July 31. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
315 
she was strongly attached to the cousins, and she had no 
nearer tie. 
This might he said to be Mary Waller’s halcyon time. 
She was really at home—her own home—and, though living 
with others, she was independent and comparatively 
affluent. How graciously are we led through the thorny 
paths of life ! Even in the most rugged, the most trying, 
dispensations, mercy is mixed with all; and here and there 
a resting-place is found for us, to give us refreshment and 
help us on. The life of man may he compared to the 
vast desert of a burning climate, where the traveller often 
labours and sighs, as he struggles onwards through barren 
and unlovely places “ where no water is.” But even amid 
those burning sands, Almighty Love prepares cool spots to 
shelter and refresh the parched traveller. A grove of trees, 
carpeted with grass, and nourished by a spring of “ cold 
flowing waters,” stands amid the howling wilderness, where 
man and beast slake their thirst, fill their vessels, and 
recruit themselves for their onward journey. Thus, with 
Mary Waller, her Heavenly Father gave her a time of rest 
and comfort before greater affliction came on, and she 
passed some few years in much tranquility. 
The first event that stirred their quiet life was the death 
of Mary’s cousin. But still the daughter and herself sat 
by their fireside together, and together wept their loss. 
Their lessened means still sufficed for their few wants, and 
though Miss F. was in very delicate health, they were happy 
and easy in their small lodging. 
But a trial awaited poor Mary which tried her much. 
Her sight began to fail—not the natural decay of vision, but 
a total blindness came upon her, and she became, of course, 
so far, helpless. This was a real affliction to one situated 
as she was ; hut this came not alone. She had a severe 
fall, which broke her leg, and obliged her to become a still 
greater burden upon her kind cousin. Her age, her large 
and heavy form, and, perhaps, the nature of the fracture, 
prevented her ever again using the leg, and she was entirely 
confined to her bed, from which there is now no expectation 
of her ever rising again. Blind, and a cripple, she was now 
wholly dependant on her affectionate relative, and a source 
of deep gratitude it was that she had such a soother of her 
trials; but, in the inscrutable providence of a loving and 
gracious God, this prop was also removed. Miss F. was 
taken ill, and died in a very short time, leaving Mary Waller 
helpless and disconsolate. 
Perhaps no situation could be more distressing than this; 
yet mercy was mixed with it still. A lady happened to be 
staying in the island at that time who knew and loved the 
poor sufferer for many years, and who stood forward in the 
breach at once to help and comfort her. This lady wrote 
to Miss Waller’s acquaintance in England, stating her 
painful situation, both as to person and means; and pro¬ 
posing that a subscription should be made, to enable her to 
exist in some way without appealing to public charity, being 
unable to move or help herself. A small sum was collected, 
which raised her income to forty pounds ; a trifling sum for 
one who must need many things, which, to a person possessed 
of all their powers, might be dispensed with ; but we know 
that He who numbers the hairs of our head, orders and 
governs the smallest incidents of our daily life, as well as the 
greatest events that can befal us; and He doeth all things 
well. A family, with whom Miss Waller was well acquainted, 
and who are settled in the Island, have taken her as their 
inmate, to whom she pays three parts of her income; the 
small remainder is given to an old and trusty servant, who 
knew her from her youth, and who is now engaged to watch 
over her. These are great mitigations; but when does our 
Father lay upon us more than we are able to bear? 
Reader! on glancing over Mary Waller’s story, may we not 
call it a tale of trials? From her youth she was acquainted 
with sad bereavements and personal privations, which, to 
the young, are very trying to their lively affections, and 
fervent spirits, and eager tastes; and in her old age she lies, 
a blind and helpless cripple, on a, bed from which she never 
will rise again! Ah, dear readers! are there not some of 
us, perhaps, repining at a lot far more easy than Mary 
Waller’s, and thinking ourselves the most tried and afflicted 
of our race ? Are there not some of us who may take 
profitable instruction from her history, and learn to bear 
meekly and patiently the lighter rods that may lay upon us ? 
Tn the inscrutable providences of the Lord, some are born * 
to suffer extremes of trial; but “is there not a cause ?” It 
is a Father’s hand that deals out the portion, and He sits by 
the refining fire. It is a mark of remembrance, and not 
; forgetfulness, when we are hardly dealt by, and if we kiss 
j the rod, its smart will pass away. Let the sharpness of 
j Mary Waller’s dispensation fill us with sympathy for her, I 
' and gratitude to Him who has softened our corrections, and 
i laid them, as yet, more lightly upon us. Above all, let us 
pray and strive for grace to us e profitably our different trials, 
| and to seek that they may tinned into gracious blessings; 
| and let us, when we are tempted to murmur at our burden, 
i think of Mary Waller, and turn our lamentation into prayer 1 
and praise. 
ALLOTMENT FARMING.— August. 
Improvement oi? Tools. —Although allotment farming 
and gardening comprehend a great deal in a small space, it 
is advisable to economise labour as much as possible, by j 
directing attention to any implements worthy of particular ! 
notice, or to the invention of a superior class of new ones, j 
The advancement in agricultural improvement is, in a ! 
measure, to be attributed to mechanical inventions. The | 
encouragement given by the Royal Agricultural Society to 
produce a superior class of instruments is a movement 
in the right direction. The emulation that is produced by 
giving prizes to those who have applied their mechanical 
skill to the advancement of agriculture has been productive 
of most useful results. To the science of gardening 
mechanical skill could be applied with advantage. If prizes 
were given, at horticultural shows, for improvements that 
may be made in garden implements, it would arouse a spirit 
of invention on the subject that would produce some useful | 
results. The mechanics of agricultural improvements are 
generally indebted to the suggestions of farmers for each 
succeeding step in their progress of improvement. At 
an agricultural show the individuals most interested in 
the subject are prAent, to appreciate the value of each 
invention. The prize is not so much the object with the 
inventor, or improver, as to know that the exhibition of them 
at such places, where their merits would be appreciated, 
would do much for their sale. If the same system was 
adopted at horticultural shows, it appears to me that similar 
results would follow. 
As the implements for farming purposes are generally 
worked by horses, a class of tools more suitable for allot¬ 
ments, to be worked by manual labour, would be of great 
service to a large number of very useful and industrious 
members of society. The Crystal Palace, and other Societies, 
could very much encourage the production of such imple¬ 
ments by offering prizes for any invention, or improvement 
of them, that would seem deserving of such awards. In 
several counties in which I have lived, I have seen some 
garden tools, or implements, in one, that are not known 
in another. Even a knowledge of the best tools at present 
in use would help to abridge the labour that is required 
to be done in many places. If mechanical skill and in¬ 
vention were set to work, there would be no lack of com¬ 
petitors, not so much for the object of the prizes, as to have 
an opportunity of exhibiting their productions before 
i persons who are always ready to reward merit. "When 
the fact is so generally known that great improve¬ 
ments in the cultivation of the soil have been produced 
by the force of mechanical science, it is reasonable to 
expect that if the same impetus were given to push 
on improvements in allotment implements that similar 
happy results would follow. The drill-rake, transplanter, 
and other useful implements for general or particular 
purposes, are only rarely to be met with. What is ; 
the reason? Because they are not exhibited to public j 
notice. The implements suitable for allotments are not j 
generally of such complicated structure, or mechanism, but j 
that a man, by seeing them, would be able to judge pretty I 
correctly of the powers of each, and how far they were ! 
likely to answer the purposes for which they were intended. | 
By degrees they would extend to the towns and villages, and 
to all places where there was a probability that any valuable 
I or a new invention, or an improvement on the old, would be 
