The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-06-04
From the Home Journal.
"NIOTHER MADE IT.n

SMOTHER MADE IT."
A few weeks since while in one Of tn
beautiful inland cities of Wisconsin, an in
,ident occurred which awakened in my mini
train of reflections which possibly may b
written and read with advantage.
lwas hurrying along the street, when IN,
attention was arrested by the appearance o
little boy on the side of the pavement, sell
ing candy. He was not really beautiful, no
was he decidedly the reverse. His age wa
about nine years his clothes were old ant
faded, but well patched; his candy wa
spread npon coarse, white cotton cloth
neatly stretched over what had been ja
paned server. He was surrounded by .
small group of boys, evidently belonging t
different grades Of society.
As came nearly opposite him, the oft
repeated interlude, sCandy, sir p fell upo,
my ears, and although opposed to the e1ces
sive use of candy, stepped aside to patron
ize the light haired, pale, freckled, home
spun little representative of trade. l pur.
chased Of him, partly for his encouragement
but with particular reference to the friend
ship Of the little folks of the family with
which | was atemporary gu o..
The candy was white as the cloth beneath
it, being fee from the poisonous coloring
ingredients SO extensively used in the con-
fectionary art. tasted it, found it deli
cateIy favored and very nice.
My boy,' said |, your candy is very good
let me have little more.'
mmelately saw that my remark had
awakened in his young heart emotions
which, in themselves, were quite abstract
from the candy trade. His countenance
beamed with joy as he raised bis large eyes
sparkling with delight, and observed in re.
ply:
Il. is good, isn't it? Mother made ,t.'
In these few words Nere embodied an un.
CONSCIOUS exhibition if character. Here
was q spontaneous outburst of flial affec
ton.
Now this incident, in itself, was trihing
but the spirit of the language carried my
mind back through life more than thirty
years, and at irregular intervals bade mt
pause and apply the sentiment to some iteu
connected with my own history.
Before making the application, however,
wish to disabuse myself of the charge, which
such applications may incur, of appropria
ting 70 myself Il Q nobility of character
which Ihaye above attriblt ID to the cand,
boy. Holdir 6 myself exempt from this ar
rogance, l would simply say, | am no
ashamed of the profession of my affection
for my parents, and hope l may not outliv'
that profession.
When was little boy, at school, ant
carried my dinner in satchel made of cal
leo. some of my schoolmates carried their
-, f,.h l.,
time teased me because | carried mine in &
poke | felt vexcd, but reconciled myself
with the recollection that, if | did carry q
cllico poke, 'mother made it, In less thar
>enty-tlve years after that time, one OF
these same schoolmates was happy to avail
h m,elf of the privilege of sending his chill.
dren to my school to receive gratuitous in
s:ruction, proffered in view of his extreme
poverty. His children came to school with
ont any dinner. They had no nice willow
basket-they needed no calico 'poke.'
William Foster ruled his copy book with
a pencil set in a fine silver case. lie said he
would not carry such great ugly club of q
pencil as mine. | compared the pencils
His was the handsomest, but no better than
mine. had a good lead pencil, hammered
out of piece Of lead. 'Mother made it,,
and was satisfied with it. After We grew
up to be men William Foster came to me te
calculate interest on small note, at six pei
four cents. had no gum elastic ball Du,
had one made of woolen ravellings anC
covered with leather. Mother made it,
When in my twenty-second year, l left
home to attend school in l.. There were il
school some fast young men, the sons ol
wealthy parents. There were others whose
good sense was not aDnihilated by pecuniary
advantages. OF the former class was one
John Stokes, who wore very fine broadcloth
My best coat was not so fine, the cl)th cost
two dollars and fifty cents a yard; my moth.
er had traded tow check of her own manu-
factnre for it, while was working to asss,
my father to raise his family she paid fifty
cents for getting the garment cut, and made
it herself. John Stokes came one day
to my desk, held out his arms, and compar.
ed his coat-sleeve with mine, and inquired
ironically, where got such fine coat.
proudly told him, Mother made Hn III
leigncd great surprise, and sarcastically OBJ
served be had mistaken it for imported
goods he wished he could get such fine clio.
thes, and wondered if mother would get hin
up fine coat.
a short time afterward while in tailor
shop one morning with fellow student
John Stokes fine coat was brought in by !;
lad, with instructions TO scour and press it
He was not in his class that day: he hat
been seen the previous night on Water
street, rolling in the mud, drunk as Bacchus
lie left the school in disgrace. He now lie:
in drunkard's grave.
boarded myself while attending schoo
here. walked nine miles home q the clos,
of each week, and returned on Monda,
morning with loaf Of bread under my arm
1t would become stale before Friday even.
ing, but always relished it when | rccol
lected that 'Mother made it,
am now so far advanced in life that my
friends begin to call me old. But | hav,
no, lived long enough to learn why shoulc
not still respect my mother and regard hel
affrctionatcly. She is quite advanced il
Years. and has nearly lost her sight. Sh(
sits within a few feet of me, sewing up Il rem
in nv linen coat while write this. She
knows not what am writing. She has beer
a widow eight years, and still toiling for thu
welfare of her children. She never studied
grlmua", nor philosophy, nor music
These things were seldom taught in he
younger days. But she knows their value
and has toied hard many day to purchas
books for her children, and support them II
school. And shall q now curl the lip o
scorn, or blush in company, to hear her sub
stitute Il verb Of unity for one of plurality
or pronounce word Of twenty years behin'
the Websterian era Never-no, never =
The old dilapidated grammar in my librar.
might testify against her style; but its ties
timony would be infinitely more tcrribl
against my ingratitude. rccollect vel
when she rode seven miles, one cold winter
day, to sell produce and purchase that boo
for me, when 1 was little boy. 1t rcquir
ed sacrifice, but 'MoruER MADE IT.
MOHAWK DUTCH"
The following story is good, because it
true. We had 1t from the lips of a good wo
man, who was told it by the principal acto