Madeline Leslie

“ Adam lived to be nine hundred and thirty years old, so that he must have seen many generations of his posterity. How sad must his life have been to think that by his disobedience he had not only forfeited the favor of God, the delightful pleasures of paradise, and the joys of eternal life, but that all who would descend from him must participate in the consequences of his first transgression! They fell with him from his high estate, just as when a man who is immensely wealthy fails. He does not suffer alone. His children and his children's children must become sharers in his poverty. ”

“ A coarse-looking man stopped suddenly in his passage across the floor with a waiter of oysters, and she asked, in a hesitating manner; "Is Mr. Danforth here?"
"Danforth? No; he has not been here today. Mr. Lamson has scolded well, and threatened to give him walking orders; so if you see him you'd better send him along quick step."
"O! my poor misguided husband!" groaned Mrs. Danforth, as she feebly turned from the door. "Why will you wander from the only friend you have on earth! Why will you throw away the love of the one heart that clings to you in the midst of sorrow and disgrace!" ”

“ THE mortification of Alice at the degradation of a man who had dared sue for her hand did not speedily pass away. The intimacy had advanced much farther than Aunt Clarissa ever dreamed of. The young miss shuddered as she realized what might have been her doom if she had yielded to his entreaties and been privately married in the neighboring city.
For several weeks, she was more thoughtful than ever before. She could not rid herself of the bitter reflections that were forced upon her; and sometimes confessed to herself that truth and frankness were more to be relied upon than deceit and art. ”

“ Marion gave one of those arch glances which brought her dimples into full play. When she smiled, it was like a child's face, pure and fresh, and sweet and loving. For one moment, as he gazed, Mr. Angus forgot his burden. There might yet be something bright for him in life. With a deep sigh he shouldered his burden again, and this time it seemed weightier than ever before. ”

“ Wednesday, October 15th, 1845.
My dearly loved mother,—How can I express words of sympathy to you, when my heart is so full of grief on my own account, from such a loss as I can never experience but once, the loss of a father.
To lose a parent under any circumstances is a heavy affliction; but to lose such a father, and to be unable to administer to his comfort, by his sick bed; to receive and treasure the words of love and wisdom which fall from his lips,—to hear his last prayer, and receive his last blessing, is indeed a sorrow heavy to be borne. ”

“ She often spoke of her husband; and sometimes cast a quick glance around, as if she feared to meet looks of scorn; but she talked with baby of dear papa, "poor papa, way off, all alone," till Hannah could not keep back her tears.
September came and passed, and still no tidings of the absent one. Marion had returned to Chicago; and at last Gertrude made no effort to detain her. A terrible fear that she was forsaken began to make her nights wakeful and her pillow moist with tears. She thought it would be a luxury to be alone with her grief, with no loving eyes watching her every motion. ”

“ Did you ever try to form a prayer for yourself?"
"No, ma'am, not a prayer. I wasn't fit for it, you know; but when he was swearing and threatening to kill me,—not him, but rum,—I used to whisper, O God, pity me. Dear Jesus, take away the bad heart that makes him treat me so. Once after I had asked God to make him good and help me to be patient, he came and looked at me as I lay on the straw. He wasn't drunk then, and he said, 'I'm sorry for your sake you ever saw me, Esther.' His voice was real kind, like as though he pitied me. When he'd gone, I told Jesus about it. ”

“ May looked archly into her teacher's face. "I think, Mr. Monks," she said, "that you do keep the law of charity. With you, I believe, 'charity never faileth.'"
She was astonished at the spasm of pain which passed over his face.
"My dear child," he said, with great emotion, "in that respect I have failed more than in all else. If I do try to bear all things, believe all things, to suffer long and be kind, it is because I have had a fearful lesson to teach me how unjust and cruel one may become who does not aim to obey this inspired rule. ”

“ Wednesday, August 19th.
This is truly a sad house. Scarcely a sound is to be heard in it from morning to night. The door bells are muffled, and the outer gates are barred; no carriage enters the enclosure, and even neighbors and friends, who come to inquire, tread lightly as they pass round to the back door. We meet and pass each other in the halls, or sit at table one at a time, often in the vain attempt to eat; but we dare not trust ourselves to speak, our hearts are too full. Each of us pour out in secret the overflowings of a burdened heart. ”

