Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-04-12
DAILY EVENING STAifss.. E. :.
FORGIVE HIM" d
BY SYLVANt-s com rp

: II.
Forgive him said Mrs. Stearn
90. Lowell, forgive him To- -
The speaker was an aged woman A.,
widow. Her head was wh;te with -
frost OF years, and her mild features we,
deeply marked by the hand of finn,
There was a tear in her eve, and her faf
was clouded with sorrow. She smoke |
her Son, q middle-sged, strong feature
person, whose countenanee betrayed
hrm-willed, unloading heart, but We
appeared an upright, honorable 10 an.
Forgive him r. repeated the white
halred widow, as she raised her tremL
ing hands towards her son. He. j
your brother-your only brother. o. i
you Know your own heart, you will for
"Never !" spoke Lowell Stearns in
hrm' deep tone. John has wronce,
me-and should lie to my own son,
were l to forgive him now" ="
And have not you wronced h,r, o.
asked the widow, impressiyely.
Il wronged him How q,
BY withholding from him your love
by treating him harshly, and causing him
TO sln' answered his mother, kindly.
Cease, mother. When you saw that
| have caused him to sin, you are mis-.
taken. He has chosen his own path.
and now he must travel in it,
Lowell, you are the Oldest, and from
you should come the love that can alone
4eal the wound between yourself and
Listen to me, mother, said the stub
oorn man, with spice of bitterness in
his tone !" John has been unjust to me:
he has been unman!y and unkind. He
has injured me beyond reparation.n
q" No, no, Lowell, ;" Quickly interrnotcd
his mother {; "not beyond reparation ;,
Yes-he has injured my feelings by
tne most fatal darts Of malice and i'll
Will lie has lied about me to nv friends
and even assailed my private character. II
ana can you not forgive all this %
she asked, tenderly.
Perhaps might" returned Lowell |
otra-ns; "but, " he added, in boarse tome
while his frame quivered with deep feel,
ng' "he has done more than that. Hel
mas spoken of my wife, and. But |
his" - o''0 N'N'
lhe Strong man sank into a chair as
ne spoke, and for some moments b;S
mother was silent. At length She AN.
'roached him and laid her hand upon his
Forgive him :" she WHISPERED.
/
~ "snrg,ve fo., him. and be happy. Alas,
ny SON. yoq % Are not h..r.
nth your brother. o, why will you let
his breach grown wider I! You know
hat all this commenced from n mere
misunderstanding between you, and now
'ou are helping to make it worse. III
NOW you will tell me that you have done
lothing to harm John, but if you will
ook into your own bosom, you will find
hat it is filled with hatred towards him.
lie knows this, and he acts accordingly.
lie is more ,impulsiye than you are, but
lis heart is as kind as yours, and he is
Ill generosity and love to his friends.
More than forty years have passed over
Johns head, and during all that time he
never spoke one unkind word to his poor I
mother s-l a.r5'--4ssl ~
"And did ever speak unkindly to you, |
ny mother z" asked Lowell, in half
lushed voice. --aa !, - ...-
'No, no. You and John had. both |
Kind hearts, and it grieves me sorely to
see you as you are now. 1t grieves me to
see you both SO unhappy. All, Lowell. |
fear that you do not realize how mol lie |
a thing it is to forgive those who have
injured you"
Lowell Stearns made reply to bis
mother. lie saw that she was unhappy,
and he knew that he himself was un.
happy also. In former years be had
loved his brother; and he knew that he
had been faithfully loved in return. The
trouble which had so unfortunately
them had been trivial in its
bat Lowell's sternness of will
and Johns hastiness of temper had kept
the fire on the increase. The first fault
had belonged to the younger brother, but
a word of explanation at the time might
have healed it without trouble; now,
however, the affair had become deep and
dangerous, and there was but one way
for remedy. The way the aged mother
would point out.
lowell" continued Mrs. Stearns,
speaking in a trembling tcne, Il can
spend but few short days longer on
earth. l feel that the sands in my glass
nave most all run out, but before I de-
part, hope [ may meet my two boys
together in love-I hope I may see them
once more bound together in the sweet
bonds of friendship. When you were
babes, nursed you and cared for you,
and tried to do mothers duty. /
tried to make you both fit for the great
world. AS you grew older, | promised
myself full share of happiness in your
compapionship, and naught has come TO-
dim the JOY of my widowed heart till this
sad cloud lowered upon me. l love my
children love them both ike-and
yet they love not each other. Lowell, my
son, one things weighs heavy upon me.
Should this thing last till | am dead, then
how will you and John meet by the side
of my corpse? How will you feel when
YOU come to -" ..-...
Hush, my mother" uttered the stout
man, trembling like reed. ''Say no
more now. This evening | will speak to
you my mind"
: John Stearns sat in his easy chair in his