The Three Homes

Two roen on their way home met at a street crossing, and then walküd on together. They vvero neighbors and frien ds. " This has been a very hard dny,r aid Mr. Freemen, in a gloomy voice. And as they walked homeward, tkej discouraged each other, and made darker the clouds that obscured their wbolehorizon. " Good evening," was at last said hurriedly ; aud tbe two men passed into their homos. Mr. WalcoU eotered the room where bis wife and children were gatliered, and without speaking to any one, seatcd himself ir. a chair, and, leaning bis head back, closed bis eyes. His countenance wore a sad, weary, exhaustcd look. He had been seatod thus for only a few minutes when his wife said in a fearful voice : " More trouble again J" " What is the matter now ?" asked Mr. Walcott, almost starting. "John has been sent home from echool !" " What ?" Mr, Walcott partly roso ii'onj his chair. '' Ho has been suspended for bad conduct." "O, dear!" groaned Mr. Walcott. 'Where is he ?" " Up in his room ; 1 sent him there as soon as he camo home. You'll have to do something with him. He'll be ruined if he goes on in this way. I'ra out of all heart with him." Mr. Walcott, excited as much by the manner in wbich his wife conveyed the unpleasant informatioü as by the informotion itself, started up, undcr the blind impulse oí the moment, and go ing to the room where John had been sent od coming home from school, punished the boy severely, and this without listening to the explanation which tho poor child tried to rnake him beur " Pather," said the boy, with forced calmnese, after tho cruel stripos had ceased, " I wasn't to blamo, and if you will go with ine to the teacher, I can prove rayself innocent." Mr. Walcott had never known his son to teil an untruth, and the words feil as a retuke upon his heart. " Very wel], we will see about that," he answered with forced siernness, and, leav'ng thü room, he went down stairs, feeling much more uncomfortable tlian when he went up. Again he seated himself in his large chair, and nguin leaned back his weary head and c his heavy eyeüds Sadder was lus f;ice than before, As he tuit thus, his eldest daughter, in her si? teel) th year, came and stood by him. öbo had a paper in her hand, "Father," he opened his eyes; " here's rny quarter s bill. Can't I have the money to take to school with me in the mornirig ?" ' I am afraid not," answered Mr. Walcott, half in despair. " Tearly all the girls will bring their money tomorrow, and it mortities me to be behind the others." Thedaughtergpoke fretiully. Mr. Walcoit waiv ed her aside with his hand, and sho went off muttering and pouting. :'It is mortitying," said Mrs. Walcott, a little sharply ; "and I don't wonder that Helen feels annoyed about it. The bilí has to be paid, and I don't see why it may not be done as well first as last." To this Walcott made no answcr. The words but added another pressure to tbe heavy burden under which he was already staggering. Altor a silence of some moineuts, Mrs. Walcott aid : "The coals are all gone." " Impossible !" Mr. Walcott raised his head and looked incredulous. " I laid in sixteen tons." " I can't help it if thoro wero sixty tons instead of sixteen ; they are all gone. The girls had hard work today to scrape up enough to keep the firo in." " There's been a shameful waste somewhere," said Mr. "ra!cott, with strong emphas;s, starting up and moving about the room with a very disturbed mariner. " So you alvvays say when anything runs out," answered Mr. Walcott, rather tartly. " The barrel of riour is gone also ; but I supposo you have done your part with the rest, in using it up." Mr. Walcott roturned to his chair, and again seating himself, leanod back his head and closed his eves as at first. How ead and weary and hopeless he feit! The burdons of the day had seemed almost too heavy for him ; but he had borne up bravely. To gather wtrength for a rouewed struggle with adverse circumstauces, he had come home. Alas that the progross of exhaustion should still go o'u ! that where only slrength could be looktid for on earth, no etrength was given ! Whon the tea-bell wms rung, Mr. Walcott made no movement to obey the sunimons. "Come to supper," said his wife, coldly But hu did not stir. "Areyou not coming to Slipper?" slio callea to him, as she was leuving the room. "I don't wish ior anytliing thia ovening. My huad aches vury mucb," lie answored. "In the dumps again," nmttered Mrs. Walcott to herself. "It's as much as one's liio is worth to ask f'or money, OTtosay anythiug is wanted." Arïd slie kept on hor way to the dining-room. When shfe roturned, ber hoabaod was still 6itting where she had, lelt bun, ' Shall I briag you a cup of tea?1' Bi e asRed. " No, I don't wish fot anytbing " " Wbui's the matter, Mr. Woloott? Whut do you look so troublad about, is if you hu-Jn't a Mond in iho world? Whut havo I done to you?" ïhere v;as no aoswer, tbr thore was not a fhade of real syrnpathy in thu voice that máde the queries, but rathor of jueruluus disxatisfaction. A fow