Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1858-07-24
Through My Neighbours Windows.
BY JENNY MARSH PARKER,

children that live in them are the truth-tellers
of the matter The little Burnsbys never
went caroling across that pretty lawn, with
| halt the glee in their hearts that the little
Hartleys shout out when they bound up the
old iockerv stairs The little Bunsbys walk
fast when going away from home, and the
browntaced Hartley boys are out OF breath
when they return to theirs.
But am telling neighborhood secrets
Mrs. Bunsby has wealth. kind husband and
many friends, but with great deal of trouble
and heart-aching. The youngest of her three
boys is now nine years old, and as she sadly
admits, "bcyond her control" She cannot
keep her children at home-that is the bur-
den of her lament-they will run in the streets
with idle boys and Charley, her first born,
spends his evenings at the tavern. She can
not foresee wherein she has been negligent In
her duty No mother was ever less guilty
of foolish indulgence. She kept them IN
church and Sunday school as long as she
could-she never allowed them to associate
with bad boys-she dressed them well ana
sent them to the best schools. She Is sure
they cannot complain of an unpleasant home.
There is not house in the village more neat
| ly kept than hers She cannot see why Prov
idence alflcts her so.
Yes, her house is the neatest one III the VII
lage. Woe betide Charlie, Frank. or ROBIN,
| if they carry in any dir, raise dust, dlsar-
lange the furniture, or disturb the precisely
oiled up books on the siLtng-room table,
There is not a volume in the house her boys
care about, or could be prevailed upon to
read. The Rector tcld her that she must
give them interesting and good reading If she
would keep them at home, and those three
books so squarcly placed upon the mantle
are the ones she selected. Only the title pa
gcs have been read and poohed at, "Twenty-
four Practical Sermons to Young Men,"
The History of the African Missions; ;" aud,
"Lives of Eminent Oratols.' Rather un-
tempting food for minds without an appetite.
| | should Ike to spend my evenings with
good, industrious Mrs. Bunsbv, who sits and
stitches away so patiently. fOrgetful OF every
thing but her work, while her husband reads
the Tribune to himself, or oftener, snores in
his chaiL. should not dare propose game
or frolic with the children, for We should
surely raise q dust, make noise, and perhaps
mar be furniture Chess, backgammon or
checkers it were not eXpedient to mention.
The books are prosy and dull-marvcous
and funny stories are not approved. Oh
dear No wonder Charlie runs off to tie
tavern, preierring the smoky bar-room to
such plson-hOuse.
Mrs. Hartley, that lives over in the old
house is a poor widow, and earns her living
by binding shoes. Her three boys work
hard all day and hurry home at night, never
stopping at the tavern or des:ing to. Old
Aunt Fanny, on the corner, regulates her
meal time by their whistling, as they go from
their tong. Mrs. Bunsby looks sadly
through her lace curtains over to the Old
house and wonders why the Hartley boys
are steady and spend their evenings at home );
they have no father to restrain them, and she
should not care about staying long In such
low, dingy room.
/ wish she could 90 into the attic of that
OLD house and see the play-roOm they used to
enjoy before they had to work, and when
they were out of school. The playthings are
chiefly of L" home manufacture, balls, nine
pins, swings hoops, go carts, water wheels,
wihdmlls, kites, etc. etc. There is w lilies
rocking horsc-no graceful piece Of workman
ship to be sure, but he and Archie made it.
The prettiest Shetland never gave more plea
sure to a prince. The house has shook many
times with the uprt ar in that old garret, and
the mother has laid down her work and hur-
ried up stairs, not to reprove, but to enjoy
their gIee.
Archie, her oldest boy, early showed a me-
chanical skill, and she did all she could to
cultivate 1t. She toilcd early and late to OBJ
tain few carpenters tools for him. He had
his bench in the family room, anl there he
works until midnight. Something is growing
in his BRAIN and under his mechanical hand,
a little invention that his brother artisans
watch with wandering expectancy. She sits
by his bench with hopes in her heart that
radiatc life to his His rough bench is no
ornament to her little room, and his clippings
fall plentiluly on her cleanly swept floor but
he is safe at home with her, and that is every
thing.
And while he works and whistles, Leddy
his younger brother, sits beside him, his face
aglow over his book. Leddy was called a
dull boy at school,-he hated study and
books. His thoughtful mother devised re-
medy. She must first let him read what he
would, and then guide him upward from that
point, step by step.-She bought him q RO-
binson Crusoe" and went without Sunday
gown. She was more than repaid by the in
terest with which he read it, three times
through. Then she awakened his interest in
the author, and borrowed for him the life oi
De Foe, which he read eagerly. His curOsi.
ty was awakened to know more of the plague
of 1868 aud Monmouth's Rebcllion.-She
obtained the books from the Rector's library
and Leddy was invited to draw from it when
ever he chOOse--and does not neglect the
privilege.
Willie's eyes are so weak ka cannot read
He gets his chess-men but looks 1lesparingly
at both Archie and Leddy. His mother sees
his pleading face, hesitates a moment, ther
lays aside her stitching, and her heart glows
with the light kindling in her eyes. You
would laugh to see those chess-men. Willie
made them. The kings look like the steeple
on the old Baptist meeting house, the queen;
are modelled after the same pattern with {
slight deviation. The rOoi,s are spools The
bisholA wear most uneclesiastical mitras the
knights are heroes bravely mounted on spoos
The pawns are buttons. The black pieces
are colored in ink. The storm without that
shakes and rattles the old house is forgotten
10y the happy group within. And thus tie
poor widow guards her fatherless boys, build
ing bulwark of peace ard happiness for her
, self and them, while blind Mrs. Bunshy sits
in grevous anxiety, perplexing herself with
the riddle she cannot read, and wondering
why God should lay His hand so heavily up
Y on her.
/ Yes, children will love to be where they
are made the happiest. They will not sta.
s where there is no charm to keep them if the.
D can break away. What conduces most tt
e Our pleasure and ease, is often but weari
t some restraint and cruel taxation to them
We must make our homes a glad SPOT fo
:. our children, as we'll as resting place 70
ourselves, if we would find them there in hap
piest content.
} Railroad Accident.
New ORLEANS, July 16.