The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1890-10-22

woods that had kept us warm-blessin's
that / hadn't counted, an here was
Silas with nothin' but his hands, an
yet so willin'- hearted an doin' so much
When carried him an his folks back
to the city just filled my wagon body
full o. things, an felt as if was giving
directly to the Lord.
One day the elder an his family was
over to our house, an we was talkin'
His son, Fred, was a playin' with my
Thomas-they was awful good friends
am says the elder, :" If | had as much
money as you have, Deacon Tubbs, I'd
send Thomas to school, an ask the
Lord to make minister out o. him."
Well" thought |, Z" that's the last
thing l want him to be. Ye see | had
other plans for my boy, but l said
nothin'.
My next neighbor, old Mr.. Hodges,
bad son who went to the city, an
studied law, an got to be a Judge, an
comes home in his big carriage once in
a while to visit the old folks, his wife
and children dressed to fits, an seem
them | had natural hankerin' for
Thomas to turn out like that. l was
sayin' this to Hubby when the elders
folks was gone.
"Now, Lyman Tubbs," says she, a
lookin' at me with them great, earnest
eyes o. hers, -" would you really like to
have our Thomas like old Mr.. Hodges
soma breakin' the Sabbath, he and
his boys, a shootin' ducks an drinkin'
an playin' cards? Be you deacon
an member of the church, an not
feel as if it was bigger business to per-
suade men to fOrsake their sins and to
love the Lord Jesus Christi"
Ever since Silas was here my mind
has been dreadfully took up with some
thing he was telling me. He said some
good Christian men had hired rooms in
the worst part o. the city, an made
them bright an attractive an was a
singing hymns an preaching to the
folks all without money an without
price, and some sech work as that is
what I'd been wishing my boy could
do, an jest then Thomas came in an
stood beside his mother. He had the
same hair as hers, an the same brown
eyes, an somethin' told me that if he
took to preaching he'd be one of the
convincing sort, for | must say that no.
sinner like me as Huldy's does.
Well, my tenth money grew; half
the time | didn't know what to do with
it. | was over to the elders one day
an he was tellin' of school near by
which he thought would be good
place to send our Thomas. He had
noticed how crazy the boy was for
books and learning, an the minister
said he had a cousin a living Just out
of the Village that would take good
care of Thomas, an board him, am he
would be under good Christian infu-
encas.
"What do you say, Huldy," says 1,
as soon as / got home.
/" | would ike him to CO." says she,
" an for the elders boy to 90 with
him."
Sure enough he should, an that
would be use for the rest of nv tenth.
an Thomas an Fred was awful good
friends; they was like David and J0na-
than, an what do you think, there was
revival that, Jest like big wave,
struck that school, an in fact, the
whole community, an both the boys
and girls was converted, and you can't
think how felt, so glad about it, an
kinder streaked, too, for | knew it
warn't none o. my doiu'; I'd been sech
a poor, good for nothing Christian all
my life, it was enough to set my
Thomas agin' the Lord
We got the good news on Saturday
mornin' an in the afternoon was the
covenant meeting. 1t was Just about
a year from the time that Hubby handed
me the "LOrd's money" book. remem-
Der how | got up in the meeting then,
am talked, not because I'd anything to
say, but bein' deacon, | felt as if |
ought to, an told the brethren | hadn't
made no progress, an all that-jest
what | commonly said. How could |
talk that way now when I'd had a year
o. sech uncommon blessin', an with
Hubby beside me crying for Joy be-
cause our Thomas had been converted?
No, | couldn't keep from breaking
down, an thanking the Lord for his
that giving my tenth, though it had
come so begredgin'ly, had been help
to me. / warn't sech small, waspish
critter as | was afore.
The next year | was man enough to
divide my tenth with Hubby, an sech
good times as we had investing 1t.
Now, Hubby was great on what we call
the " Inasmuch charities" - " Inas-
much as We have done it unto one o.
the least o. these" etc. She was always
a finding some bed-rid old woman to
help, or crippled child, or some other
case o. need, while | couldn't hardly
sleep o. nights thinking of the great
West, with the foreigners a coming into
il, an of the poor freedmen of the
South, or of the great heather world
that so needs the gospel. We'd spend
hours an hours talking it over,
am as we did so, we'd get nearer to
each other, an, l trust, nearer TO the
Lord.
It's now been good many years that
we've been trying this tenth bust
ness, an | wouldn't 90 back to the old
helter-skelter way o. giving for any
thing
As Pm a closing I've got this much
to tell you; if you want to be a happy