Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1853-07-13

IuHtcleu py MS drunken father. The bone
was depressed, and when the external iniu-
jury was repaired by nature and skill it was
found that he was hopeless idiot, not
knowing his own name, his grandma, his
father nor ths affectionate face of his own
dear mother The past was blank to him
unknown and the present; it was all
like the dark secrets of the future-myste-
riously hidden.
For hoFs together the little child would
sit, taxing MS fragile mind as to the man
ner In which he could construct dollhouse,
on the principles Of the square, but with
out success !; and when his mother would
-showhi, and build it up until he smiled
SO pleased was he at the simple dollhouse,
and when by some act of his it would be
suddenly demolished he would lay his lit
tie pale hands submissiyely together say
ing
"Thy will be done"
Kind hearted ones, who sympathized with
little Willie and his grieving mother, vain
ly strove tohold rational conversation with
the poor idiot child they would smooth
his head asking him who was his father
And he would always raise his moist blue
eyes skyward saying
"OUR FATHER which art in Heaven p
Alas the poor child knew no other. At
times it was with great difficulty that he
could be prevailed upon to receive any nour-
ishment, and when it was laid before him
his face would often beam with the emo
tions of gratitude and his lips would rever-
emily lisp
Give US this day our daily bread" :.
When the winds blew and the storms
howled when the rains fell rudely and the
blaze of the swift lightning's torch flew
through the clouds as a. fiery arrow and
when the deep intonation of Jehovah's ma.
jestic voice was heard in the roll of the
chariot of thunder on its highway of clouds
shaking earth's pillar, the child would seek
refuge in its mothers arms, saying implo
ringly:
Deliver us from evil"
And when his mother would take hin
by the hand, and walk with him by tht
hedges through the green meadows anC
along the little babbling rill that he Nigh
hear the singing birds, pluck the fragran
flowers and see the playing Of the silver,
fishes, his prayer would be:
Lead us not in temptation"
And when his mother would point hin
to the green hills afar off, to the blue vaul
of the skies with its thousand twinklin;
stars shining brightly, and to the air riding
9oaps Rs s sha would 15 3 bow 5E ers md viii
deep emotion exclaim
THINE is the power, and the glory for
ever and ever p
The idle, vacant, unmeaning stare tha
was always painfully visible on poor littl
Willie'S face, where once bright reason shone
was constant source of bitter reproof to tn
wretched father. Day and night the pale
emotionless face seemed to haunt him-th
thin lips, the bloodless checks, the pinche,
features, the smooth brow and the larg
moist blue eyes were ever before him an
the entire body of the frail child itself seem
ed ever to be floating along before hin
half lisping-half singing its endless strai
of the prayer that Christ taught his dis
r ciples and the multitude coming fro1
Galilee, from Decapolis, from Jerusalem
from Judea and from beyond the Jordan
listen to His teachings. He was wretcl
ed father
Not many moons had flown after the f:
4ftal occurrence ere the poor mans plysics
energies had become weary Of beating tin
with its pulses, and he laid down his fes
in sore weariness, and the Angel of Deaf
claimed it as feast for the worms WI
: dwell in the deep grave, andit was yielde,
/ and the spirit was given to the judgment,
9 its Omnipotent Creator. The wife Of h
S bosom vept orcr the cold corpse and clur
t to it as if she never would release her clai
to it, but it grew in her arms cold, ST
e and lifeless and men came and carried
S away, and laid it in a deep grave close
o where Humphrey Holbrook and little E
e erette sleeps beneath the weeping willo
|. tree. The flowers have bloomed long sin
: Ger the new made tomb and the bow Of Gt
), has more than once beamed on their grave