Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1857-09-10
T b Q ury M a n.
A SKETCH.
BY MRS. L. MARIA CHILD.

i Peter Barker belonged to that numerous elias
who are neither better nor worse than othe
men. Left an orphan in his infancy. the path
of life were rough and lonely in the outset. H
had violent temper and good heart. Tn
first was often reused into activity, and punish
ed with energy kindred to its OWE the last IT
manned almost undeyeloped. for waLt of gems
circumstances, and reciprocated affection. On
softening CLEAN fell upon his early path. and b
loved it like the sunshine, without comprehend
ing the great law of attraction that made it S
very pleasant.
he always walked home with little girl name
Mary Williams. On the playground he wa
with her, always ready to do battle with any
body who disobliged her. Their comrade
laughed and called him Mary's beau; and the
lblushed and felt awkward, though they had N
idea what counting meant Things had arrived
at this state of half-revealed consciousness, h
being fourteen years old and Mary twelve, whel
her friends removed to the West, and the warn
bright influence passed out of his life. He new
| err rightly knew whether lac was in love with Ma
ry, but years afterwards, when people talked t
him about marrying, he thought of her, wonder
| ing where she was, and whether she remember
ed him. When he drove his cows home iron
pasture, the blackberry bushes on the way bro
up visions of his favorite sehoolmate, with he
clean cape-bonnet thrown back, her glossy
brown hair playing with the winds, and her in
nocent face smiling upon him with friendl.
greeting. "She was the best and prettest chilli
ever saw" he would often say to himself;
wonder whether she would be as pleasant now.
Sometimes he thought of going to the West ant
| seeking her out But he knew not where t.
find her; his funds were SMALL and his courage
fell at the thought Oh, it is many years since
we were children together. Perhaps ! should
find her married. Gradually this one ray o
poetry faded out of his soul, and all his thoughts
fell into the common prosaic mold. His lot wa
cast with rough people, who required muci
work, and gave little sympathy. The image 0
| his little mate foated further and further away
and more and more seldom her clear blue eyes
smiled upon hum through the rainbow mists o
the past, or from the air-castles of the future
In process of time he married, after the same
fashion that a large proportion of men do, be
cause it was convenient to have wife, ant
there was woman of good character IN the
neighborhood, willing to marry whoever mrs.
offered her respectable home. Her character
bore the stamp of harmless mediocrity. She
was industrious and patient, but Ignorant, dun
aud quietly obstinate The neighbors said she
was we'll suited to him, he WIS so rough and
passionate; and in the main he thought SO him
self though her imperturbable calmness some
times fretted him as the rock chafes the lashine
ocean into foam. The child that was born to
them they both loved better than they had ever
loved and according to their light, they SIN
cerely strove to do their duty. HIS bodily wants
were we'll supplied often at the cost OF grea'
WEAKNESS and selfsacrifce; but their own rude
training had given them few good ideas con
corning the culture of an immortal soul The
infant did more for them, than they for him.
Angelic influences, unseen and unheard amio
the hard struggles of their outward life, became
visible and audible through the unconscious
innocence of their little one. For the second
time in his life, vision of beauty and love
CLEANED across the rugged path of that honest
aborious man. Vague impressions OF beauty
he had constantly received from the great pau
Drama of the Universe His heart sometimes
welcomed bright flower i'll the sunshine, or 9
cluster of lilies on the stream; he marvelled
at the splendor of the rainbow, and sometimes
gazed reverently at the sun sinking to rest II
his rich drapery of purple and gold. But THESE
were glimpses of the Infinite their beauty dc
not seem to appertain to him; it did not ehtel
like magic charm into the sphere of ms OWL
existence, as did the vision of Mary WlliamS
and his own,itte Joe.s The dormant tenderness
there was in him leaped up at the smile of his
babe, and every pressure of the little fingers
made dimple in the fathers heart. Like the
outbursts of Spring, after long, cold Winter
was this revelation of infancy to him. When
he plodded home, after a hard days work, II
rested him, body and soul, to have the little one
spring into his ms for a kiss, or come toddling
along, fitting his little porringer of milk in ca
gerness to eat his supper on his fathers knee.
But though this new influence seemed tC
have an almost miraculous power upon his ma
ture, it could not quite subdue the power O
temperament and habit. AS the darling babe
grew into boyhood, he was sometimes cherish
ed with injudicious fondness, and sometimes re
PEELED by bursts of passion, that made him ruI
and hide himself from the over-indulgent father
Mr.. Barker had himself been educated under
the dispensaton ofpunishlnent rather than at
traction, and he believed in it most firmly. /
his son committed fault, he thought ofno cure
but severity. If neighbor did him an i'll turn
he would observe in presence of his boy, vii
watch my chance to pay him for 1t If the dog
stole their dinner, when they were at work il
the woods, he would say, Run after him, Joe
and give the rascal sound beating When he
saw the child fighting with some larger lad who
had offended him, he would praise his strength
and courage and tell him never to put up will
an insult He was not aware that all those
things were education and doing far more t.
form his sons character than anything he learn
ed at school. He did not know it because hi.
thoughts had never been directed toward it.
The only moral instruction he received was from
the minister of his parish and he usually preach
ed about the hard heartedness of Jews, two
thousand years ago, rather than the errors anc
temptations of the men and boys who sat before
him.
Once he received an admonition from hi,
neighbour Goodwin, which, being novel and I'M
expected, offended him as an impertnent inter
ference with his rights. He was riding home
with Joe, then lad of thirteen, when the horse
took fright at a piece of white paper that the
wind blew across the road. Mr. Barker wa
previously in an i'll humor, because a suddeI
squall had wet some fine hay, all ready for the
| barn. Pursuing the system on which he ha(
himself been educated he sprang to the GROUND
and commenced TO cudgel the poor beast mos
numerically. Mr.. Goodwin, who happened tt
| be passing by, enquired the cause of so much
severity, and demonstrated against it; assuring
! him that a horse was never cured of bad habits
by violence. He spoke mildly, but Mr.. Barke
was irritated, and having told him to mind hi
own business, he continued to whip the poo
frightened animal. The humane neighbor
turned away. saying, That's very bad lessor
| for your son, Mr.. Barker
| If you say much more, | will fog you, in
stead of the horse muttered the angry man
1t isn't his horse. What business is it to him
He did not reflect in what narrow circuit h(
was mailing up the sympathes of his child b.
these words. But when he was re-seated in tn
wagon, he did not feel altogether pleased wit
| himself, ana MS inward uheasiness was eApeH
| ded on the horse. The poor bewildered animal
covered with foam, and breathing short and hard
tried his utmost to do his masters will, as far a
he could understand it. But nervous and tel
rified; constantly in expectation OF the whip, Ii
started at every sound. 1.-The went too fast, h
was refined in with a sudden jerk, that tor
the corners of his mouth if he went too slow
the cruel crack of the whip made him tear owe
the ground, to be again restrained by the vic
lent jerk
The sun was setting, and threw a radiant glo'
on every tree and little shrub, jeweled by the re
cent shower Cows grazed peacefully in tn
verdant hollows, birds sang, a little brook ripple
costly by the wayside, winds played gently wit
the flowers, and kissed the rain-drops from thei
faces. But all this loneliness passed unheede
by human hearts, because they had at the me