Year: 1863

| THE BITTER CUP.


"You are wondering what all this


has to do with the two churches, Tom.


But if your patience is sufficiently elas-
tic to carry you through detail of my
own family affairs and fortunes, you


will learn all in good time.


"You and the other boys in the store
have thought me stern. inherit the
hardness of my bearing and the hardi-
ness of my frame from my mother, who
was of Scottish descent, but my father
was an open-hearted, frank-looking
Yankee citizen, of an impulsive, trust
ing temperament and benevolent dis
position, which expanded widely in his
religious life. He was in fact the other
deacon of the church at Glenburn; and
if were commanded to produce two
extremes of the genus homo, | would
point to Deacon Clary and Deacon
Morse. / do not think there could be
an emotion or idea in common with
them. My father was poor, trusting
and generous. Deacon Clary, crafty,
sordid and self.sufficient.


"My father married at the age of
twenty three, and went to live in the
brown house by the brook, which, with
twenty acres of excellent land, was the


property of his uncle, John Morse.


He bought this place, as most young
farmers were accustomed to do, upon
credit, securing the creditor with a
mortgage on the property. l would
not run such risks, but he was young
and sanguine, and Uncle John was q
good, generous man, and was not will
ing to take the security; but my father
insisted upon it, SO the papers wero
drawn up in due form.


"Time passed on. [ made my de-
but into this world of sin and sorrow
to the JOY of my parents and to my
own misery. Everything seemed pros.
porous to our life-boat and with my
fathers industry, and my good moth
er's hopeful frugality, there seemed no
reason why We should not soon be in
easy and independent circumstances.


"My father had paid Uncle John
two thousand dollars towards the place,
and but FIVE hundred yet remained due.
True, the payments were not paid ex.
actly as they fell due, but no one thought
of that. l think there was some seri.
GUS talk about calling the remaining
debt but three hundred, if paid within
year, as Uncle John wanted to make
out some money before this last pay
ment fell due. He had met with some
losses in shipping that year, and before
this matter was settled, he took fever
and died. My father was with him to
the last, and took the fever, which
brought him very near the tomb. This
was the spring of my seventeenth year,
just the time Of the spring farming. /
was watching over my sick father, and
80 our work was entirely neglected.


"Father was convalescent when
Uncle Johns affairs were settled.
Deacon Clary brought forward ac-
counts that swallowed up the remnant
of the estate, including my fathers
notes. There was hundred dollars
due in December Of that year. How
we paid it, / can scarcely tell, but /
remember many dish of mush and
molasses-and the best cow was sold.
The COW was mothers own, which she
bought with the butter and cheese she
made.


"In this settlement of Uncle Johns
affairs, there was some papers relative
to the shipping and the Clary accounts
which touched tender point of the
|aw, and after some fluctuations, the
Iaw slid handsome little property into
The hands of Deacon Clary, that some
bold people said belonged to Aunt
Sally, Uncle Johns wife. ! vas yonng
then, and did not understand the intri-
cacies very clearly, but I remember
that my father was deeply moved, and
said some things that reflected strong
ly upon Deacon Clary's probity and
Justice - something about devoaring