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Show f I Peace on the Hearth , (. 1922, Western Newspaper Union.) '"THE Christmas bells were making their glad announcement again, but Toby Fowler was not in sympathy with them. "Peace on earth 1" said he, "What peace have I on earth?" It wasn't that his worldly affairs troubled him, but a man may have a good Job and a sum in the savings bank and yet find no peace in his house, and this it was that dimmed Mr. Fowler's holiday season and made its gladness clash in his ears, there was no peace upon his hearth. And, as a troubled home is like a roiled spring, or a splinter in the hand, sending on its turbid disturbance disturb-ance or its pain, so there was no peace in his world, upon his earth. The blame seemed to point to Mrs. Fowler, as though the difficulty might be In her disposition or her indisposition. indisposi-tion. There Is a natural discontent that nothing can cure, a fault-finding ambition that nothing can satisfy, an ingratitude that never is thankful, a nagging nature that Is never pleased, and his wife appeared to be possessed of all these in the estimation of Tobias. But the root of the trouble lay deeper than the man's understanding understand-ing of it. It was a lonely house. It was a silent house. It was an orderly order-ly house. There was no child in it. And, as many discoveries and cures have been accidental, so Mr. Fowler blundered upon the remedy for his troubles rather than devised it. For it was for his vn comfort rather than with the hope of stilling the bcuue tempests that he brought In a lovely little boy on Christmas day and announced that he had adopted adopt-ed him. He had been too uncertain of approval ap-proval In the matter to have any conference about It first at home, but, after her first expressions of surprise, sur-prise, his wife did not leave him long in doubt, for the child found a place in her arms as one who belonged there. Not only to him, Mr. Fowler felt, but to them a child bad been given, j It is amazing what solutions of trouble a little child can bring, what i response meets Its dependent claims ! upon love, what joy ministers to its ! development, what peace Is felt even j amid its clamors for our self-forget-I fulness ! With a happy satisfaction ! in the midst of all Its new cares peace ! had come to Mr. Fowler's hearth and j to his earth. |