The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1855-03-14
gettfteo Gale,
The Sensitive Mother.
"A LESSON FOR MOTHERS AND LOVERS

A LESSON FOR MOTHERS AND LOVERS.
"When you are married, Isabel, and have
children of your own, you will then know
how much love you."
az know you love me, dear mother. If /
did not acknowledge and understand your
love, what should be but the most ungrate-
full Of living beings!" .,..s.
"No one who is not a mother herself can
rightly understand mothers love. What
you feel for me, and what you fancy feel
for you, come no nearer the reality, Isabel,
than the chirp Of the sparrow does to the
song of the nightingale. The fondest child
does not fully return the love of the coolest
mother.pE4rI .lh'-. i5.#
Tears came into Isabels eyes, for her
mother spoke in tender querulous accents
Of funcomplaining wrong, which went to the
daughters. heart. Mrs. Gray was one OF
those painfully introspective people who
live on themselves; who think no one loves
as they love, no one suffers as they suffer;
who believe they give their hearts blood to
receive back ice and snow, and who pass
their lives in agonizing those they would die
to benefit. A more orely.hearted woman,
in her own opinion, never existed, although
er,husband had, she thought, certain af-
fectoh from habit for her, but any real heart
sympathy, love equal to her fond alteration
of him, was no more like her own feelings
than stars are equal to noon-day sun.
"Not bad simile, my DEAR" Mr.. Gray
once answered, with his pleasant smile
"'since the stars are suns themselves; and il
we could change our point of view we nigh;
find them even bigger and brighter than our
own sun. Who knows but after all, l, who
am m-such clod compared to you--who am
you say, so cold and nimaginative-that
my star is not a bigger, stronger sun than
yours" g +. Ia.g.
His wife gave back pale smile of pa.
tient suffering, and said sadly, "Ah, Herbert
ifyou knew what agony endure when you
turn my affection into ridcule, you woult
surely spare me-" si-..a!.. -.... d.
The frank, joyous husband was, as he ex
pressed it, "shut up for the evening"" Ant
then Mrs. Gray wept gently, and called her.
self the 'sfamily kill-joy."
With her daughter it was the same. Isa
bel's whole soul was devoted to her mother
She was the center round which that youns
existence steadily revolved. The daughter
had not thought of which her mother was
not the principal object--not wish o
which her mother was not the actuatins
spirit; yet Mrs. Gray could never be brough
tobelieve that her daughters love equale,
hers by countless degrees. Isabel worke'
with her, played to her, read to her, walke'
with her, lived for her. "Duty, my Isabel
is. not love, and / am not blind enough t.
mistake the one for the other" This wa
all the reward Isabel received. When sh
fell in love- as she did with Charles Hough
ton, Mrs. Gray's happiness was at an end
Henceforth her life was one long, weak
wall of desolation. She was nothing now
her child had cast her out of her heart, an
had given the dearest place to another; he
own child, her Isabel, her treasure, her life
her soul. ii Her hour had passed, but deaf
seemed to have forgotten her. No one love
her now. She was a oyn-trodden worm
poor, despised old woman; an unlove
childIess widow! All! why could she nj
die! What sin had she committed to be 8
sorely tried! 10, ,.a5 s.t.a,e a7a 'l -
Isabel had many sorrowful hours, an
held many long debateswith her conscienct
asking herself more than once whether sh
ought to give up her engagements wit
Charles Houghton il its continuance mad
heF mother so unhappy; also whether th
right thing was not always the most painfd
But her conscience did not make out
clear case OF fIial obligation to this exten
for there was a duty due to her betrothed
and Isabel felt she had no right to triae wit
any man after having taught him to love hel
She owed the first duty to her parents, br
she,waa NOT free from obligation c'hef 10y
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