Year: 1866

BY MRS. R. n. c. RomrSs, MppIkwRy, Vt.


1t was in the early part of October,
-, that the Rev. Mr.. Allan started
to walk to Farmer Owens over the
hills. He had to cross two low spurs
of the Green Mountains, and as he
climbed to the top of the second the
rich valley of the Otter Creek lay
spread ont before him. At any other
time he would have stopped to admire
its gentle undulations its great fow-
er garden;of forest trees, rich in every
color and hue /; its silver threads wind
ing their way to the waters Of the
Champlain, and the glorious autumn
light which lay like a golden mantle
over, them all. But this afternoon he
seemed oppressed by the beauty which
surrounded him. He looked upon it
with eyes misty from tears. There was
a dull, heavy weight upon his heart
weight which even the long, fervent
prayers that he had uttered SO unceas-
ingly since noon had failed to move
Between him and that landscape, we
might almost say, between him and
the mercy seat, there moved slight,
tall boy, with a laughing eye, cluster
ing brown hair, and lips always ready
with merry pleasant word. To-day
there was Benny, nutting under the
bare, brawny arms of the butternut
tree throwing his line into the little
brooks, that came babbling down from
the steep mountain side driving his
cows along the narrow foot-path !;
standing with Blossom under the bright
maple. and shouting with pride and
joy as she wrcathed her pretty face in
the gay leaves as..


oh, Bennie! Bennie!p Mr.. Allan
hardly knew he was calling the name,
until it came back to him with such an
empty, mocking sound, from the
heartless echo almost MIR. Allan
thought, startling himself by the seem
ing inpiety of the words" almost as
if there were no great, kind Father
over us all. .. s...... ...-
As he came near Farmer Ovens
house, he saw his oxen yoked to the
plough. He knew they had been there
since the telegraph came Mr.. Owen
had read it in field, gone to the house
and forgotten them, and no one had
dared to put them up. He was a man
fully capable of taking care of his own
affairs under any circumstances, never
having been known before to forget.


Mr.. Allan beckoned to an Irishman
who was passing, and asked him to
take care of them. The man came with
an awed look upon his face, as if even
there he stood in the presence of
great sorrow, and without the least
noise obeyed.


Mr.. Allan walked on slowly toward
the house He had known Mr.. Owen
for many years, and he knew him we'll.
indeed there was peculiar bond of
sympathy between the two men. In
all his large parish, there was not one
upon whom the min ster relied as he
did upon this strong, sturdy farmer.


Many and many an hour he had
walked by his side when he was up
turning the brown earth, and had dis
courscd with him on topics which
would have sounded harsh and repul-
siye to common ears, but which were
fraught with deep and vital interest to
them. Mr. Owen was direct descend
ant of the Puritans, and every drop of
blood i'm his veins was tinged with as
strong and true "blue," as if he him.
self had landed in the Mayfower. lie
took naturally to the sterner doctrines
of religion, while Mr. Allan, versed in
all the modern lore, questioned and
doubted. The keystone of Mr.. Owens
theology was the sovereignty of God !;
-" Shall not the Judge of all the earth
do rightY' This was the man upon
whom God had now laid his hand so
heavily; and Mr.. Allan felt that if the
trial brought no mnrmur, no rebellion
against that mighty Sovereign, the
stern old faith were indeed rich one
in which to live and die. He knew
that one element in this war was Pu-
ritan. Sons Of the Roundheads filled
up the ranks of the Northern army.
They marched to battle to strains of
old tunes that had fingered in the nur-
sery and sanctuary from the day that
Cromwell and his soldiers chanted
them on Marston Moor. All down the
aisles of Time came tramping to the
music mailed men, bearing ON their
shields the two words, Liberty and
Equality. They trembled on Mr. Owens
lips with his parting blessing to his
boy. Would he remember them, and
would they comfort and give him
strength aoar


Where there is affliction in house,
the minister is at home. Mr. Allan en-
tered without knocking, and made his
way to the large, old fashioned kitchen
in which he was sure Of finding the
family.


There, by table, with his arms
folded and laid heavily upon it, sat Mr..
Owen. His wife was in small rock
ing-chair by the fire, and Blossom, a
young girl, sat between them.


Mr.. Owen rose to welcome him: so
did Blossom but the wife did not no.
tice him. she sat still, rocking her.
self to and fro, looking at the blazing
wood


Mr.. Allan put hand in the brawny
one that was held out toward him, and
laid the other on MIR. Owens great
heaving breast. My friend" he said


chow is it with the DEGREES of God?


"Just and true are all thy ways


thou King Of Saints" faltered out The
man.


There was something strange in his


voice. thin, womanly sound, so un


like the deep, stentorian tones in which


he had always spoken before. Mr.


Allan, when he heard it, almost felt Al


it had dealt him q blow.


Thank God !! He has not, then
forsaken YOU, and from the depthS Q