mornents Mrs. Walcott stood behind her husband, b t as ho did pot seom inclinad to answer questions, she turned away from him, and rosutnod employment which had beon iiuerrupted by the ringing of the tea-bcll. The wholo evening passed without the occurrence of u singlo incident thnt gave a healthfiil pulsation to the sick heart of Mr. Walcott. No thoughtful kindness was manifested by any niomber of tho family, but, on the contraiy, a narrow regard for self, and a looking to him orily that he might supply the means of self-gratification. No wonder, from the pressnre which was on him that Mr. Walcott feit uttèrly discouraged. Ho retired early, and sought to find that relief from mental disquiehide in sleep, whioh he had vainly hopod for in the bosom of his iamily. Bat the whole night passed in broken slumber and disturbing dreams, From the oheerlesa morning meal, at which he was reminded oi the quarter's bill that must be paid, of tho coals and fl ur that were out, and of the necessity of supplying Mrs. Walcott's empty purse, he" went forth to meet the difficulties of another day, faint at heart, alrnost hopeless of success. A confident spirit, (sustained by home aflections, would have carriad him through; but, unsupported as he was, the burden was too hoavy for hirn, and he Bank under it. The day that opened so unpropitiously closed upon hirn a ruined man! Let us look for a few moments upon Mr. Freeman, a friend and neighbor of Mr. Walcott. He, also, had come home weary, dispirited and alrnost sick. The trial. oí the day had been unusually severe, and when he looked anxiously fi'i-ward to scan the futuro, not even a gleam of light was soen along the black horizon. As he etepped across the threshold of his dwelling, a pang shot through his heart, for the thoughr. carae how slight the present hold upon all these comforts. Not for bimself, but for his wiie and children was the pain . " Father's come!" cried a glad little voice on the stairs the moment his foot fall sounded in the passage; then quick, putteringfeet were b.eard, and then a tiuy torm was springing into his arma, Betore reachiog the sittiag room above, Alice, the e'dest daughter, was by his side, her arm drawn fondly within his, and ber loving eyes lifted to his face. "Are you not late, dear?" it was tho gentle voice of Mrs. Freeman. Mr. Freeman could not trust himsself to answer. Ho was too deeply troub led in spirit to assume at the moment a cheerlul tone, and he had no wish to Radden the hoarts that loved hun, by letting the depression from which he was sufforing bacome too elearly apparent. But the eyes of Mrs. Freeman saw quickly below the surface, " Are you not wel!, Kobert ?" she in1 quircd, tei.derly, as abe drew Lis large airu-ohair toward the centre oí the room "A liüle headache," he answered, vi-h a plight evasión. Seareei; was Mr. Freeman eeated ere a pair of hands wasbnsv with each foot, renitfting gaiters and simes, and : supplvi díí tböir placo with a solt slip-, per. TJjore wis not one iu the hqua hold who did not teel hanpior for his return, nor one who did not seek to reader hiep kind office. It was imposible, under such a burst of heart sunshine, tor the spirit ot Mr. Freeman long to rernain ahroutled. Also iinperceptibly to himself gloomy j thoughts gave place to more cheerful oiies, and by time lea was ruady he had half iorgotton the fears which had so baiintcd him through tho day. liut they could not be huid back altogelher, and their existunco was marked during the evening by an unusual silence and abstraction oí miad, This was observed by Mrs. Freeman, who more than half suspecting the cause, kept back from her busband the knowledge of certain mattera about which she had ntended to speak to him, for foar they wouldadd to his mental djsquiütude. During the evening sho gloaned from somGthing he said the real cause of his changed aspect. At once her thoughts eommonced running in a new „channel, By a íew loading remarks sho drew her huuband into conversation on the subject of home expenses, and the propriety of restriction in vario u 8 points. Many things were mutually pronounced euperfluoua and easily to be diapensed v;th, and beforo sleep feil Boothingly on the heavy eyelids of Mr. Freeman that night, an entire chango in their tylo of living had been deterinined tpon - a chauge that would reduce their expenses at least onehalf 'lI eco light abead," were the hopeful words of Mr. Freemau, as ho rosigned hirnself to slumbor. With renewed strttngth of mind and body and a confident spirit, ho wcat forth the next day - a day tlial he had looked l'orward to with fear and treinbling. And it was only through this renewed strongth and oonlidout spirit th:it he was abiu to overeóme the diffionlties that 'oornod up, tnountain high, before him. Weak despondency would ruineü all. Uoine had proved his tow er of strongth - his walled city. - Strenglhenod for the conflict he had gone forth again iuto the world, unU conquered in tho Btniggle. "í neo Jight íihead," gave place tü " the morning broaketh.'