Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1849-02-02

going down stairs, took hold of him r~esolu,e-
ly, saying as | did So
Nov stop this, instantly y
The child looked up at me with a most
distressed countenance, while the tears COW
cred his face.
Il can't find my arrow said he, with
quiveiing lip.
I'm sorty-but crying won't find it,
Come up stairs with me- Willy assembled
to my room.
Now don't let me hear one word more Of
this. The next time you get an arrow take
better care of it,
There was no sympathy in my tones for
] felt none. | did not think of his loss, but
Of the evil and annoyance of crying. The
little fellow stifed his grief, or rather the
utterance Of it, as best he could, and throw
ing himself at full length upon the floor,
sighed and sobbed for some ten minutes. A
sigh, longer and more futtering than usual,
aroused nv attention, and | then became a
ware that he lad fallen asleep.
How instantly do our feelings change TO.
ward a child when we find that it is asleep.
If we have been angry or offended, we are
no longer so. Tenderness m in the place
of sterner emotions. | laid aside my work,
and taking Willy in my arms, lifted him
from the floor, and laid him upon my bed
Another long, fluttering sigh agitated his
bosom as his head touched the pillow. How
reprovingly came the sound upon my ears !!
How sadly did it echo and re-echo in M
\ heart!
Poor child murmnred. ITO him the
loss of an arrow was a great thing. 1t has
disturbed him TO the very centre Of his little
being. l wish, now that had put by my
work for a few minutes until | could have
found his arrow, or made him a new one. |
would have lost no more time in doing 50
than | have already lost. And, after all,
what is a little time taken from my work TO
the happiness of my child! All me! | wish
| could learn to think right at the right time.
Dear little fellow! He was so happy with
his bow and arrow. But all was DESTROYED
by the untimely loss which | could have
restored in a few moments. Unfeeling-un.
natural mother! Is this tho way you show
your love for your child 2
| stood for nearly FIVE minutes over my
sleeping boy. When | turned away, ! did
not resume my sewing, for | had no heart to
work upon the little garment. | went down
into the yard, and the first object that met
my eye was the lost arrow, partly concealed
behind a rose bush, where it had fallen.
80 easily found! said |. How much
would a minute given at the right time have
saved All me! We learn too late, and re-
pent when repentance is Of little avail
| took the arrow and laid it with the bow
which l found carefully thrown away, upon
the bed, beside my sleeping boy, that he
might see them as soon as he awakened.
1t was an hour before the deep sleep, into
which my Willy had fallen, was broken. |
had, in the meantime, resumed my sewing,
after having lost fully half an hour in conse-
quence of being unwilling TO loose a few mi
nutes for the sake of attending TO my child,
and relieving him from the trouble that had
come upon him. The first notice | received
Of his being awake. was his g%ratifed exnla'
nation at finding his lost arrow beside him.
All his past grief was forgotten. In a few
minutes he was down in the yard, shooting
his arrow again, and as happy as before
No trace of his recent grief remained.
But | could not forget il. With me the
circumstance was not as the morning cloud
and the early dew. The sunshine that came
a%fterward did not dissipate instantly tho one
nor drink up the other. was sober for ma
ny hours afterwards; for the consciousness
of having done wrong, as well as Of having
been the occasion Of grief to my child, lay
with a heavy pressure upon my feelings
Ladies' Wreath.