Year: 1862

Deacon IIden had the squarest, neatest
white house that ever showed its keen angles
from the .dusky clumps of old lilac bushes.
In front of it stood, on each side of the doorway
two thrifty cherry trees, which bore a bushel
each every season. Excepting the aforemen-
toned lilac trees, there not a flower or
shrub round the place. Rose bushes the
Deacon thought rotted the house, and the
honeysuckle which his wife tried to train over
the porch was torn down when the painters
came, and on the whole the Deacon said, what
was the use a putting it up so long as it did
not bear anything?


BY the side of the house was a thrifty,
well-kept garden, with plenty of currant
bushes, gooseberry bushes and ounce trees
and the beets and carrots and onions were the
pride of the Deacon's heart; but he often
proudly said, everything was for use, there
was nothing fancy about it. His wife put In
timorously one season for flower border
Mrs. Jenkyns had given her petunia, and
Mrs. Simpkins had brought her package of
flower seeds from New York-and so bed
was laid out But the thrifty Deacon soon
found that the wedding of it took time that
Mrs Tilden might give to her dairy, or to
making shirts and knitting stockings, and so
it really troubled his conscience. The next
spring he turned it into his corn-feld; and,
when his wife mildly intimated her disappoint-
ment, said placidly, After all, twas thing
of no use, and took time and Mrs. Tilden,
being a meek woman, and one of the kind of
saints who always suppose themselves misera-
BILE sinners, especially confessed her sin of be-
ing inwardly yexed about the incident in her
prayers that night, and prayed that her eyes
might be turned off from beholding vanity,
and that she might be quickened in the way
of minding her work.


The front parlor of the Deacon's house was
the most frigid asylum of ncatness that ever
discouraged the eyes and heart OF visitor
The four blank walls were guiltless of any en-
craving or painting, or of any adornment but
an ordinary wall paper and framed copy of
the Declaration of Independence. On each
of the three sides stood four chairs-under
the looking-glass was a shining mahogany ta-
bic, with large Bible and an almanac on it
and a pair of cold, gstening brass andirons
illustrated the fire place. The mantleshelf
above had pair of bright brass candlesticks
with pair of shutters between-and that was
all. The Deacon liked tit was plain and
simple-no nonsense about it-evervthing for
tIse and nothing for show-t suited him. His
wife sometimes sighed and looked round it,
I when she was sewing, as if she wanted some
! thing, and then sung in the good old psalm


From vanity turn off my eyes


Let no corrupt design


! Or covetOus desires arise


! Within this heart of mine"


The corrupt design to which this estimable
matron had been tempted, had been the pur-
chase of pair of Parian flower vases. whose
beauty had struck 20 her heart when she went
with her butter and eggs to the neighboring
city-but rccollecting herself in time, she had
resolotely shut her eyes to the allurement,
and spent the money tlsettHy in buying leaf
sugar.


For il is TO be remarked that the Deacon
was found of good eating, and prided himself
on the bountieS of his wite's table. Few wo-
men knew better how to set one-and the
snowy bread. golden butter, clear preserves
and ielies, were themes of admiration at all
the tea-tables in the land. The Deacon didn't
mind a few cents in pound more for nicer
ham. and would now and then bring in treat
of oysters from the city when they were dear
est These were comforts, he said-one must
stretch point for the comforts of life.


The Deacon must not be mistaken for ty-
rannical man or bad husband. When he
quietly put his wife's flower patch into his
corn-feld. he thought he had done her a SER
vice by curing her Of an absurd notion for
things that took time and made trouble, and
were of no use; and she, dear soul, never had
breathed dissent to any course of his loud
enough TO let him know she had one. He
laughed in his sleeve often when he saw her
50 TRANQUILITY knitting or shirt-making at those
times she had been wont TO give to her poor
little contraband pleasures As for the flower
vases. they were repented of-and Mrs. Til
den put handful Of spring anemones into a
cracked pitcher and set it on her kitchen Ia
BILE. till the Deacon tossed them out of the
window-"he couldn't bear TO see weeds grow
ing round"


The poor little woman had kind of chronic
heart-sickness, ike the pining of teething
child, but she never knew exactly what she