“ A merry party that was, consisting of father, mother, and four happy children; and a delightful afternoon they passed, filling their lungs with the clear, bracing air, as they lightly skimmed over the pond, making the woods, which lined the banks, ring with their cheerful tones and merry laughter.
"I don't believe any body in the world is as happy as I am," exclaimed the enthusiastic Helen, as she sat by the fire after tea, waiting for her parents to be ready for the catechising. ”

“ I've had the care of you sixteen years next Christmas; and I wouldn't know how to live without my darling girl."
"I've made you a great deal of trouble," murmured the child, kissing the woman's cheek. "You must think of that."
"'Tisn't for myself alone, I'm grieving dear. I'd try to bear it, praying God to help me; but it's for you, Gerty. You're too young; and it can't be expected a stranger will have the patience with your faults which those have, who've known you longer."
"Not if the stranger is my husband? You don't know how he loves me, Hannah." ”

“ Didn't you hear the good spirit whispering, 'Oh, Joseph, don't tell a lie! God wont like it?' You have been very naughty indeed. It makes my heart ache when I remember that God, who never lies, who never in any way deceives us, has said, 'All liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.'"
Joseph's attention was arrested. He was a bright boy, not wanting in quickness and apprehension, and after a moment's reflection, he said,—
"My Sister Ellen used to tell lies; but now she never does; Aunt Collins wrote about it. When I'm as large as Ellen, I shall leave off." ”

“ Oh! how many times my good father repeated to me the words of Solomon, 'The slothful shall be under tribute': 'The soul of the sluggard desireth and hath nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat': 'But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel': 'This we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat': 'Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep, and an idle soul shall suffer hunger': 'He that is slothful in his work, is brother to him that is a great waster.' ”

“ In the most graphic language he depicted the condition of these poor, sad, weary sufferers, bearing their heavy burden of sin and sorrow, longing to be rid of it, but knowing not how to throw it off, groaning in secret places, with an abiding dread of what the future might bring to them. He brought tears to many eyes unused to weep, by the vividness with which he portrayed the soul in darkness, but longing for the light, empty, void of faith in God or man, shut up in a prison of gloomy thought and forebodings, every day verging toward the frightful chasm of despair. ”

“ I have a dear husband whose steps become more quick and elastic; whose eye grows more bright whenever he approaches his home, his wife, his sweet little daughter Pauline, and his darling, frolicsome boy-baby. Walter knows his father's step right well, and almost springs out of my arms as he opens the door and advances to take him from me.
Nothing can be more tender than Pauline's fondness for her little brother. Without a word, she yields her choicest toys, or stands for him to pull her curls. This is master Lenox's richest sport. ”

“ In the evening, when they were drawn up in a circle around the fire, Dolly had her seat between the cousins, Isabelle having pulled an ottoman to her mother's side, where she could see if the beautiful stranger conducted herself with steadiness and decorum.
"Isabelle," said her father, "what was the name of the first man?"
"Adam."
"What was the name of his wife, Anna?"
"Eve."
"Who was created first?"
"Adam," replied Helen.
"Out of what did God create him?"
"Out of dust," answered Walter.
"In whose image was Adam created, my son?"
"God created man in his own image." ”

“ In January Gertrude went to New York city, where her brother had engaged board for her and Marion who had promised to pass the rest of the winter with her friend. Here the best teachers were provided for the ardent scholar; who was bent on improving every hour of her husband's absence in fitting herself to ensure his respect. Constant employment was necessary to her happiness, else memory carried her back to the parting with Paul, so cool and careless on his part;—while she wept and clung to him as if she were never to see him again. ”

“ Her complexion was as delicate as an infant's, the color in her cheeks being somewhat heightened by her excitement.
"What a fuss Miss Salsbury makes about a few white lies that child has told!" she said, her lip curling contemptuously. "I doubt whether Clara is old enough to know that there is any harm in what she said,—such a little thing as she is!"
"But if the fault is not corrected while she is young," said the lady who last spoke, "it will grow upon her. I can conceive of no worse trait than to be a confirmed liar." ”

“ Upon her recovery, she it was who arranged the small cottage to which the widow had decided to remove; who prepared the elegant furniture for sale; who bent her own shoulders to bear the burden which would have fallen too heavily upon the new-made widow. Nor was it until every arrangement had been satisfactorily completed that she would leave one who confessed, with tears, that she owed her more than her life; and this was the blessed hope of once more meeting her husband, in that world where there is no sorrow nor parting. ”

