The Portland daily press., 1891-04-24
TOM RYDER'S CHILD.
New York Trlbune.l

village store with the heels of his well
tallowed boots carefully poised on the
edge of the corrugated cylinder stove,
was far larger man than when he was
ut home. Perhaps it was for that reason
that he spent so much time in the store.
A man likes to feel large and to hawk
and expectorate in an independent man.
ner.
When under the protection of his own
roof this gentleman was very much in
the shadow of his wife. He never
hawked and he never expectorated there
He shrank up into the smallest possible
compass and seemed to deprecate the
fact that he was alive at all. If he could
have come in and gone out at the key
hole he would have felt an unutterable
relief.
AS it was, he was in constant fear lest
he should forget to wipe his feet, or lest
he should leave door unattached. He
often told himself shed ruther be darned
any day than to forgit to wipe his feet
twice." first on the husk mat in the sink
room and next on the braided mat at
the kitchen door. When Mr.. Marsh said
she'd ruther be darned," he meant that
he preferred being consigned to hades
He often thought it would be kind OF
relief to be in that place "and done with
it." But he always was very meek in
deed when he had INDUCED in such
thoughts.
Mrs. Marsh was large, dark, mus
tached woman, who was believed by
SEINE to be good nurse. She certainly
had the merit of subduing her charges
into absolute quiescence. She boosted
that folks that "she took care on knew
their places mighty quick; N their
places was to jest lay still n let the Lord
do as he pleased"
She was fond of mentioning the Lord
at the most unexpected and irritating
times. She had referred to him onsso
many occasions in regard to her hus-
bands bringing in 'tmedder mud" and
other kinds of soil on the soles of his
boots that Mr.. Marsh was continually
harassed by fear lest he might become
prejudiced and acquire habit of think
ing disrespectfully of the Lord. If he
did acquire such habit, he hoped fer
vently and in plain terms that it might
be laid to D'rindy's charge rather than
10 his. Dorinda was his wife's name;
and it was the name given to each of
Eve consecutive daughters who had been
had all died when children.
There were residents in the village
who always took friends who came from
distance to the graveyard to see the
'srow of D'rindies," as this series of
mounds was usually termed.
These continual bereavements were
very hard to bear during their occur
renee, but after some years had passed
and the wounds were SCARED Mrs.
Marsh was conscious of certain dis
tinction coming from the fact that she
was, in certain sense, owner of that
row in the cemetery. She had pride
in keeping the small graves and their
headstones in the very best condition;
or rather she made Mr.. Marsh keep them
so.
When have seen that woman strid-
ing toward the hill slope where the
graveyard was, have wondered if she
did not feel a satisfaction that there
were five mounds instead of four; five
made much more impressive row. If
one of those babies had grown it would
doubtless have brought in a great deal
of mud in the spring, snow in the win
ter, and road dust in the summer. 1t
would have Uttered things up jest aw-
full" to use favorite expression of Mrs.
Marsh. Was it possible that there
were compensations? 1t is distinction,
too, to have had a "dretful sight of
sickness in your family" to have 'notes
put up" for the sufferer and the suffer
er's friends.
Do you know what it means to have a
note put up? 1t is to arrange that the
minister shall find, apparently in the
hymn book, scrap of paper asking the
prayers of the congregation for family
in affection. The name of the person is
often given, and then there is a rustling
and turning and a looking at the near
est relative who happens to be present.
When things by land and by sea have
been prayed for, when people scattered
up and down this sinful earth" have been
mentioned, then the minister changes his
tone to one of more feeling, and petitions
that this dear sister whose child is on a
bed of sickness may be strengthened to
endure, and that, if it be SO decided that
she be called upon to give up that be-
loved one, she may be enabled to bow
her head to his great and glorious will,
and to bless him, even though he slay.
There is great sameness about the
words used in response to this asking for
prayers, but who shall say that those
phrases do not sometimes touch healing
ly sore heart?
Reuben Marsh never missed going to
meeting single Sunday during all the
times when his children were pining and
dying.
Sometimes he would far rather have
stopped at home, being possessed by that
piteous and natural feeling that he, with
all his strength and vigor, might in
some way give of that strength to the
poor little thing moaning on the bed.
But his wife had made him co. She
mad even found time Us usual to fasten
his collar and button ON the rusty black
necktie
And he had always heard those pray
ers In answer to the note he had put up.
He held himself rigidly upright. His
heavy, bearded face was impassiye to
look upon. People who looked at him
curidwly saw nothing but the calm.
roughsface. His hands We're thrust into
the big pockets of his loose sackcoat: tbe
,orraat knucklv fingers writbad -
twisted as the prayer proceeded.
Mr.. Marsh heard the words going ON
and on over his head. He felt as if he
were cropping in horrible darkness. All
the time he was saying to himself: 80
God, let her live! o God, let her ivel
I can't live if you take this one, tool"
He thought he could not live. But
that one, too, was taken, and still the
sun continued to rise and set on Reuben
Marsh, and still Mrs. Marsh hectored
himfrom morning to night, and occa-
nonany reminded him of;what another
suHered in the loss of achild. She said
me sposed father had some feelings,
Vut now could father know mothers
hearth
evidently there was no answer to this
question: Certainly Mr.. Marsh ATTEMPT
5 ID to give none.
Frs. Marsh talked a great deal to her
and to the neighbors generally
that all her children had