From the time that he heard the acade-
my was gone Deacon Silas lay awake
nights in the blackness of darkness. I'VE
shall all 90 to the poorhouse together -
that's where it will end, " lie said, as he
tossed restlessly in the dark.
sch no. no my dear" said his wife,
with those serene eyes that had looked
through so many gloomy hours; 1--WE must
cast our care on Tod. -
'.It's easy for women to talk. You don t
have the interest money to pay, you are
perfectly reckless o expense. Nothing
would do bat James must go to college,
and now see what it's bringing Us to. D."
why, father, / thought you yourself
we in favor of ii. "
well / did wrong then. You per
suaded me into it. I'd no business to
have ii tened t. YOU and Jim and got all
this load on my shoulders"
Yet Mary Pitkn knew in her own calm,
clear head that sha had not been re kles
of expense The yearly interest money
was G. er before her, and her own inces-
SAINT tolls had wrought no small portion
of what was needed 10 pay it. Ter butter
at the store commanded the very highest
price, her straw braiding sold for little
more than that of any other hand, and she
had calculated all the returns 20 exactly
that she felt sure that the interest money
for that year was safe. she had seen her
husband pass throu IN this ner on crisis
many times before and she had learned tC
be blamed i'm silence, for she was woman
out of whom all sellness had long since
uleu leaving Onty btC NOhNVl Ptbg VI biiN
nurse and the cols5oer. Ter soul rested
on her Saviour, the one ever present, In
serarable friend; and when it did no good
TO speak to her husband, she spoke to hel
God for him, and so was peaceful and
pcace-giving.
Even her husband himself felt heI
strengthening, rest-gving power, and for
this reason he bora down on her with the
burden of all his tremors and his cares
for while he disputed. yet he believed her,
AMI rested upon her with an utter helpless
trust, as the good an ell Of his house. Had
she for moment given way TO apprehen
sion, had her step been thought less
firm, her eve less peaceful, then indeed
the world self would have seemed to be
sinking under his feet. Meanwhile she
was to him that kind of relief which we
derive from person TO whom we may say
everything without fear OF its harmine
sheas lie felt quite sure that, say what