“ Angus? Has not Jesus Christ kept his gracious promise to you and given you rest? Pardon me, I am a missionary too. I have thought much of you, and prayed for you, as I do for all my friends. I have feared that—that you have not cast all your burden upon Him. You are trying to bear part of it alone. Sorrow or sin He has atoned for and has promised to take. Oh, do give it all up to Him! For your own sake, for the sake of those in your charge, I entreat you, try His love in all its fulness. It cannot, will not, fail you. ”

“ For several days our darling, precious sister has lain at the point of death; and we have no well-grounded hope of her preparation to meet her God. Oh, dreadful thought! It is this which makes our hearts sink within us. Surely, "the sting of death is sin." If we could feel that Emily, dear Emily, was prepared to die, I think I could say, "it is well;" but my heart cries out with Esther, "How can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred!" O, may God, in infinite compassion, restore our darling to reason, ere she goes hence to be here no more! ”

“ God is a being of wondrous power, and he knew exactly who would love this dear Saviour whom he had sent into the world. He knew from all eternity that there would be this catechising this evening, and what would be the thoughts of each one of our hearts. Yes, he made a plan of it all, though it seems as insignificant as the planning where a little screw should go in one of our door handles; and he determined, or ordained, beforehand,—or foreordained, as the Catechism has it,—that whatsoever should come to pass should be for his own glory. ”

“ She had begun to pray now, and with her whole soul, she begged for a blessing on her brother,—that his sins might be forgiven, and he prepared for heaven before his last change should come.
"Oh, how I wish Aunt Collins could have had the care of him!" she exclaimed one morning, with a burst of tears, returning from the office with the intelligence that the poor boy's life was fast drawing to a close. "How can I endure to have him die so?"
"You must pray, and pray earnestly, dear cousin," replied Mary. "God is both able and willing to bless the poor boy. ”

“ My prayer was, 'Lord, let her forgive that she may be forgiven.' The idea of her suffering from poverty never occurred to me. Of late, when I have witnessed the happiness of home life,—fathers and mothers with their children growing up around them,—I have thought that, had my life been different, I might have been blessed with a paradise of a home."
"All the sadness is over now," murmured Marion, softly.
"Do you think a man with such a past as mine has a right to ask any one to share his future?" ”

“ Dermott said, gravely, "In contrast with these senseless images, which have eyes, ears, and hands, but can neither see, hear, nor dispense favors, how great and glorious appears the one living and true God, whose throne is in the heavens, but who is so condescending that he stoops to listen to the earnest prayer of the humblest child!"
"Walter," inquired Mr. Dermott, "is there no duty we owe these poor heathen?"
"Yes, sir; we ought to send Bibles and missionaries to teach them about our God; and then they would throw away their idols, as the Sandwich Islanders did." ”

“ People look at me as if I ought to be something more than Americans who have never been out of their native land, and appear somewhat disappointed to see in me nothing more than a simple, frank girl, just like their daughters or sisters at home.
A few have called whom I like exceedingly; who entered into conversation upon subjects profitable and interesting. You, my dear mother, have spoiled me for enjoying the society of persons who cannot talk, except of individual character and conduct; as for instance: "I suppose, your husband has told you of the trouble in Squire Lee's family. ”

“ Seldom had the young Christian poured forth such earnest petitions for help as now. Realizing, as she did, the impulsive passion of the young wife, the excuses she would make to her conscience,—that her husband had forsaken her,—the impossibility of earthly effort to restrain her, Marion called upon God to appear for them in their trouble, to touch the heart of the young mother, to put barriers in her path to ruin, to fill her soul with purer joys. ”

“ After a moment's pause, the gentleman continued: "We are the rebels against God, the king. Jesus Christ is our prince, who has offered his life a sacrifice for our sins, that we may obtain pardon and peace. Those of us who receive him as our Saviour are his elect, whom he carries in the life-boat of salvation to the kingdom of his Father in heaven."
Dear children, who have all of you violated God's holy law, and are living afar off, having incurred his displeasure, will you not confess and forsake your sins, joyfully embracing his Son as your Prince, your Saviour, and Redeemer? ”

