Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1895-06-27
Blackhall and

through his wife's eyes, sullced TO blind
him wholesomely to her faults. No fear
Of any more difficulties to the end Of
their days. Aad when, the last Sunday
she was with him, he went, a little against
his will, but just to please her, to the ugly
Presbyterian Church six miles off, and,
sitting between his wife and his mother,
listened to the singing, rather nasal and
drawing, but not unsweet, of the I'D
Psalm,
"My table Thou hast furnished
In presence of my foes;
My head with oil Thou dost anoint,
And my cup overAows,"
his heart melted. for he felt his cup did
indeed Overflow"
His table" too, was likely to be fur
nished" than he had once had any
hope Of. When his mother spoke of busi-
ness matters, and insisted on his giving
up his work Mt the MILL and living as a
gentleman" he had refused point-bank,
declaring his determination to carve out
his own fortune, and make his own indie
pendent way in the world. But when, on
the day of baby's christening, he found
that Mrs. Jardine. who never did things
by halves. and was as generous in her
loves as ungenerous in her dislkes, had
settled upon baby's mother-not father
sum of several thousand pounds, suf-
fcient to remove all fear of the future
from the parents hearts, Roderick was
deeply moved.
"She is a good woman-my mother! My
e. DO, AZ hnr md Low
her, as he did to the very last. God bless
them! / have need to be proud of both
my parents
eyes" said Silence, gently, as she
stopped and kissed her son, who lay fast
asleep on her lap. But her own life taught
her to understand other liyes what were,
and what they might have been.
And her life is all before her still, for
she is yet comparatively young woman
though her boys-and she has not one, but
several-begin to measure heights with
her, and to reckon how soon they will be
cup to mothers shoulder" "Father" is q
standard which none of them hope to ar
rive at, either physically, mentally, or
morally TO be so tall, so clever, or so
good as he--none Of these lads could ever
imagine such thing. They do not mere
ly love him, they adore him. And they
are right, or at least two people, their
mother and their grandmother, believe so.
Roderict ,Jardne lives still at Black
hall, keeping up the old family home in
comfort, but yet in great simplicity, as is
wisest, with his increasing family. Be-
sides, his carly experiences have given
him q horror of luxury, of that wealth
which is mere wealth and nothing more.
The Jardines of Blackhall hold them
selves to be truly erich" people, because
they always have n little more than they
spend; they use their money without
abusing it, and therefore enjoy it to. the
uttermost and cause others besides them
selves to enjoy it, too. But their sons are
all brought up to abhOr extravaganza,
waste, or self-indulgence, aware that
each will have to make his own way in
the world as is best for every man, and
woman. too, perhaps. Sometimes Roderick
says if he had many girls he would bring
them up, like the boys, TO earn their own
living-as their mother once did-sO that
they might taste the sweetness of indie
pendent bread, and never be tempted for
aught but love. But he has only one girl,
his little"Tacita right name is
Silence, but he will not have her called
so--one of ''papa's odd ways" as he grows
older.
lie may never be, strictly speaking, a
"great" man, but everybody recognizes
him as n cultivated man of very consider
able talent-"known in the gates" as his
wife delightedly sees, every year more
and more But it is more by his pen than
his personality, for he seldom goes from
home, except once a year to Richerden to
see his mother and the family. A not too
attractive family, but he is very kind to
them, even to Mrs. Alexander Thomson
and her numerous brood of sickly, i'll
tempered children, whom she brings with
her sometimes to get a breath of whole
some life, within and without, in the hap
py atmosphere of Blaclhall,
"Young Mrs Jardine," as she continues
to be called, for old Mrs Jardine may
live to be ninety, still looks so young, so
fair! her peaceful, contented heart shining
through her heavenly" eyes. The world
has never heard of her, never will hear,
except through her husband and her sons.
She does not "shine in society,"" though
she is well able to keep up the dignity of
the family wherever she goes But of her
own dignity her own praise, she thinks
very little, having, indeed, far too many
other and more important things to think
about. AS wife, as mother, as mistress,
her burdens are often pretty heavy, but
never more than she can bear. And he
helps her, as she helps him-the husband
of her youth, who will, please God, be the
fGithfullest, fondest lover of her old age.
That time is still a good way off, and
they may yet have much to bear together.
They will bear It. because it is borne to-
gether. And think, if any one were to
ask Roderick Jardine what has benin
plain EnGlish-the backbone of his life,
his preservation from evil his incentive
to all good, he would say it was that
strong first love and venturous early mar
riage; because he had sense to see and to
take hold of the blessing that heaven
dropped in his path-that treasure "above
rubies" which most men desire and so
few win, or deserve to win. But Roderick
did. He says sometimes that he should
like to have carved on his tombstone, as
the root of all his happiness, all his sue
cess, that line written by one great and
good man of anOther-perhaps the noblest
man of this century,
''Who loved one woman, and who clave to
her"
"But," he adds. at was because my
wife was Silence Jardine."