The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-09-27

nle, a very small quantity of furniture and q
rev hundred rix-dollars, was all that the widow
nao ieit. Ii was stern and heavy blow for
ner Ola age, to be obliged to leave the dwelling
mat contained all her dearest recollections
But the bltterest stroke of all to her was the
conviction that her dear boy would be Obliged
to give up his studies; and it was not STRANGE
If everything looked dim and cheerless in her
soul, as she lett her beautiful home. and repair.
ed TO the little gray cottage, where she was to
spend the remainder of her life.
The first sunbeam which shone THROUGH this
great darkness was letter from Frank. written
IN terms OF the deepest sorrow for the affI;ction
when mad befalcn his dear mother. Every
WORD was full OF affection. He would strive and
labor, and 1t would 60 well with him; with the
blessings OF the best of mothers, he trusted
that God would grant to him a fortunate result
70 ms exerhons; and then, doubly sweet would
be the reward, which had been purchased bv
necessity and self.denial. Thus wrote Frank.
and not enough that he so wrote-he Thought
so'Mso. His nobleness of soul, his all.sacri6
eng devotion, reawakened the dull and stricken
energies OF his mother to new life and vigor.
She began to think of all kinds of expedients.
partly 10 gain her own maintenance, and part.
ly to be enabled to provide her darling with
some tribe now and then. Various underta
kings were tried, but were not very successful
then Mrs. Mannerstedt remembered that. in her
earlier days, when her home and table were
among the best in the town of B. her cuests
had always praised her home ,brewed beer. AZ
will brew and sell it," she exclaimed, with a
sensation of Joy.
Mrs. Mannerstedt commenced her brewing
with brave and joyous heart, and it succeed,
cd admirably; she put her own hand to every
thug and when warmly clothed she sat and
filled her bottles fcom the casks, and held out
the wax candle, in her cold, shaking hand to
see If it ran fresh and clear. 1t might happen.
sometimes as she thought OF the dear old father
who had gone to his rest, and of her own better
days, tear would trickle over her furrowed
cheek; but it quickly dried, as she considered
that her exertions might possibly in some meas
ure relieve and help her son, as she had heard
OF his uninterrupted labors, and also that his
necessities were becoming every day more
pinching, so that he had been obliged to dis.
pose OF his watch and several articles of value.
When Mrs. Mannerstedt thought of all this,
and saw how the beer foamed and sparkled.
there arose also beam of happiness in her
heart, for she hoped to be able to aid Frank :
and, with light steps and as light heart. she
would spring into her little shop, and deliver a
bottle of her good beer in exchange for an
eighth-shiling piece. When she was fortunate,
she sometimes sold dozen bottles in day.
Who, then, was happier than Mrs. Manner
stedt-a mother alone can fully conceive it
when she had saved the sum Of twenty rix.dol-
lars? 1t was a day of rejoicing, and she went
to her old friend and adviser Counsellor Silver,
who with great pleasure undertook to send the
money to an old friend of his in Lind for if
Frank found that his mother had been denying
EQrSalf md C.. T.
him, he would have starved, or frozen. before
he would have accepted the merest tri1e eau
ton, therefore, was necessary, and the old
Counsellor, being man of business, managed
to pay one of Mannerstedt's most pressing
debts with the money; and as long as the
mother had anything to nourish herself with,
the stream never ceased to flow for Franks ben
eft also.
REMAINDER OF CHAP. V. NEXT WEEK