Rensselaer Union, Volume 2, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 March 1870 — THE SURPRISE. [ARTICLE]

THE SURPRISE.

BY MISS HANNAH E. LUNT.

A gloomy Miii'ch morning had dawned on our villago, aud our neighbors in the small brown house, near to the corner of our street, were more blue and dismal than the day. Mr. JamesSymonds had scolded his wife because bis breakfast was five minutes Tate, and because one button had come oil" his workiug coat. Breakfast was always behindhand; ho was always late at bis work, unless, he hurried fast enough to break his neck; his buttons were always shillingolF for want of a stitch, something that wouldn’t take half a minute! When Mr. Symonds had said this he shut the door hard, and went miserably down the street. Our neighbor’s bad temper seldom lasted ten rods beyond bis bonne; his repentance often came before he was well starred on his walk ; and even while he was uttering reproaches lie was dimly feeling that he Bhould be miserable that day—he always was wretched when there had been a fuss at borne, lie always bad visions of Mary taken suddenly ill, and of the house filled with neighbors trying to help her; or of Johnnio terribly hurt, or of the baby sick with croup. All such days he trembled and turnud pale whenever a strange head appeared at the top of the open stairway ; anil he would catch himself listening taany strange voice in the, shop below, dreading lest a messenger had come to summon him on account of some tearful calamity. The shop was too far off for him to go home to his dinner ; he always took that meal with hint m atin pail; and when he had gone to his work in a pleasant mood, he and half a dozen fellow workmen sat down together, talking over the news, and comparing notes of tamily expenses; or, when tiio boys were away, telling •stories of their children’s progress iu walking, tulking, etc. When, as it often happened, tilings went wrong in the morning, Mr. Symonds found that ho must do errands at noon ;-then, after hurrying down a few mouthfuls, he went out and walked all the rest of the hour, lie could not bear laughing aud talking freely witli his comrades while his wife was unhappy. Many a time he would gladly have gone all the way to his house just to see that Mary and!,ho children were all right, only he was ashamed to show her how troubled and anxious he was; and he could no more have put into words his sorrow for ill temper (so he thought) than he could have changed to a real angel, then and there. Mary, for her part, would have died sooner than have helped him on with any such confession. She always shut her lips last together, and weut about her work with tho air of a martyr, while her husband was in the house. The forenoon was always passed in recounting to her- - self the wrongs and injustices of which she was tho victim ; the number of things which she had to do, cooking, washing, ironing, sweeping, mending with two troublesome children always to look after —one just, running about, the other in its cradle; how could any woman see to buttons, aud get mculs to a minute,-when her hands wen; tied half the time! So at home Mrs. Symonds dwelt bn her troubles, and worked her husband’s unkindness into the dish-washing, the sweeping, the cleaning up generally, even into the washing and dressing of the littleones. The sense of injustice met her in all the familiar objects in her little kitchen ; and when she had carried Johnnie up stairs, and had set him in a high chair, out of harm's way, While" sho made the beds, her enemy had gone up before her, and meeting, tortured her there. She wondered how it would be if she were to die, whether James would theu he sorry ; whether he would learn how much Nhe had had to do, and 41' lie would not feel that he had been dll to "blame! 1 Buj by tind-by, when the housework was done up, her hair combed and her dress changed, as the afternoon grew on, sho thought jess of herself and her troubles, and more of Johnnie’s little speeches—wlint pain it gave her to think how little she had noticed them at the time; of the way baby was beginning to hold tilings; aud sh,e lmiged to tell James tluflfe small marvels.,' Sue knew herself too well to presume that she would do anything of the sort. Had not her husband’beeif cruel and unjust? Was it not his place to make advances ? lie Bhould at least say that he bad been wrong, just that, and she would overlook all. But «bo would like to have one talk with him, and show him how things really were; sho did think hooughttosee that; now lie only thought of late breakfastsaud missing buttons, never of her thousand duties and cares. Perhaps, after all, it would be better it she or one of the children should die; tjicn these miserable troubles would come 'to an end; sho shuddered us she said this about the children, ai\d didn’t mean it at alb Mary, too, had really her fears about something dreadful happeningto Jamesorthe little ones, but (the kopt it farther away, and pretended that she was courageous. Late that afternoon James, going near the front shop-windows, saw a man in a chaise below, leaning forward and talking eagerly tp one of the firm. He could not be mistaken; he saw his master pblnt straight up to the window' where his own bench stood, fthd he distinctly heard tho question, “ What does the doctor say ?” The answer dfd not reach him, but James turned.deadly pale and sick ; he staggered shudderingly back to his little corner, his

