418 



glea:nings in bee cultuke. 



Dec. 



Well, when I ^ot married, and had a home 

 of my own, I didn't want the doors locked, 

 but always slei)t soundly, even if the doors 

 were ajar, ^ly wife, on the contrary, never 

 felt easy, untilshe could feel that everythins: 

 was safe. Now 1 am not linding fault, mincl 

 you, for were it not for the neat and orderly 

 habits she has tanp^ht me in all these years, 

 and her example of always having every- 

 thing? (lone up well, secure, complete, and 

 safe, 1 might even now have all my proper- 

 ty in the disorder in which the constable 

 found my trunk on that winter's morning. 

 I know liiy wife has corrected one of the 

 worst failings of my character, and yet we 

 liave always disagreed more or less, about 

 liaving the house "locked up." About sun- 

 down, she would have the horse fed, the 

 wood carried in, if the wood-house would 

 hold any more, all litter swept up, and most 

 of all, all the back doors and windows se- 

 curely bolted. Sometimes I would go out in 

 the apiary in the evening, and then start to 

 get in the back way ; on finding one door af- 

 ter the other tight against my impatient 

 pulls, I was sure to get mad. Of course, she 

 always hurried like the wind to let me in, 

 but often I threatened to strip every lock 

 from the "castle," where we two, and the 

 little ones, did abide. As the little "chicks" 

 grew older, they took after mamma a good 

 deal, and many a merry, hearty laugh have 

 I had, at coming home and finding the boots, 

 shoes, cups, hammer, and playthings of all 

 sorts, hung up on nails about the room. I 

 am not sure but that my boy once cried be- 

 cause there were no holes in the saucers, so 

 he could hang them up too. Finally, in fol- 

 lowing mamma about in her evening duties, 

 they learned to bolt the doors. On coming 

 home to supper tired and fretful — I usually 

 come with a rush, and I am afraid I usually 

 come fretful too— it used to chafe me ex- 

 ceedingly, to be brought up with the front 

 door locked. I scolded and stormed, but 

 still the busy elves would bolt the doors, and 

 as near as I can remember, I scolded my 

 ])oor wife because the children had such hab- 

 its. We do not have any locks to doors or 

 bureaus inside, and even the youngest is hin- 

 dered by nothing of that kind from going 

 anywhere in the house, or taking anything 

 that belongs to the "firm," said firm consist- 

 ing of us two and the four children. 



It was just about 4 years ago, this present 

 winter, that I came home from a walk t.o my 

 mother's. I do not know that I felt irrita- 

 ble, for my walk Sunday afternoon generally 

 put me in a good humor. By some means, I 

 went in at the back way, or rather I tried to 

 go in, but could not, for the door was bolted. 

 I fluslied up quickly, and demanded the door 

 to be opened. Mamma was busy preparing 

 the evening meal, the children were talking, 

 and may God forgive me for listening to the 

 voice of the tempter who whisjiered, "I 

 would teach them that this thing has gone 

 on long enough, and that, if they do not know 

 who is master here, you are going to show 

 them." 



I intended to burst the bolts from their 

 places, but, in my rage and frenzy, I kicked 

 one of the panels out. The next time, I 

 aimed for the center piece of the door, but 

 missed it and kicked out the opposite panel. 



At the third blow of my foot, I broke the 

 whole center of the door" out, and then stood 

 before the affrighted but innocent four, my 

 face livid, and my voice hoarse with passion. 

 My own little Blue Eyes, wlio had so many 

 times softened these angry moods, seemed 

 to be horror stricken to see her p:ii)a in such 

 a state, and, I doubt not, queried in her lit- 

 tle mind whether it were really he, or some- 

 body else. My wife had seen me in this state 

 before, and I did not much nund it then, but 

 the three children had never before wit- 

 nessed such a scene. I could not stand their 

 aggrieved, astonished, and intiuiring gaze. 

 Eemorse commenced very soon, and I would 

 have given a great deal to have recalled the 

 event, but still I was too proud to say I was 

 sorry, and so I braved it out, and talked as 

 though I had done right, and was justified 

 in the act. I paid a carpenter $6 or $8 to put 

 in a new door, and there the matter dropped. 

 A few weeks afterward, as I then told you 

 on these pages, my life was tiu-ned complete- 

 ly over, ami instead of fighting these battles 

 against temi)tation alone, a great strong 

 friend seemed to stand beside me. I cannot 

 remember ever asking my wife's pardon for 

 kicking the door into splinters, for it was a 

 mere trifle compared with other things not 

 quite so easily complained of. 



Just 9 days ago, I came home from a tem- 

 perance meeting ; it was Sunday evening, as 

 before; I walked up to the door briskly, 

 thinking of telling my wife all about the 

 meeting. I turned the knob of the door, but 

 it did not come open. I knocked quiet- 

 ly; no one came. I began to get angry. In 

 all these four years, God had lifted me over 

 these little troubles like a parent would a 

 child, but now he seemed to say, "You can 

 get over this yourself, and it will make you 

 strong." 



Pretty soon she came down stairs, and was 

 astonished to find the door locked. Our girl 

 had come in before me, and supposing*! had 

 gone to bed, had locked the house. I felt 

 cross, but said nothing unkind. There was 

 a little bit of a feeling, as of old, that I would 

 not have the doors locked at all. It was bed 

 time, but before getting into bed, I should 

 have to kneel down, and ask God to bless 

 our little home. It wouldn't be a very pleas- 

 ant home to my wife, with all the doors un- 

 fastened, and I was not in a mood to kneel 

 down. I was cross because she did not sit 

 up and watch the doors for fear some one 

 might come home, and fasten my very great 

 and important self out side, and thus irritate 

 his "majesty." I did not state it so then, 

 but I guess "it amounted to al)out that. 



"Why do you not come to bed, husband," 

 said a pleasant voice. "Because" I came 

 very near saying because I wanted to warm 

 my "feet, buti knew that was not so, and God 

 knew it Avas not so. I could not go to bed, 

 because I wasn't in a mood to ask God's for- 

 giveness as well as my wife's for having 

 been impatient. I stiidied for some way to 

 get around it ; it couldn't be done. No climb- 

 ing over the walls, no way under heaven by 

 which I could get to bed a Christian, but to 

 go down on my knees, as a little child, in 

 perfect obedience. 



Now, my friends, you have a fair ])icture 

 of a man who has resolved to follow Christ, 



