Year: 1875




his enthusiasm, and counted all things but
loss for the excellency of the glory OF
being Audubons wife. When the chill.
dren began to come to them he had to
wander off alone, but he could not 60
into valley so deep or a wilderness so
distant that the light would not shine on
him out of their window. He knew lust
where he should find her, and how she
would look, for while, as Ruskin reminds
us, the clouds never take the same form
again, we know the sunshine as we know
our most familiar friend, and it was sun
SHINE he saw when he looked homeward :
and so, if you have read his notes. YOU
will remember how his heart breaks forth
into singing in all sorts of unexpected
places as he thinks of the wife and chill.
dren waiting his return; and so they grew
ola together, until they dropped into the
lap OF God like mellow fruit. It was
laid on him to do this curious wild work.
How her woman's heart yearned to have
HIM home we may well imagine; and how
gladly she would have sacrificed some of
his greatness to keep her children's father
at her side; but she did not tell him So.
and now she is changed into the same
image, from glory into glory, as by the
Spirit of the Lord.


My story ends before the answer to the
prayer is granted. They must be getting
ON when we leave them, for they have six
sons, but they move away, and so the
curtain falls on them forever,-but it
makes little matter. | know Just how it
was with them, if they kept these safe.
guards and followed this inspiration that
| have tried to teach. When Oberlin was
50 years old and very infrm, in climbing
one OF his mountains he was OBLIGED to
lean on the arm of younger man. while
ms wife, who was stronger, walked by
herself. Meeting one of his parishoners.
the old man felt SO awkward at his want
OF gallantry, that he insisted on stopninp
and explaining how it was, and how thew
each understood it perfectly. She could
not lean on his arm. but She leaned on his
heart all the same. They had grown old
together, and he shot ahead little. but
they must not mistake them, it was all
| right. So it would be with these twain in
the far-away eastern valley. They would
keep together, and when the arm failed.
the heart would still abide in the old beau.
tilul strength and grace


"And what did you see?" | said eagerly.
when a fpi g.,


into the Lake country. and on his return
told US he had been to Wordsworth's
home. " ! saw the grand old man." he
sad, walking in his garden with his
wife. Very old he was-nearlv blind.
the people told me,-but they seemed like
sweethearts, they were so tender and atten.
tive" And Miss Martneau tells the same
story with the additional particulars of a
near neighbor,-how she would miss him.
and trot out to find him,-fnd him. per.
haps, asleep in the sun, run for his hat
to shade his face, tend him and watch
himi and so it was that when he died
they dug his grave deep enough for both,
and when she died they were one in the
dust as they were one in heaven, and had
been on earth for over forty years. The
world came to him at last, but the wife at
trst. " Worse and worse" Jeffrey said
IN his review, when a new poem came out.
" Better and BETTER said the wife sitting
on the green bank. The world might
scoff, the wife believed She was no Sarah
to laugh at the angel of the Lord. What
wonder then they were sweethearts at three.
score and ten?


1t was so with the wife of Thomas Car |
lyle. The woman with the blood of old |
John Knox coursing through her heart
upheld her husband through all weathers,
proud OF his strength, tender of his weak.
ness, never saying, Thomas, pray do write |
SO the people can understand YOU" His |
wild, weird words might puzzle her brain. |
out they were the simplest Saxon to her |
heart, and so when she died he had craven
on her tomb: I" For forty years she was the |
true and loving helpmate of her husband. |
and by act and word unweariedly forwarded |
him as none else could in all of worth that
- N'N " "feShptCd. ana tnlS was what |
this man said of his wife, and this wife of
her husband, when one was taken and the
other left, and their prayer had been fully
answered in beautiful old age.


Now this is prayer we can all put up to
God on our weddingday, or, if we will, on
any day and every day after, and find the
spirit of the answer in the spirit of the cry.
Is there danger that we shall make il i'm.
possible for Heaven to hear us in the tale
of the years because we are using them up
as the prodigal used up his fortunes We
can guard against that. Is there danger
that while we may grow old together in
years there may be such growing differ
enee OF spirit and purpose that at three.
score-and-ten we may merely be two old
people who may find each other out, but
only 10 find il is all mistake? We can
guard against that. For where this safe.
guard to our inner life, and for that matter