Plymouth advertiser. [volume] (Plymouth, Ohio) 1853-1988, 1855-05-26

candle was relighted, the Doctor cast
woful lock at the door, and thus addressed
his mother:
My dear madam, can You turu me out
in this storm? l am a stranger in this
town, and will perish in the street. You
look like charitable LADY, should not
think you could turn dog from your
house this cold and stormy night
Don't talk Of charity, replied his moth.
er charity begins at home. 1t is your
own fault, not mine, that you have tarricd
so long. To Le plain with you, sir, do
not like either your looks or your con-
duct. and fear you have some bad design
in thus intruding yourself into my fam
| lily.
The warmth Of this parley had drawn
the company from the parlor, and by their
united interference the stranger was per-
mitted to lodge in the house; and as no
bed could be had, he consented to rest in
the easy chair before the parlor fire.
Though the boarders appeared to con.
fide in the strangers honesty. it was not
so with Mrs. Franklin, With suspicious
caution she collected her silver spoons,
pepper box and porringer from her closet
and after securir 6 her parlor door by stick
ing afork over the latch, carried the valua-
bles to her chamber, charging the negro
man to sleep with his clothes on, to take
the great cleaver to bed with him and to
waken and seize the vagrant at the first
noise he should make inattempting to plum
der.
Mrs. Franklin rose before the sun rous
ed her domestics, and was quite agreea-
bly, surprised to find her terrific guest quie-
tly sleeping in the chair. She awoke him
with cheerful good morning; inquired
how he rested, and invited him to partake
of her breakfast, which was always
served previous to that of her boar
ders.
And pray, sir, said Mrs. Franklin, 'as
You appear to be stranger in Boston,
to what distant country do you be-
long %
Il belong, madam, to the colony of
Pennsylvania, and reside in Phila lei
phia.
AT the mention of Philadelphia, the
Doctor declared he for the first time per-
ceived something like emotion in her.
PHILADELPHIA said she, while the ea:ncs:
anxiety Of mother suffused her eye: why
if you live in Philadelphia, perhaps you
know my Benz
who, MADAME
Ben Franklin; my dear Bench, how
| would give the world to see him! He
is the dearest son thae ever blessed moth
err
tWhat is Ben Franklin, the printer,
your son? Why he is my most intimate
friend. He and l work together, and lodge
in the same room
'Oh! heaven, forgive mel exclaimed the
lady, raising her fearful eyes, and have
| suffered a friend of my own Ben to sleep
upon the chair, while I myself rested up
a soft bed
Mrs Franklin then told her unknown
guest that he had been absent from her ev.
er since he was child, she could not fail
to know him among thousand strange
faces; for there was natural feeling in the
breast of every mother, which she knew
WI uld enable her, without the possibility
of mistake, to recognize her son in any
disguise he might assume.
Franklin doubted, aud took leave to dis
pute his mothers proposition on the pow
er Unnatural feeling. He said he had tried
this natural feeling in his own mother
and found it deficient in the power she as
cribed it.
'And did your mother inquired she,
mot know you? or if she did not seem to
know you, was there not, in her kindness
to to you, an evidence that she saw some
thing in your appearance which was dear
to her, so that she could not resist treat
ing you with particular tenderness and af-
fection?' ".fsf- n
No, indeed replied Franlin; she neith-
er knew me, nor did she treat me with the
least symptom of kindness. She would
have turned me out of doors but for the
interposition of strangers. She could
hardly be persuaded to allow me to sit at
her table. knew | was in my mothers
house, and had claim upon her hospital
ity; and therefore you may suppose when
she peremptorily commanded me to leave
the house, l was in no hurry to obey
Surely interrupted his mother, 'she
could not have treated you so unmotherly
without some cause 's-
Il gave her none,' replied the Doctor
She would tell you herself, had always
been dutiful son--that she doated upon
me. and, that when / came to her house
as astranger, my behavior was scrupulous-
ly correct and respectful. 1t was a.
stormy night, and I had been absent so
long that l had become stranger in the
place. told my mother this, and yet so
little she was influenced by that natural
feeling of which you speak, that she abb
solutely refused me bed, and would hard
ly suffer what she called my presumption
in taking seat at the table. But this was
not the worst; no sooner was the supper en-
ded, than my good mother told with an
air solemnly earnest, that l must leave
her house,
franklin then proceeded to describe
the scene at the front door-the snow drift
that came so opportunely into the entry
his appeal to her natural feeling of moth
er-her unnatural and unfeeling rejection
of his prayer--and, finally, her very re-
luctant compliance with the solicitation Of