The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1858-12-15
Home Without a Mother.

Mother, mother, mother! sobbed a
sweet voice, in agon;zing tones. 1t was
dark and cold In the low dismal attic but
close pressed to the frosted windows Law
the face Of Sammy uantz. His soft hair
hung over his fearful face, and his thin
hands claspod the rough window sill. and
his whole frame shook and the keen blast
iouod It's way through the crevces around
the stone chimney. 1t was sound YOU
never would torget-those half sobbed,
hat-moaued words--'Mo.her, mother
mother 2 You would have felt that little
heart was ready to burst with its unutts
rabIe weight Of sorrow, and that gyief
m'ght be tho companion of childhood, as
well AS old age.
Below stairs the fire leapt and spark
led, and crept gaily over the logs in the
fireplace; for you may find freplaces in
lngIenook even now.
Every thing was in order, and Mrs.
Hantz, the step-mother Of Sammy, was
sitting pacidly before the fire smoothing
the folds Of her clean apron, and in a self
satisfied manner sroking tabby cat
which lay in her lap.
lier taree children were sitting cozily in
little chairs 10y the lireside, and Mrs lIantz
was talking with rother who had lust
arrived to spend Thanksgiving with
them.
The wind blew fercely without, and
once, when an unusual tempest seemed to
shake the foundation Of the house. the
father turned suddenly to his wife and
said
Where is Sammy 2
Gone to bed said she tartlv.
what made him 90 so early 2 asked
Mr. Haulz. And in Il tone which precu
ded futher inquiry, his wife answered.:
Bccause lie WAS too lazy TO sit up,
suppose
For a few moments Mr. IIanm looked
oil vacantIy into corner Of the room, and
then Offering a pipe TO his brother, seem.
ed to forget that little Sammy had been
mentioned.
Eight yerrs before Mr.. IIan,z had been
sitting by the same fire>idc with his first
wife, gentle Sarah Lee. Sammy was up-
on his fathers lap, and Sarah, with her
I head upon her husbands shoulder, was
! talking Of what they would 10 when Sam
my would he old enough to have a
! Thanksgiving Of his own. perhaps Mr..
Hamtz's memory was bringing out those
old pictures in n fresh light, aud he ma,
have paused to wonder ifhe had changed
since that wife Of his first choice and pu-
rest love for the one that sat before him.
However II was, no one knew. Men are
often ashamed of their best and nohIest
thoughts, and hide them for fear ,hev
may be called unmanly.
Whether old adaye NAV be true or
not, that "a mother is the same all the
DAYS of her life, but father changes
when lie gets new wife, we do not pre-
tend to say but it was fact that the
second Mrs. Hant8 and her children, wer,
apparently first in the thoughts and aflec
tons of Mr.. Han,z.
The morrow was thanksgiving, and
from early morn had Mrs. iIantz beer
busy preparing for the great dinner of the
coming day.
More than two months before, she hat
promised Sammy, that if he was gooC
boy, and behaved himself he mi ght 20 ,t
hlS grandfather Lees to spend Thanks
giving. And the mo:heress child had
hoped and planned, and been happy upon
the events Of that day. lie had many
times gone TO bed supperess, and never
cried at all, because he fell asleep think
ing Of the dinner he should have at his
grandiathers.
Although but two miles away, his step
mother seldom allowed him 10 90 there,
because as she averred. They set him
up against her, and made him look ugler
than ever But once in while she was
obIighcd to let him go, for fear that peo-
pie would talk about it, She was a first
cIAss.member OF the church in !nglenook,
and her praise for charitable deeds aud
Kindness 10 the poor, was in all tue neigh
borhOod. She was one o( those christi
ans, whose religion was for the praise OF
man, rather than the approval of God ;
and whose Judgment leave for a lust
Judge to pronounce At II coming day.
Many time had poor Sammy had a
boxed ear while the minister looked ou,
OF the window, and been sent suppe.iess
to bed, while she told visitors that .he
was sick, and while lie slept shiverinc
under few old blankets in the garret, she
displayed a snug warm bed room below
as 'Sammy's room. Through all Ingle
nook she was proverbial as a model step
mother, and none but He who watches
over motherless children knew Of all that
| poor Sammy suffered. No humen friend
knew Of the wrongs done to his childish
nature; on the harsh repressing Of all ex
aberance and JOY; and Of the bitterness.
which grew mp in bis heart towad all bu,
his grandfather. He was like his motbe,
and sting on his fathers knee, he haG
beeU told by the old man how gentle anG
love y she was, and that she was with an
gels now, and he motherless boy.
SO the young child's heart clusg to The
old man who was kind 20 him, ard the
great holiday Of the year was that upon
which he could get away from the sound
OF his mothers voice, and the fear of he,