THE TURNING POINT.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2233, 30 October 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE TURNING POINT.

A thick carpet had lately been put down in the dining-room at- the squire's re«i dence, which was found to prevent the door from opening and shutting easily, so Wedge, the village carpenter, wai sent for to oase it. At six o'clock, while he was at work, carriage wheels were distinctly heard, and the squired lady, with her children, came down into the hull, ready to welcome home Mr Cary, who had been that day to town. Wedge, who was working inside the dining-room, listened with astonishment as he heard the shout the children gave when their father stepped out of the ourriage. lie saw, also, through the door crack, that the two eldest had caught hold of his hands, while the two younger ones wore clinging like little barnacles to his coat-tails — all dragging him along as if, once having got him into their net, they meant, npider-like, to bind him hand and foot and devour him, as that inject would a great blue-bottle, at their leisure. That the pquirc's return shonll causo Kiich delight w.is a puzzler to oar worthy fri°nd ; for had he not, with his own eye^, scon this gentleman go off at halfpast nine in the morning, no one could have persuaded him otherwise than that he must have boon away a month, to put it at the lowest figure. He saw, moreover, that the squire was holding tightly in his hand a little parcel, which, ah iking off the children by a number of little dodges, of which loving fathers only know the secret, he quickly untied, for all the world as if he were a boy of five years old (an 1 not a gre it man of fourteen stone weight), who could not wait a moment for anything. In a shorter time than we take to write it, he pulled out the contents and gave them to his wife, with three distinct kisses. Wedge could swear there were three, for he counted them and wondered how many more there were to come. This was evidently a very beautiful present, for the children, as well as Mrs Gary, expressed their admiration in the liveliest manner, and all seemed, if that wore possible, moro pleased and happy than before. Soon the merry party went upstair?, the echo of ' their voices died away, and Wedge was left to fiui.-h his work on the door, while his heart and conscience began tlu'ir work upon him. He, too, hrtd a wife and home nnd children ; he, too, had Ik en away all day; but the thought, struck him uncomfortably that his welome home, if indood he got one at all, would seem poor and cold after that ho had just witnessed. This reflection was not so sweet as to mako his work go smoothly : his saw seemed as blunt as a double-bladed sixpenny knife, and tho wood of the chair, whose legs ho was cutting down, as hard as bog o*vk. Iv fact he was feeling jealous of the pquire and discontented with his own wife and children. Why were they uot eager to rush out and welcome him, after the fashion of tho squire's family ? He frowned as ho thought how badly he was used, and his saw grated away as though very dull. But conscience had a word to say to him, and said ifc loud euoui^h, too, for him to hear, although he was miking j noise enough to pi event any one fiom trying to gain his attention. It told him the fault was chiefly in himself, for if hia wife and children were not like the squire's, neither was his likeness to that worthy gentleman particularly sti iking. Ho couldn't, blame his wife for not making enough of his presents, for ho well know ho never gave her any, nor did he greet her with those kind words which would not have failed to draw the same from her. Wedge was a good husband -without being a kind one, spending his money on his family in a hard, business-like Kind of a way, but showing no affection toward his children, who consequently did not love him. As Wedge walked home, his tools on his back, he came across an old fiiend, carrying: carefully a dainty bunch of snow-drop? in his big rough it and. 11 Here, Will," he said, walking along by tho carpenter's side, "I've just given a trifle for these flnvers, — pn tty bits of things, ain't they ?— for my wife makes po much of any little present I take her ; sho never minds what I bring her, sj long as I give it her myself, for to be sure I til ways tack on a little something in the shape of a few kind woyl-', which makes the thing seem valuable in her eyes. I don't know how I should yet on sometimes if it weren't, for having flowers pretty handy ; you can get them for little or nothing at any time, and yet they are more beautiful thau anything we can make. Perhaps tint is what God gave flowers for — in part at least — that the poor man has within his r«rich the means of .showing- kindness and giving presents, which, without them, he might seldom or never be able to give at all." Wedge's road now lay in a different di rectum from his friend.-, so they parted company, Joe Sparks putting a couple of snow-drop 3 into Will's hand, supposing he would know well enough what to do with them. Wedge turned the snowdrops over in his hand and looked after Joe, who had nearly turned the corner ; what could the man mean by giving him the snow-drops and never saying a word r Ho couldn't have known what had just happened at tho ball ; yet it seemed strange that he should come up and say all this about presents just when Wedge was thinking about that very subject and enjoying the excuse, too, " that be couldn't afford to buy his wife any thing." But now having tho sno\v-drop«, and having heard so much about them, it seemed as if nothing else would do but that he must give them to his wife, and this proceeding would be such a new and extraordinary one that the very thought made him feel sheepish. Wedge's wife was a nice woman, but family cares were weighing her down, »v that the light was fast dying out of her eyes, and tho colour fading from her cheeks. Sho would not hive minded them half nor even a quarter so much if, when Wedgo came home, shs could have told him all about thorn — for, ten to one, he could have- set things right. But he had always pooh-poohed when she ventured to begin the subject, so that she had left off looking for help where there was none to be got. It seemed to Wedge that if he had paid down hard cash for clothing, feeding and schooling the family, he had done his share towatd their bringing up. Such boiug the state of things, you may well imagine hownurprised was Mrs Wedge when ahe heard i cheerful voice cry out : " Where are you, Mary ?" But greater still was her astonishment when, on going to the door, her husband presenttd her with the snow-drops, declaiiny, as he put them in her hands, that, "beautiful as they were, h) thought the nw-bud on her iiim beat them out and out, " Wedge had don© many a Uandy bit of

work with those tools on his back, but he (lid a neater job now with tbo-e snowdrops than ever he had done with s* 11 of them put together, for he, so to speak, tawed Mury's heart right in two. aad got to the very inbide, and plane! down no end of knots and rough places, and French-polished her off as if she was sotnp choice piece of cabinet work to be soil fur nobody knows what. That day was tho beginning of brighter times; Mary's heart having been, as we before ».»id, sawed right open, never closed up again, by reason of her hus band* continuity putting in one litkli thing and another on purpose to keep it open ; and warm stream* of affection came gushing out that nobody knew were ever there at all, they were hidden down so deep. And as to Wedge, he never knew before how many pretty little speeches he could make. Without any mtice befo:ehand whatever, they seemed to cotno from somewhere in.-ido, all ready made, picked up and directed, ready to bo delivered " with care, th'n side up," to his wife, while the contents of the*e said parcold or sentences frener illy brought a smile on Mrs Wedge's face, and mide her as lively as a ciioket for some time to come. And if this new state of things brought happier days to Mary, Will was no lt>s* benefited by thorn. Not only did hiwife return hu love with interest, but it prompted her to do maiv loviug dccl", the fruits of affection, which cm make the humble&t home a little paradise. — N.Y. News.