Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-03-14

| that subject are necessarily mild, l remarked
that Cato's son when his father married again
asked him. "what offence he had committed
that he was going to put mother-in-law on
him.
| My wife looking up and with a voice so full
of humble Difference that it gave me cold
chill, said meekly:
''JKas it Cato's son that said that, Mr.. Boy
zy?"
Now, as matter of fact / didn't know
whether Catos son said it or not. l think
had read somewhere in the Magazines that he
did. felt the ground giving way under me.
Nothing but bold charge would save me.
"Why, Of course it was Cato's son. l said.
"He said it when-er-er-er -when his father
married the second time
eyes" with highly sweetened sweetness
Of tone, that always makes me i'll, 81 h-a-r-
d-l-y supposed he would have said it when hi,
father married the first time"
'.WelI, er-er, it was Cato's son, you know,
81 have no doubt you are right with in
tense sweetness, 'but | t-h-o-u-g-h-t it was the
son of Pisistratus of Athens when his father
married second wife, Timonassa of Argos"
'Well-of courSe-ar-er Timon-"
"Plutarchs Lives has it that way" says my
wife pulling the trigger of the trap.
am crushed. All is silent The moth stops
fitting against the parlor lamp and sitting up
on its launches the shade regards my wreck
in silence. Old Zip gets up from the hearth
rug and puts his nose sympathizingly against
my hand in silence. The cat pityingIy purrs
"p-o-o-o-o-o-r fellow" l contemplate my
wife's face and wonder if that can be the
woman that once thought knew everything
in the world. A smoker from the little curly
heads under the parIor lamp breaks the 81
lence. My wife looks reprovingly that way
think somewhere in the beginning of this 1
have alluded to David in manner that may
be objectionable to his family OF his surviving
friends. I wish to withdraw it. To man with
two hundred wives much is to be forgiven.
1t is usually my practice to deliver brief
sermon on Lent. 1t sometimes tries to dodge
me, but season forty DAYS long can hardly
expect to drag its whole length under the nose
of Philosopher and not get sermon
fired into it somewhere. As this Lent has
come in with a personal assault on me
and through me on all heads of families
shall place an early shot in it. As we
were discussing at table, just as this one came
in, what general agreement we could come to
upon what thing we should deprive ourselves
OF, our eldest girl suggested that she thought
she knew. l was pleased, for nothing gives
me more pleasure in the Young than to see
them appreciate the more sober and solemn
side Of life, and 1 said SO. Whereupon she
said that she thought the whole family could
agree to deprive themselves of PAS annual
sermon on the meaning and sacrifices of Lent
L cannot help thinking sometimes, that if
those bears of old had come out of the noun.
tain some hundreds of years later, they would
have found children more worthy of their at.
tention and men equally with Elisha worthy
OF their assistance.
Tome Lent always comes as one of the ports
OF Time into which the human ships put in fo1
repairs on their voyage on the Ocean of
Eternity. How damaged we are sometimes
when we putin The cargo shifted, the ship un.
steady, our sails in shreds, our soul lied with
the worldly bilge-water Of the VOYAGE, and
even our compass SO awry that it is hard
to tell whether we have been laying ou1
course for this world OF the next How il
must grieve the Master to see the ships he has
made, put into harbor in such sorry plight
How it must grieve ourselves, if we have not
clean lost our reckoning and been sailing
without star OF compass How many sorry
explanations we have to make. This scar on
the ship was not gotten by sailing on the chart
but by turning out of it to forbidden islands.
This precious part of the cargo which is miss
ing was not lost in storm but thrown over.
board to make room for some doubtful pleas
ure. The flag of the Master which flew at the
mast was not blown from its place while
fighting the tempest, but lost while dipping
our colors too far in salute to the World. The
light i'll the pinnacle is so feeble that it is hard
to tell whether the fame of the Masters Spirit
still burns. And the crew of Good Resolutions
that we shipped to run the voyage at the last
Lent! Alas this one was lost before we had
hardly sailed out of port; that one was dis
charged from the ship because we thought it
could run very we'll without him; these were
discharged early in the voyage, because we
concluded we had seen other ships make fair
voyages without them; the lookout on the
maintop was the earliest sent ashore When
the anchor is dropped and the roll is called in
the harbor of Lent there are hardly enough of
them left to answer to their names to keep the
ship afloat. All gone; all forgotten!
1t is we'll for us that the Master when he
looks over the ship does it more in pity than
in anger. 1t is we'll for US that he does not in
his wrath condemn it and say it shall no more
cumber the sea. 1t is well for us that in the
silent days of Lent, while our ship is fitting
up again, his voice in our hearts is telling us
of his love and with sweet encourag cement
bidding lis to try the voyage over again. 1t is
we'll for us that he will relight our lamp, give
the ship new crew and a new ensign, and
strengthen her to meet the waves of tempta
ton outside when we shall sail again.
And alb ! it will be we'll for US if, when we
shall have made the last voyage and when the
sounds Of the outer sea are becoming stilled on
our ears, we shall sail into port with our ensign
flying high apeak and behold on the shore the
shining form Of the Master himself welcoming
us to Eternal Life.
@. 2oy@y.
CLEANED FROM THE MAILS.
Mrs. Margaret Graham, a widow, of Penn
sylvania, can now testify to the treachery Of
man. About eight years ago she received an