Year: 1859

tell you mere IS no Sac1 thihg as tucf.-


The thread of your destiny was never pu


into the hands fthe blind goddess, Fate


TO be twisted and tangled at her will.


believe in Divine Providence that over


rules all things, but l believe that ever


man makes his own track through life, and


is responsible in great measure for it


roughness." ..s-. .,-r.--


"Then you would throw all The blame o


a mans misfortunes upon himself. Tha


seems rather hard" .a


alt is a great thing for a man to lear1


to distinguish between those things which


are the results of his own unwise action


and those that spring from causes beyont


his control" ...I..s.rr -es...


al admit this, but l am sure ! have al


ways tried to act according to my bes
judgment, and a man can do no more thar


that"


"If you will not be angry with me, John
l would like TO talk to you little about
your judgement"


"Oh, there is 10 fear of that, Uncle VIII.
liam-you know l always take your advice
kindly, although l cannot quite agree with
you in your ways of thinking"


"People that take advice so kindly are
not sure to make much use of it; but nc
matter. When came in this morning !
found you in great rage over your bad
luck in losing that job of work which 1 sup
pose went to Jones, as his shop is always
open. Pray, who was to blame for that
but YOURSELF for neglecting your engage
ment to meet the agent! And will The
evil results stop with the loss of this one
job? Those men, as you well know, have
occasion for thousands of dollars worth of
work in your line every year, and will it
not be natural that, in deciding where to
look in future, they should dis.rust man
who failed to m set an appointment in which
his own interests We're involved? All,
John, see more bad luck in store for you
there" aaa ~a - .-.


81 intended to keep the engagement, but
the disappointment about my land put it
all out of my mind" a9


''rhat land business again; now look at
that and see how much luck had to do with
it. Which was the wiser, Jones, who paid
a competent person for making sure his
claim, or you, trusted to luck, and the hon
esty of speculator, and so lost the whole J"


"Well, | may have erred in Judgment
in some eases, but, after all, am firm
believer in the wisdom of the old proverb,
which teaches that some people are born
with silver spoons in their mouths, and
some with wooden ones."


'Very .ikely. John, very likely; but the
accident of birth is nothing, and the wooden
spoon, if rightly handled, will carry more
meat to the mouth than the silver ONE
All depends on the Management" @


The old gentleman took up his cane and
went out of the shop, saying, pleasantly,
"You must learn to carry your spoon more
steadily, friend John, or you'll never find
it of much use, be it silver or wooden"


"Just like Uncle William" said John
Eastman to himself as he locked up his
shop and turned toward home, she is al
ways laying the blame of my misfortunes
on my own shoulders. and yet one cannot
get angry with him. Heigho! this has
been an unlucky day to me. l would not
care SO much about the land if it were not
for Mary, she will be dreadfully disappoint-
ed that the money is gone"


As he opened the door to enter his home
his wife looked up from her sewing, with
q happier expression on her pale face than
be had seen there for a long time, as she
eagerly asked, '-Have you seen Mr.. Ward
since morning, JoEns" . ..


"No-why do you ask 2" replied he, with
an involuntary sinking of his feelings as he
half guessed the reason.


SHE was here just after you went to the
shop this morning, and told me to tell you
in case he should not see you, that he had
decided to sell the house and lot about
which you spoke last summer, and if you
wished still to purchase be would make
easy terms with you. You might pay
three or four hundred down, and the rest
as you were able. l am so glad John that
we have at last chance for home; that
place you know is exactly, what we want,
and the terms are so reasonable"


"But, Mary" began her husband, with
the air of a man who does not know what
he is saying, 81 have about decided not to
buy this year, my business"


"Oh, John do not go to objecting. You
have always been going to buy nezt gear
ever since we were married. There is moth
ing now in the way-the money you have
in the Bank is just enough for the 6rstpay-
.ea..-z iEE


"Well, Mary, you may as well know first
Is last that | invested narly all that mon
sy a few months ago in western land. l
lid not say anything to you about it, for
knew it would worry you, and l had no
loubt of being able to replace the money
ourfold before we should want it, and SO
| should butfor my wretehed luck" 3 tlI
b In spite of his efforts, John Eastman
ooked ashamed, and felt very much as if
le had been robbing somebody, and in
ruth be had robbed his wife and children
# a pleasant home, to crafty his propensi-
v to try experiments in making haste to
,e rich. No wonder he felt this when he
ooked at his wife, as she sank back in her
.hair, and gave utterance to a despairing
'igh. In the ten years of her married life
,he had learned some hard lessons, and it
was not often now that she looked forward
TO the future very hopefully, but all this
morning her heart had been dwelling on
Tue sunsillny picture of a home that was
20 be her own; home that she nigh make
beautiful for her children, that they might
have il for apleasant memory all their