Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1855-06-27

the easy chair before the fire.
Tho the boardcrs appeared to coniide
in the strangers honesty, it was not so in
Mrs. Franklin With suspicious caution
she collected her silver spoons pepper
box and porringer from her closet, and
after securing the parlor door by sticking
a fork over the latch, carried the valua-
bles to her chamber, charging the negro
man to sleep with his clothes on, to take
the great clever to bed with him and to
awaken and seize the vagrant at the first
noise he should make in attempting to
plumber
Mrs. Franklin rose before the sun rous-
ed her domestics, and was quite agreeabIy
surprised to find her terrific guest quietly
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 boarders.
And pray sir" said Mrs. Franklin,
" as you appear to be stranger in Bos-
ton, to what distant country do you be-
long?"
belong, madam, to the colony OF
Pennsylvania and reside in Philadelphia. y
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 ear,
nest anxiety of mother suffused her eye;
"why, if you live in Philadelphia, perhaps
you know my Ben ?"
Who, madam ?"
"Ben Franklin, my dear Ben-oh, how
I would give the world'to see him He is
the dearest son that ever blessed mother
"What! is Ben Franklin, the printer
your son? Why he is my most intimate
friend. He and | work together, and
lodge in the same ROOM"
ooh! heaven, forgive me p exclaimed
the lady, raising her fearful eyes, "and ]
have suffered a friend of my own Ben tc
sleep upon this chair, while myself rest
ed upon soft bed /"
Mrs. Franklin then told her unknown
guest, that though he had been absent
from her ever since he was child, she
should not fail to know him among q
thousand strange faces for there was q
natural feeling in the breast of every
mother, which would enable her, without
the possibility of mistake, to recognize
her son in any disguise he might assume
Franklin doubted, and took leave tc
dispute his mothers proposition on the
power of natural feeling He said he
had tried this 4 natural feeling" in his
own mother, and found it deficient in the
nOyUop che acoribo6
And did not your mother" inquired
she. not know you? or if she did not
seem to know you, an evidence that she
saw something in your appearance which
was dear to her, SO that she could not re
sist treating you with particular tender
ness and affection ?"
"No, indeed" replied Franklin she
neither 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. I knew 1 was in my
mothers house. and had a claim npon her
hospitality and therefore you may sup
pose when she peremptorily commanded
me to leave the house [ was in no hurry
to obey"
Surely" interrupted his mother, "she
could not have treated you so unmotherly
without some cause"
| gave ner none," replied the Doctor
{" She would tell you herself, had al
ways been dutiful son-that she dotted
upon me, and that when | came to her
house as a stranger, my behaviour was
scrupulously correct and respectful 1t
was stormy night, and I had been alb
sent so long that had become stranger
in the ploce. | told my mother this, and
yet so little she was influenced by that
natural feeling" of which you speak
that she absolutely refused me bed, and
would hardly suffer what she called my
presumption in taking seat at the table
But this was not the worst no sooner
was the supper ended, than my good
mother told me with an air of solemn
earnestness that I must leave her house. y
Franklin then proceeded to describe
the scene at the front door-the snow
drift that came opportunity into the entry
his appeal to her natural feeling" of
mother-her unnatural and unfeeling re-
lection of his prayer-and, finally, her
very reluctant compliance with the solici-
tations of other persons in his behalf
that he was permitted to sleep on a chair :
Every word of this touching recital
went home to the heart of Mrs. Frank
lin, who could not fail to perceive that it
was true narrative of the events on the
preceding night in her house and while
she endeayored to escape from the self re-
proach that she had acted the part of an
unfeeling mother, she could not easily re-
sist the conviction that the stranger who
becomes more and more interesting to her
as he proceeded in his discourse, was in
deed her own son. But when she obser-
we'd the tender expressiveness of his. eyes
as he feelingly recapitulated the scircum-
stances under which she attempted to
turn him shelterless into the street, her
maternal conviction overcome all re-
naming doubt, and she threw herself into
his arms, exclaiming -
:" 1t must belt must be my own dear
Ben p
BRONZE STATUARY.