, ■ (V Vs WWwhole body resolved into tho actoflisten ing. He km w that the strango a»an was coining to .ffnjl JMvaftd l»e only waited to hear the dreaded step upon the stairs, and tp hear one of tho boys delightedly point quOdmself as„a person of grout consequent that-moment. A minutes went by ; ho had not hoard the chaise off, but nobody caiqc for him. Half an hour had passed, when one of the boys rushed excitedly in, to say that i lie old building was really lo bo altered now; he had neara Mr. Cilfey talk it all over with one cf the owners, and it was all settled, ho guessed; he should not wonder if workmen were there next Monday. Then’Janies Syiriond’s blood ran freely once more; the man in the chaise, the pointing up at his window, the question about the doctor, who had hitherto gone against any change, were explained, Dr. Bent was one of the owners. Was wer any man so relieved and happy before? Grateful tears would come into bis eyes as lie bent over his work ; and he made a swilt, but earnest, humble resolution tliat,very moment. On,-that same afternoon, Mary, in trying to find some new playthings for Johnnie, had /jyitrturned on the table a box containing her own little treasures, things which hail not seen the light for many a year. Among these were some small re-ward-cards, with texts and mottoes, which she read over as «he took them up, recalling the old time when she had carried them home in triumph, and learned all that was on them before night. Now, while She was sewing again, and Johnnie was playing with bright shells and her ovm cup-aitd-ball, the words kept running in hi! mother’s mind, "In honor prefer one another. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory ; but in lowliness of mind let each’ 'tfsteem the other better than himSclf. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” What docs looking on the things of others mean * 'thought Mary to herself. Putting the versus together, sue could not help seeing that to esteert others first, and to look not on one’s ownibings, were exhortations to unselfishness; and following out her attempt to get it clear, sho thought: it must mean that weshould try to think how otlior people feel about theso things, instead of always thinking how we feel. It is not just what we do to others, that is good for evil, but it is seeing how things look to them, that is right. Now, if James saw tilings asl do—but he doesn’t ai all, and so he finds fault. But then like a flash came the thought, “■ Do I see things as he does ?” and when she tried to put herself in her husband's place, by remembaring like conversations they had held, and little things she had heard about his work and his companions, with what she knew of herself, sho did seem to see batter how a (fairs must look to him, than she had ever done before. His time was not bis own ; he must be punctual at his work, or lose his place; their house, and bread, and clothes, their very living, depended on his promptness. Of course he wished to go neatly dressed to his work; she would not have him disgrace her orliiniselt; thonhis button* must-be looked tO-ln.JUiasou, .for_ when he put a garment on there was no tioic for repairs. Then he had wood to split and water to briDg, after the day’s work was over; so that bis time was almost all spoilt out of the house. She could manage many things to suit herself; he must please other people, and people whodidu’tcare for him as shedid ; and then she felt that her husband might Lave a hundred cares and perplexities which she did not know. So for half an hour, Mary had really been looking not at her own interests, but away from them, at the iuterostsof another.’ Thatkalfhour put a new aspect on the whole range of her affairs. Two days later Mr. Si monds was splitting wood while his wife was getting breakfast; everything seemed determined to stop by the way ; James came in hungry and cold t* find his wife nervously trying to make tho kettle boil, to finish setting the table, and quiet the fretting baby all at one*; and just at that moment Johnnie had managed to knock down a dish to break in twenty pieces against the Btove hoarth. Mary looked up in mute despair,.as her husband came in, expecting a storm, and feeling that there was enough to raise one; but a cheery voice cried out, “ Pick up the pieces, my boy !” and sho saw James catch up the baby, tossing her and quieting her in a minute. The fire burned, the kettle boiled, and breakfast was quickly on tho table. Mary had not spoken a word, for wonder; but her husbaud, looking up quickly as she handed him his cup of coffee, saw tears shining in her eyes, and ho knew that tjmy were tears of joy. What a reward lor a minute s self control! These two never talked matters over, or tolcLcach Other what changed their minds; ten to one if they had, tho peace had been brokon before it was fairly concluded. But they practised tho lesson which they had received. Though each person is to consider the interests of others, he is not called to make the other see his interest in return. The moral of this is not that persons should be kind at home lest some calamity overtake their families, and they themselves sliffer remorse. It might be; Let each person be just, and seeing a lault correct it, Ha, he wjji.uot be a slave to fears of evil tidings. Or let mo man or woman hesitate to say, “lam wrong," when there is odcaai A to mak« inch confession. — Old and JVlnj. __ __ * What a million is worth in some minds may be judged from these two bon mots, 'which have just come to light. Hope, life celebrated London banker, who was suffering from an inexorable malady which prevented him from eating, seeing a friend at work upon a chop, exclaimed with accents of emotion, stopping his friend’s hand as it was convcyiug a piece of chop on a fork to his mouth, “Cherished friend, I Would give a million to bo able to eat that chop as thou art doing !” And M. Nathaniel UothlClfild, who was par-, aly/.ed, on hearing of life accident to his brother from A faU’from his horse, exclaimed, “ Air! how happy he must be to by able to get on horseback at the risk of even breaking his neck by a fall! I would give a million to be able to risk as much!” Th» women of Vineland, N. J., such of them as believe in wonuin suffrage, nominated, as usual, a full ticket for tqWti officers previous to the late election. The whole number of officers voted lor was twenty-nine, and of those elected thirteen were on the woman’s ticket. The whole nsnnberof voters'at the election''Was 410, and of these fifty : qqe voted the woman’s ticker entire.' The women, according to their custom, ca6t their ballots in a separate box. The whole number of theso ballots was 101.