Year: 1870

them TO BED early 10 suit MS WIllI1S.


If he had always spoken, and it was


done, then a little change would be


well with him. lie thought a little dis


cipline in the way OF suppression would


be good for the young ones.


In half a year there was open war


fare. Mr.. Powers had learned to dis


like, almost to hate, his step-children /;


they to dread and dislike him; the mo-
ther.gto Compare her life with what it


might have been, had she struggled on
alone, or more dangerous sill, with
what, it would have been had Henry
lived. SAnd one day, IN the course of
some dispute, she said the bitter things
that she had thought. From that day
they lived over smouldecing volcano.
Jealous sense of wrOngon one side, self
assertion, in spite of shame and humil-
iatiOI, on the other. Susan affected to
be fighting her chiIdren's battles, when
she 0ppOsedWhat she considered tyran-
ny. Her husband felt that all which
he had tried to do went for nothing, and
that the children whose bread he earn
ed, were taught to despise him. This
was not the truth; for Susan, though
she was unjust, never said word
against her husband, save to him, or
before his face; there was left this lit
tie spark of truth and honor yet. There
were occasional traces and attempts at
peace until the little girl was born,
then the worst of this divided house ap-
peared. The father was constantly on
the watch, and the thousand little
nameless ways in which own parent
age shows itself, awakened -Susan's
jealousy for her fatherless ones. And
once, when Mr.. Powers struck Harry
because the baby was hurt in his play,
the mothers anger famed out, " What,
is she better than my boy? 1 wish
that she never had been born" And
never in the fathers sight would she
bestOw caFess upon his child. When
he was out of the way she made up for
all. --...--


at fifteen months old the child fell
i'll. It was q bad summer for babies,
and she was teething; it was only
weeks Sickness, and she died. AS
theyiwere putting her into the little
casket, her father turned to his wife
and said, This is as good asiwhat you
wished" Susan dared not ask if the
grave were to be made in her lot, but
she hoped, till the very moment when
the carriage turned to the opposite
path, and the whole Breadth of the
lay between. .--s.-.- ..srs-


81 will never go there when he can





this frame of mind, filled with anguish
for her loss, while remorse for what she
had allowed herself to say and feel
while the child lived, and with anger
toward her husband, she went to
church, on the Sunday after the fune-
raj, more for the sake of getting away
alone, than for the hope that any word
could help her there. She had never
been in the same place before.


1t was Friday morning, and the Rev.
Mr.. Stanfield sat in his study, attempt
ing to write sermon of consolation
Two of his parishiOners had died that
week, one old, the other in the prime
Of life. Re must say something of hea-
ven to the mOuTners.


He had the text written out: " Ye
believe in God, believe also in me. In
my fathers house are many mansions"
But that was as far as he could go; the
words that he wanted would not come.
He walked out to try and work HIM
self into the mood, when instead of it
there fell upon him such a sense of the
worth OF man as man, such a vision of
his capacities, such wonders at his pos
there came upon him such
of the soul, apart from con-
ditiOns, that he felt it must be written.
What a waste Of time with the work
which must be done Yet on his hands!
But he put at the top of his paper, " Ye
are of more value than many spar
rows" and, For we are also his off
spring. Writing was no labor then,
and before he thought of it there was a
sermon. "I must pick out an old one
for SundaY,n he thought; but on Sat
uTday night he determined to preach
that. "It's the word of the Lord to
me from this hour, and I will say it."


Susan Powers heard that sermon;
and it was the word of deliverance and
peace to her soul. She sat like one in
a dream, till the services ended then
rose and went out of the house, just
casting one backward glance at the
man who had spoken, to see if he were
not indeed an angel, then, with fixed
purpose in her heart, turned toward
her home. &C will try and keep my
sight," she said; &C. will not become
blind again." For she lU08 like one
who had just received her sight. How
all her life, to This hour, she herself had
been the center around which the unf-
verse revOlved! her rights, her COM
forts, had been the important matters,
and people were good or bad according
to their treatment of her! And yet
lite, her life, had seemed only poor and
mean.


No word of upbraiding, or of warm
ing, or of threatening, could have
touched her as this thought of the val
ue of man had done.


But how can let him know of this
new light that has come to me?n she
asked herself "If were to begin talk
ing kindly, he would think there was
some purpose in it and despise me. If
I foil him that T haxTo hooTr xTyrOOor ho
will not listen, or say some cutting
thing. What shat / do ?1 She thought
Of the children; but since the baby's
death he had never. spoken, not even
to scOld them. He went in and out as
though they were not in the world. At
the table their mother gave them food
which his money had purchased, know
ing~that he hated them, and feeling
as if each morseI they ate was choking
her. Then the thought come of the lit
tie grave, and how he would go there
alone at sunset; would she dare
offer to go with him ? No, her courage
was not equal to that. But there was
she could do. She found
that her husband was busy writing in
his own room and quickly gathering
her best, loveliest autumn flowers, she
went to the cemetery; tenderly, with



she laid her offering on the new grave.
That little mound was an altar, and
this was an offering Of love and peace,
and of hope, too.


That night, when Mr.. Powers came
home his wife scarcely dare raise her
eyes to his face; though she longed to
to know if her repentance was accept
ed. He said nothing, but she fancied
that his movements were gentler than
usual, and he actually picked up one
of the children's toys and put it away
he was not used to touch anything of
theirs. All through the week Susan
watched to do kind things without be-
ing Obtrusive; and, when Sunday night
came, as he was leaving the house, her
bonnet and shawl were all ready; she
said, trembling, 81 I should like to go
with you, Philip" and. as he did not