Year: 1879

une uOOr, III might nave been better Tor
both of us If we had never met


"I answered him hotly and passionately
that | hoped we might never meet again.
III you were dead said |, Il should be
happier than | am nowp


&c No, no, Annie, you do not mean that, he
replied TO me.


And | cried out that did mean it, and
declared that / hoped might never see
him again alive. And he went away as |
said those words.


My dear girls, do you think such words
could ever have come from my lips Z All,
you do not know TO what wild and wicked
results OF language course of unbridled Ii
cense will lead. If, when Ruth GRAY is
angrily disputing with her husband, some
shorthand writer could take down her words
just as they fall from her lips, and should
afterward show them to her, she would hon
estly declare that she never, never spoke
such things. And so, when many mothers
are fretfully disputing with their children,
could they hear themselves as others hear
them, they would be shocked beyond meas
ure. When passion becomes our master we
are blind as well as insane, and the sin is
not in what is then said, but rather in al
lowing the adversary the first foothold.


"My husband went away and left me
alone, and, when he bad gone, l sat down
and cried till / was tired. By-and-bye |
heard the report of the cannon, and l thought,
suppose some accident should happen to
Jacob Suppose he should be killed Sup
pose they should bring him home dead As
these thoughts came to me, remembered
what good, kind husband he had been, and
! also remembered how cruel and unjust
had been. Again and again came the boom
ing report of cannon, and at each report the
dread grew stronger and stronger upon me.
Oh, what would have then given could
have recalled the wicked words | had spoken
But they had gone forth, and ] must abide
the result. Heavier and heavier grew the
weight upon my heart, until at length /
thought should go crazy if Jacob did not
soon return. My crime loomed up before
me darkly and threateningly, and it seemed
TO me that my husbands death was to be my
punishment. Oh, when would the firing
cease, and when would my husband come
home, that l might fall upon his neck and
ask his pardon for all the wickedness had
done


"The firing ceased at length, but instead
of hopefulness, the dread became heavier
and more heavy ] was hunting for my
bonnet, intending to go out and meet my
husband, when | heard heavy feet in the





the thunder crash had come. Men came in
and told me not to be frightened hus-
band was hurt, but they hoped not seriously.
Perhaps they thought was calm they did
not know that my heart was frozen, and that
the fount of emotion was shut up. Then
other men brought my husband in upon
wide board, and | saw that his limbs were
limp and lifeless, that his face was like
marble, and that there was blood upon the
board-blood trickliDg down upon the floor
And heard them talk they told me that
he had been run over by the heavy gun-car-
riage-that in coming down the hill from
where the salute had been fired men and
boys, in wild confusion, had seized the trail
rope, and that my husband, in attempting
to prevent the rush, had been knocked down
and run over.


"Two doctors came. / heard them talk
of a broken leg, of broken ribs, and of other
injuries, and during all this time | was as
one in horrid dream, unable TO move or to
speak, and almost suffocating. By-and-by
heard one of the doctors say that he would
live, and then l sank down senseless.


"When l came to myself it was night,
and one of the neighbors sat at my bedside
| told them | wished to see my husband,
but was informed that he was asleep, and
that | must not disturb him then. In the
morning went to him, and he put up his well
arm and drew me down upon the pillow and
kissed me. And he told me not to worry
myself he was badly hurt, but if l would
nurse him and love him he would soon
get WELL


Glove him Oh, my soul, how strong
felt then how strong in my love, and in
my determination to be true and faith
full wife"


Aunt Annie took off her spectacles and
wiped her eyes, and presently added;


"Girls, that was forty years ago, and from
that day to this have not spoken one cross
word to my husband. My nature is not
changed at all but | have gained control
of my will and bent it in the right direc-
ton aud when once / found how much
pure joy there was in doing right it came
very easy to do it.


"Ah here comes your uncle Jacob now.
See how good he looks. You can see his
gray hairs, and note the wrinkles upon his
brow; but to me he is as young as ever, and
know that our love was never more fresh
and fervent than it is now."


Just then Uncle Jacob came in and
when, an hour later, we saw him and Aunt
Annie in the garden together picking flow
ers like two young lovers, we were forced to
the conclusion that they were really and
truly happy couple; and Hannah Cleaves
had no more reason to defend cousin Ruth
against the charge of folly and wickedness
in allowing her own ill-temper to make her.
self and her husband miserable.-Selected.