﻿304 PICTORIAL MISCELLANY. 



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" In the northern part of the State of Maine, in the small town of 



, I lived many years with my husband. "We had no family, and 



hard work enough it was, upon a poor farm which scarcely paid for 

 tilling, to get an honest livelihood. 



" My husband was always poor, and almost always unfortunate. 

 I would not be ungrateful, but Providence did not smile upon him, 

 so we almost thought, as upon those who needed his smiles much 

 less. Yet I can now look back and see it was all for the best. I 

 was not a Christian then, though my husband was. His health was 

 very poor, and with an aching heart I have often watched him from 

 the window of our home, raking the scanty hay, or hoeing the sandy 

 loam. I 've seen him lean upon some tree to wipe the sweat from 

 his pale forehead, and his wearied arms would fall heavily beside his 

 trembling body. And sometimes, as he came in, he would say, " If 

 it were not for you, Nelly, and the baby which Heaven has given 

 us, how glad I should be to go to my rest or if it might please 

 him to call us all together ! ' 



" But such was not His will. Ere our baby had passed its first 

 year, my husband did go to his rest. He left me peaceful in God, yet 

 ' sorrowing ' as he said, ' for the lonely walk which might be mine,' 

 and oh, how lonely it. has been ! ' before we should sit down to- 

 gether in our Father's kingdom.' 



" Six years I struggled on with my little boy, desiring nothing for 

 myself, but much for him ; and a brighter lad than John you never 

 saw. But my health failed at last, and unable longer to maintain us 

 both, I concluded to put him out to work as well as he could, (and 

 he was quite handy,) to some farmer. 



" For some time I heard of no one who would take so young a 

 boy. At length Mr. 'Lijah Baker, a miller, happened in the place 

 on business, who lived about fifteen miles from there ; hearing of 

 me, he called where I was, and agreed to take Johnny home with 

 him. As he had never been to school any, Mr. Baker promised to 

 send him three months of the year, till he was ten years old, on con- 

 dition that till then I would furnish him with a new hat and pair of 

 shoes once a year. 



"I could have but little information of the man's character, yet, as 

 it was the only way before me. I consented to let him go. 



