Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1856-05-16
e She ha, outliyed her Usefulnss...r

middle lie, came to our door asking Iol
|"the minister when informed that be
was out Of town, he seemed disappointed
and anxious. On being questioned as &c
his business. he replied; II have lost my
mother, and as this place used to be her
home, and my father lies here, we have
come to lay her beside him."
Our heart rose in sympathy. and we
said, /" You have met with great loss. .
/" well-yes." replied the strong man.
with hesitancy. ga mother is a great loss
in general but our mother has outliyed
her usefulness she was in her second
childhood. and her mind was grown as
weak as her body. SO that she was no
comfort to herself. and was a burden to
Everybody. There were seven Of us sons
and daughters and as We could not End
auy body who WAS wil>iDg 10 board her,
we agreed to keep her among as q year
about. But I've had more than my share
of her, for she was too feeble to be moved
when my time was out and that was
more than three months before her death.
But then she was good mother in her
days, and toiIed very hard to bring us all
up"
Without looking at the face of the
heartless man. we directed him to the
house of neighboring pastor, and re-
turned to our nursery. We gazed on the
merry little faces which smiled or grew
sad in imitation Of ours-those little ones
to whose ear no word in our language is
half so sweet as Mothers" and we won
dered if that day could ever come when
they would say of us, " She outliyed her
usefulness-she is no comfort to herself
and burden to everybody else !" and
we hoped that before such a day would
dawn, we might be taken TO our rest
God forbid that we should outlive the
love of our children ! Rather let US die
while our hearts are part Of their own,
that our grave may be watered with their
tears, and our love linked with their hopes
of heaven.
When the bell tolled for the mothers
burial, we went to the sanctuary to pay
our only token Of respect for the aged
stranger for we felt that we could give
her memory tear even though her own
children had none to shed.
"She was good mother in her day,
and toiled hard to bring us all up-she
was no comfort to herself. and burden
to eyerybody else u These cruel, heart
less words rang in our ears as we saw the
coffin borne up the aisle: The bell tolled
long and loud, until its iron tongue had
chronicled the years of the toll worn mo-
ther, One-two-three-fo
How clearly and almost merrily each
stroke told of her once peaceful slumber
in her mothers bosom, and Of her seat at
nightfall on her weary fathers knees
en-eight-nine-teu rang out
the tale of her sports upon the green
sward, In the meadow and by the brook.
E!even-twelve-thir thirteen-fourteen- fif>
teen spoke more gravely Of school days,
and little household joys and cares: Six
een-seventeen-eighteen, sounded on
the enraptured visions OF maidenhood,
and the dream Of early love. Nineteen
brought before us the happy BRIDE
Twenty spoke Of the young mother whose
heart was full to bursting with the new
strung love which God had awakened in
her bosom. And then stroke after stroke
told Of her early womanhood-of the love
and cares, and hopes and fears aud tolls
through which she passed during these
long years. till 6fty rang out harsh and
loud. From that TO sixty each stroke
told of the warm-hearted mother and
grand mother, living over again her own
ioys and sorrows in those of her children
and chiIdren's children. Every family Of
all the group wanted grandmother then,
and the only strife was who should secure
the prize; but bark ] the bell tolls on ]
Seventy-.seventy -one-.two--three.-
four. She begins 10 grow feeble, requires
some care, is not always perfectly patient
or satisfied she goes from one child's
house to another, so that NO one place
seems like home. She murmurs in plain
tive tones, and after all her toll and wea>
riness, it is hard she cannot be allowed
home TO die in that she must be sent,
rather than invited, from house 10 house.
Eighty-eighty.o o-.three-four->
ah, she is now second child-now "she
has outlved her usefulness. she has now
ceased to be comfort TO herself or any
body :" that is. she has ceased 10 be pro-
fitable to her earth-craving money-grasp-
ing children.
Now sounds out. reyerbrating through
our lovely forests. and echoing back from
our hill of the dead" Eigbty-nine !
there she now lies in the coffin, cold and
slill-she makes no trouble now, demands
no love, no soft words, no tender little
offices. A look of patient endurance, we
fancied also an expression of grief for un-
requited love sat on her marble features.
Her children were there, clad in weeds Of
woe, and in irony we remembered the
strong mans words, She was good
mother in her day"
When the bell ceased tolling, the
strange minister rose in the pulpit. His
form was very erect. and his voice strong,
but his hair was silvery white. He read
several passages Of scripture expressive Of
God's compassion to feeble man, and es.