Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1857-02-25
FORGIVE HIM
BY sILVANUs CoBB,JF

b1 , Il V a N y W ID y D.
"Forgive him y said Mrs. Stearns. ooh,
Lowell, forgive him !"
The speaker was an aged woman and a
widow. Her head was white with the frost
of years, and the mild features were deeply
marked by the hand Of time. There was a
tear in her eye, and her face was clouded
with sorrow. She spoke to her son, a mid
dle-aged, strong featured person, whose
~countenance betrayed a Grm-willed, IN
bending heart, but yet appeared an upright
honorable man.
"Forgiva him p repeated the white
haired widow, as she raised her trembling
hands towards her son. "He is your
brother, your only brother. Oh, if you
know your own heart you will forgive him."
"Never !' spoke Lowell Stearns, in a
firm, deep tone. "John has wronged me
and l should lie to my own soul were |
to forgive him."
"And have you not wronged him p
asked the widow, impressively.
81 wronged him? How 2"
"By Withholding from him your love,
by treating him harshly, and causing him
to SIM" answered his mother, kindly.
"Cease, mother. When you say l have
caused him to sin, you are mistaken. He
q has chosen his own path, and now he must
travel in it,"
"Lowell, you are the oldest, and fronl
you should come that love that can alone
3 heal the wound between yourself and
John"
g "Listen to me, mother" said the stub
born man, with a spice of bitterness in his
d tone. "John has been unjust to me-he
= has been unmanly and unkind. He has
d injured me beyond PREPARATION"
e "No, no, Lowell, quickly interrupted his
mother, mot beyond reparation."
"YeS-he has injured my feelings by the
: most fatal darts of malice and ill-will. He
has lied about rue to my friends, and ever
u assailed my private character"
"Aud can you not forgive all this p shC
TO asked tenderly.
d "Perhaps | might" returned Lowell
Slearns; "but," he added, in a hoarse tone
h while his fame quivered with deep feeling
che had done more than that. He ha,
10 spoken of my wife, and But | will
a not tell it all. | cannot forgive him this.
The strong man sank into a chair as h
spoke, and for some moments his mothe
I'd was silent. Atlength she approached anc
ID laid her hand upon his head.
in "Forgive him p she whispered.
k, "Never y uttered Lowell.
= "Forgive him, and be happy. Alas, m
to son, you are not happy now, nor can 20
be, so long as you are at enmity with you
: brother. o, why will you allow this breac'
T to grow wider? You know that all thi
= commenced from a mere misunderstanding
. > between you. and now you are helping
make it worse. / know you will tell m
Sd that you have lone nothing to harm Johr
IS but if you will look into your own bosor
you will find that it is filed with hatre
ed towards him. He knows this, and he act
rs accordingly. He is more impulsive tina
ed you are, but his heart is as kind as your;
and he is all generosity and love to hi
friends. More than forty years have pa:
sed over Johns head, and during all tina
gu time, he never spoke one unkind word
es- his poor old mother"
lat "And did l ever speak unkindly to you
of my mother ?' asked Lowell.
to "No, no. You and John had both kin
hearts, and it grieves me sorely to see yc
ID. as you are now 1t grieves me to see yc
~ both so unhappy. All, Lowell, l fear th
- you do not realize how noble a thing it
to forgive those who have injured you"
Lowell Stearns made no reply to b
her mother. He saw that she was unhapp
and he knew that he himself was unhapl
Ter also.
ing In former years he had loved his mothe
M and he knew that he had been faithful
beloved in return. The trouble which b
:. so unfortunate separated them had be
trivial in its beginning, but Lowell $ stel
ness of will aud Johns hastiness of temp
=" had kept the fire on the increase. L
70 first fault bad belonged tothe younger bro
OF er. but a word of explanation at the ii
might nave healed it without any furtt
'ur- trouble now, however, the affair had
she come deep and dangerous, and there '
nth but one way for remedy. That way
,th, AGED mother would point out.