OUR HOMES. 



OIK 11U.1IES. 



r.Y A. I. KOOT. 



CHAPTER III. 



And the Inith shall miike j-oii free.— John viii, :!J. 



There was once a boy "who had an cx- 

 • •eodiujiiy bad teinpoi" ; one of the lamentable 

 kind tiiat prompts its possessor to acts of lui- 

 restrainod violence when thwarted in his wisli- 

 es ; and to such lengths did it carry him that 

 liis irood mother told him she reallj' feared he 

 would coine to sonic awful end if he were not 

 restrained. He w;i,s ordinarily mild and tract- 

 able, and during his better r^.omcnts she pre- 

 vailed upon liini to promise to go awaj- l)j' 

 himself when angry. By good christian ex- 

 ample ajid teaching, he was finally induced to 

 retire to another room when feeling that lie 

 was losing self-control ; and this he finally 

 learned to do of his own accord, returning af- 

 ter having perfectly mastered himself, and an- 

 nouncing that he had left the "bad boy" in an- 

 other room. As he grew older he Avent with 

 his mother to the Sabbath School, and Avas 

 taught good christian principles, but alas! as 

 he came to maturer years, temptations came 

 in other forms, and as time pas?ed on he 

 learned to think that his good, old mother, tho' 

 lionest in her belief, was rather behind the 

 times, that the new revelations of science were 

 <lestined to set aside old ideas, yet at the 

 same time keep the morals of our people fully 

 up to the old standard. And Avhat seemed 

 strangely inconsistent with this new doctrine, 

 his old temjier of childhood began to crop out : 

 he became less kind as a husband and father 

 in his own home, and as j'ear after year passed 

 by, those vrho knew him intiraatelj' were one 

 after another obliged to give up, there seemed 

 no hope as he day by day settled down into a 

 Iiard, cold, unfeeling species of atheism, infidel- 

 ity, and misanthropy. In vain did he in his 

 better moments resolve that he would leave 

 the "bad .boy" as in childhood, and brealv loose 

 from the vices that were becoming daily riv- 

 eted more and more firmly, for he knew in his 

 inmost self that soon his real character would 

 begin to stand out unveiled to public gaze in 

 all its deformity. At this time he was even 

 t(Uoted as one who was more upright and fair 

 in his dealings than professed christians, but 

 though dollars and cents may go a great ^vay, 

 they come far short of healing all tiie wrongs 

 we may do a fellow mortal. Finally there | 

 (ime a time, at the last moment as it were, 

 when this man sold himself, body and soul — [ 

 all. everything ; not to the evil one, but to his , 

 .Alaker. He put out his hand in perfect humil- | 

 ity and helplessness, and promised perfect 

 obedience, i)roinised to consent to be led any- j 

 where, or to go anywhere in a way that Avas 

 as foreign to his old self, as almost anything ; 

 you can imagine. Was he fettered V You may \ 

 Judge after having heard the folloAving inci- j 

 dent; in fact v>'e have told this much of him! 

 just to get the folloAving illustration : He now ! 

 iroes to all the prayer-meetings, his wife Avith '< 

 him ; but shortly after tliis change, she felt on \ 

 one occasion that other urgent duties should 

 excuse her, and sent him a jileasant note 1o ; 

 that'efiect. He Avrotc bac\- flia' he i-onh] nnf 



think ^;//.y duty should excuse one from such 

 exercises, and intimated in something like his 

 old manner of ruling, that he should expect 

 her as usual. This is a trifie, a mere trifie, bu' 

 our lives are made up of trifles, and Avell th>' 

 evil one knows this. Perhaps he had been 

 Avatching round for months to see Avhere he 

 might find one little loophole Avherein he 

 might venrurc to put a Avord. Now^t has 

 come, and h(! commences craftily: "If she can 

 not do this little thing to help you along in 

 the great sacrifice you have made, and prin •■ 

 pally for her sake too, Avhy should //on t'-y so 

 hard':' I would make her <ro; I Avouhl show 

 her the conso(iuences of trifling in such a mat- 

 ter. If she does not come promptly at tAvo '<> 

 clock, I Avould not go a step, it is her own do- 

 ing." But says the poor victim: 



"How can t ask my Heavenly Father — hoAv 

 a!)out our evening dexotionsV" 



"Let 'em all slide. You could have done it. 

 in your o'.vn strength all the time if you had 

 only thought so." "And humanity stops and 

 listens Avhile a Avhole troop, in fact legions of 

 old temptations croAvd in and cover "him up 

 almost, as the old life comes back, and the ncAv 

 peaceful one fades in the distance. Gone, all 

 gone. "Stay! Father! help your ])Oor, erring. 

 stumbling child, take aAvay that old Avick- 

 ed self! I Avill be good, I Avill obey, only give 

 me back that neAV, bright life." 



All is still ; a still, small A'oice Avhispers, 

 "Will you allow your Avife to do as she 

 thinks best '■' " 

 "Yes." 



"Will von go to meeting Avithout her?" 

 "Yes."" 



"You Avill not reproacli or censure her by 

 word or manner?" 



As he promises do you Avonder he feels 

 that an angel stands over him ? He is safe. 

 A shadow approaches. He looks up and meets 

 a smile that he used to dream of iu years gone 

 by. The same old pleasant A'oice saj's, 

 "Husband, shall Ave not go? it is just two.'' 

 "What a pleasant, pleasant world," he muses, 

 as he goes along (|uietly thinking of the con- 

 rtict that seemed to occujiy hours, AvhcrLas it 

 was probably only as many minutes. After 

 the meeting she asks almost in alarm, 



"Why Avho ill this Avorld Avas it you spoke 

 of having been so aiigiy at?" 

 "You." 



"Me ! vrhy Avhat ever did I do ?"' 

 "You spoke of not going to meeting." 

 "But you do not know Avhat you are saying, 

 you don't knoAV how unreasonable you are." 



And for an instant there seemed danger of 

 an argument still; not long however, for the 

 new poAver still hovered near, and presently 

 he told her hoAV lonely he had of late learned 

 to feel Avlien in church Avithout her, but that 

 he had just begun to see that it Avas his duty 

 to let her decide in regard to such matters, for 

 herself; he Avould be very giad to have her 

 Avith him, but Avould consent pleasantly to let 

 her decide, and Avonld go cheerfully alone 

 Avhen advisable. 



"Why bless your dear old heart ! Avhen you 

 talk in that Avay I feel as if I could go through 

 lire and Avater to please yon." 



Who do you suppose is ruler in that honse- 

 1 oM 11. iw':' Dm vo;; tint think 'MU)' AVifc or 



