Year: 1860

HAPPY NANCY-THE TRUE SECRET.


There once lived in an old brown cottage,
so small that it looked like a chicken coop, a
solitary old woman. She tended a little gar
den, and knit and spun for a living. She was
known everywhere, in the village, by the cog
nomen of Happy Nancy. She had no money, ,
no family, no relations she was half blind,
quite lame and very crooked There was no
comlness in her, and yet there, in that home
ly, dcformed body, the great God. who loves
to bring strength out of weakness, had set
His royal seal.


We'll, Nancy, singing again = would the
chance visitor say as he lounged at the door.


La yes, I'm forever at it. don't know
what people will think, she would say, with
a sunny smile.


why, they'll think as they always do, that
You are very happy.


La well, that's fact. I'm just as hap
py as the day is long


Il wish you'd tell me your secret. Nan
cy; you are all alone, you work hard, you
have nothing pleasant around you-what is
the reason you are so happy ?


Perhaps it's because | haven't got any
body but God, replied the good creature,
looking up. You see, rich folks like you de-
pend upon their families and their houses
they've got to keep thinking Of their business
of their wives and children and then they're
always mighty afraid Of troubles ahead. |
amt got anything to trouble myself about,
you see, cause | leave it all to the Lord.
think, woll, if He can keep this great world
in such good order, the sun rolling day after
day, and the stars night after night, make the
garden things come up the same, season after
season, lie can sartainly tako care of such
poor, simple thing as am and so, you see,
leave it all to the Lord, aud tho Lord takes
care of me


'Wel, but Nancy, suppose frost should
come after your fruit trees are in blossom,
and your little plants out


But don't suppose | never can suppose
! don't want to suppose, except that the
Lord will do everything right. That's what
makes you people so unhappy you'ro all
the time supposing. Now why don't you
wait until the suppose comes, as do, and
then make the best Of il;


'Ah, Nancy, it's pretty certain you'll get to
Heaven, while many of as, with all our world
ly wisdom, will have TO stay out


There, you are at IL again, said Nancy,
shaking her head, always looking out for
some black cloud. Why, IL | was you, I'd
keep the devil at arms length, instead of taxi
ing him right into my heart he'll do you a
desperate sight of mischief


She was right We do take the demons
OF care, of distruct of melancholy ioreboding,
OF ingRtitude, right into our hearts, and pct
and cherish the ugly monsters, till we asst
mulate their likeness We canker every
pleasure with this gloomy fear of i'll we sell
dom trust that pleasures will enter, or hail
them when they come. Instead of that, we
smother them under tho blanket of approhon-
sion, aud choke them with our misanthropy.


1t would be better for US to initiate happy
Nancy, and never suppose If you see
cloud, don't suppose it's going to rain If
you see a lrown don't suppose scolding will
follow. DO what your hands find to do, and
there leave it. BE more childlike toward the
great Father who created you learn to con-