Year: 1871

| ana pulled his nat uOW1 over His
eyes. He did not wish. to converse
When he reached his office he was
moody and taciturn-very unlike the
Andrew Thurston whose custom il
was to come in with smiles and cheer.
full salutation.


A little thing it was, to be sure, but
it gave him great pain. A mote is a
tiny particle. but il becomes 4 thing
of pal ful mement wnen it is lodged
in the eye and the heart that is made
tender with devoted, living love, is
as sensitive to notes as is the eye
Hitherto the current Of Andrews S
love had flowed on unbroken and uh'
troubled, but this incoming OF ob-
s;ruction had produced a turbulence
as destructive Of peace and happiness,
for the time. as though the very toun-
tain of love itself mad been broken
up. In short, he was brought to the
selfconfession that there could be no
more joy for him until this cloud pass
| ed away. A d how should that be
done? How shonld the sunlight be
let in again upon his heartstone? He
was proud, and he did not like to
make confession Of his fault. Would
his wife make the first acknowledge
ment? He hoped SO; for thus the
evil might be:put away.


AS he sat alone in his office, he
took up a paper, and sought to over
come his unhappy thoughts by read
ing. He could not fix his mind upon
the thread Of long article, so he read
the short paragraphs; and at length
his. eye caught the following.
"Whero there has been misunder-
standing between near and dear
friends, resulting in mutual unhappi-
ness and regrct the one who loves
most and whose sense Of right and
duty is the strongest, will make the
first advance toward reconciliation.'


Andrew Thurston dropped the pa
per, and rose to his feet. 1t was us
though voice from Heaven had
spoken to him.


Il do not love the most" he solilo-
quized "but l am the strongest, and
should show my love by my works


lie looked at his watch-it was al
most noon. 1t was not his custom to
return home Till evening, but he could
not lemain and bear the burden
through the other hours of the day.
And he maryeled, as he put on his hat
and drew on his gloves. how even the
resolve to do this simple thing had let
the sunlight into his soul.





Ellie Thurston. when she knew
that her husband had gone-had gone
without giving h'r time to recover
her stricken senses-sank down and
wept: and it was a long time before
she could clearly think and reflect
She had been left alone alone with
pain and sorrow, and she was utterly
miserable. She blamed herself for
not having called her husband to her;
and she blamed him for not having
come Of his own accord. 10 her it
seemed as through the death Of JOY
had come. She had never known
such misery before. By and ~,
when she could think, she wondered
if her husband would smile upon her,
if she would offer him the 6r-t kiss,
and speak the first word Of love. She
would try it. 1t would be terrible if
he should repulse her; but she could
pot live so.


Tne hours passed, and the young
wife sat like one disconsolate. She
thought not Of dinner-shc had no ap-
petite. She only thought could the
warm sunshine ever come over again!
Did her husband love her less than
she had thought?


Thus she sat with pale checks and
swollen eyes, when she heard the
outer door opened, and step in the
hall. She started up to listen, think
iny that her senses might have d"ceiv-
cd her, when the door Of the sitting
room was opened, and her husband
entered. His eyes filled with tears
when he saw how pale and grief
stricken his wife looked, and with
opened arms he went toward her.
ellie, my darling don't let us be un-
happy any more


He been thinking, on his way home
what he should say when he met her;
and he had framed in his mind a
speech of confession which he would
make; but he forgot it all when he
saw her, and his heart spoke as 1t
would. The words burst from his
lips, lovingly prayerfully beseeching-
ly, "Ellie my darling don't let us be
unhappy any ore"


She came to his bosom, and twlned
her arms about his necl and for the
Kiss that was missed in the morning
they took many kisses now; and they
wept no more apart, but they wept
together.


That was all. The cloud had pass
ed; and they experienced the eNquls-
ite thrill which all true hearts feel
when wrong has been made right,
and when the warm joy-beams drive
away the dark shadows OF sorrow
and regret. 1t WIS u lifc-lesSon to
them both and they promised them
selves that they would never forget
its teachings s-Arth"r's M"yasi"e.', -.


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