“ My heart was filled with the most delightful emotions of gratitude and joy, "and though my voice was silent, being stopped by the intenseness of what I felt, yet my soul sung within me and even leaped for joy." The emotion was so intense as to be nearly allied to pain. I pressed my hand to my heart to keep it from bursting. I heard a gentle step, and my sweet Pauline sat by my side, and drawing my head to her breast, sought to soothe my agitated feelings. She had been weeping. "Dear mamma," she whispered, "I am so happy, I have been trying to thank God for making dear father better." ”

“ Sometimes, when the recollection of all he had been made to suffer came upon him, he hated himself that he did not revenge himself on all mankind. "I owe no man anything," was one of his favorite mottoes; but after he became acquainted with Marion Howard he did not take much comfort from it. How closely after their first meeting he had watched her! How he longed to find her halting! But no, her motions were too transparent. She had genuine love to God as her Father, to Christ as her Saviour, and it was from this love her kindness to all around her sprang. ”

“ Never allow yourself to be influenced by what is falsely called "honor," to raise your hand against your fellow.
"In every event of life you have a sure guide in the word of God. Read it, my son; read it daily; read it prayerfully; endeavor to conform your life to its precepts; so shall you be useful in life, peaceful in death, and happy through all eternity.
"And now, my dearly beloved son, farewell! Though my sins have risen up to heaven, yet the blood of my crucified Saviour has sufficed to wash away their guilty stains. ”

“ My breath comes quickly, and my tears blind me when I think, they may be my last. Often my heart sinks, and my spirit faints, as I look forward with an undefined sense of dread to the future. Sometimes I am enabled to look up with trust and confidence to "Him who doeth all things well;" and by faith to take hold of the precious promises peculiarly addressed to me.
I am blessed with a devoted husband; a watchful and tender mother, and an affectionate sister. When I think of these mercies, I can only say, "surely my cup runneth over."
Dear mother, I need not ask your prayers for your daughter. ”

“ Stranger still, perhaps, that the old man persistently lingered in the neighborhood of Miss Howard, leaning forward to catch every word, drinking in the musical ripple of laughter, which Marion's friends used to call one of her greatest charms, watching the pure, fresh countenance, the merry, earnest eyes, until the ice about his heart began to thaw. When they parted, to no one's surprise more than to his own, he extended his hand, and gave hers a warm pressure as he said,—
"I am glad that I have met one who has no trouble." ”

“ Frank accompanied us to the library, where we knelt together to express our gratitude and praise.
How easy now to feel submissive to the will of God! When we arose, mother clasped her son's hands in hers, and burst into a flood of tears; the first she has shed. I know they will relieve her poor bursting heart. I feel that if Emily is restored to health and reason, I can never again be unhappy. I love every body. I want to sing—I want to scream for joy! I must have my sweet Pauline home, and relieve myself by embracing her. ”

“ He leaned back in his chair, laughing heartily but Marion noticed that there was no ring of mirth in his laugh.
Suddenly she said, "O Mr. Lambert! Are you acquainted with Mr. Regy? I hear of him everywhere among the poor, and I long to see him."
"Better not," he grumbled. "Take my word for it, he is a good-for-nothing fellow. I know him well."
"You must be prejudiced, Mr. Lambert. His heart is just as warm as yours; indeed, in many things he must be like you: he delights to relieve suffering and he delights to—to—what shall I call it?" ”

“ I want to begin life anew; but I don't know how. All connected with this dear family are usefully and happily employed while I have only lived heretofore to please myself. Though I resolve, and re-resolve, I am no better. Even little Pauline has a principle and strength within her to which I am a stranger. Can't you help me, Cora?"
I had never seen Joseph so earnest, and I lifted up my heart for wisdom to direct me, that I might speak a "word in season." I then endeavored in my feeble, imperfect way, to direct my inquiring cousin to the fountain of all strength. ”

“ There is a new expression on his features, and we can scarcely believe that this tall athlete, this noble-looking man, with a smile on his lips, which looks as though it belonged there, is the same gentleman whom we first knew as Harold Angus.
But how shall I describe our Marion? The eyes are as bright, the dimples still in view, but the whole face is flooded with a new light. It is the mother love. ”

“ I have no doubt much as Nelly desired to see the dear home friends, that long ere this she has wished herself back for one more frolic with her little namesake. When I say to the darling, "Baby want to see Aunt Nelly?" she crows and screams with delight. We all think her very like sister; the same deep blue eyes, and fair complexion, so different from her beautiful brother who looked far more like a Lenox. ”