The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1860-12-08
Beacon PALMER.s rAugLY.

~he sound OF the stAge-horu flowed
sweet, mournfui cufrenss in and ont Of I!
hoiiows, and the echoes among the bill
caught .hem up and tossed them back an
forth through the 70 est, and they ran
long silver eddies up the turn pix :, and oy.
the meadows. and across the orchards. I,
they reached the ears and stirred the hear,
Of the qu,et little village of Woods,oe,
whose farm-hou sa, in the valley st III
foot Of . long chain Of hills, ike a com
pany OF pilgrims gathered TO worship besor
the shrine Of vast temple. I; xas Jus, a
sunset, and somehow those long minor tons
seemed the fuing close Of the DAVIS ser
vice-tha, autumn day which had arisen O.
| the mountains 10 garments of sunshine an,
marched through the hours in beauty an,
rejoicing, l,ving "GIory to God =, IN
Creator of its good and perfect gift. Bo
I Il was day fraaght with dread and fore
bodings to thousands Of homes and heart
10 the land, for the voice Of war was abroa,
in the earth, and mothers bad straine,
their brave sons for the last time to the,
bosoms, and seen them 90 forth to the bat.
tie. and husbands and fathers had ,ai,
aside the plow and the scythe and should
cred their muskets, and taken their lives ir
their hands for the sake Of freedom. and ir
the name of the God Of battles.
SO deep shadows lay on the quiet conn.
try thresholds Of almost every house ir
New England that autumn day, and almos,
every hsarthstone was au altar where anx.
ious, loving hearts sent up a cry to God fo,
their beloved. Mrs. Palmer, wife of Dea-
con John Palmer, of Woodstock, stood ip
the wide oid-fashioned kitchen Of the din
gy, yellow farm house, which she brough,
her husband on her marriage morning
She was an ample, mo,heriy. pleasant faced
looking woman, whose whole phys.o
corresponded with the room. Strings Of
red pepper and rows of dried apples were
festooned along the ceiling, while swing.
ing board fastened TO beam, which divided
the hall overhead. was burdened with herbs
and berries. hams, dried beans, seeds, and a
motley variety. of domestic wares. Mrs.
Palmerss life had slipped over its ffueth
summer, and her black hair was thickly
sifted with grey, and there were lines abou,
her forehead. and the smile in her faded
eye had something sorrowful about it, for
Mrs. Palmer had walked with grief many
times and Of ten fair boys and girls who
had been gathered TO her maternal heart
only two remained to her old age. Itwas
small family under the roof Of the old grey
on earth, but a larger one in that
golden upper homestead whose blessed
'hreshhold is never darkened by the shadow
Jf dtath. z
Mrs. Palmer paused as her ear caugh.
he faint, sweet echoes of the stage. horn,
md she deposited half dozen freshly
boiled doughnuts in u pan on the table,
nurmuring to herself, "Noy for all the
Sorld il that isn't the mail coming in Who
Knows but what there is some news from
Reuben 2" All if you had hear how the
7oice fingered over the name, you would
nave known she was his mother. 81 won
lsr if tha, boy''ll take any, SORT. of cara. of
iexterously convolving several strips of
Tough, and placing them in the large iron
kette which hung over the fire, filled with
boiling fat which Indignantly snapped and
.puttered at their intrusion. 'slf there was
A fray, he'd be sure to be foremost, for he's
al'ays n pokin' his head into all sorts o. dam
ger, and never seemed to feel quite so con
ten. as when there was chance o. ge.tin'
his neck off his shoulders! never could
exactly see where he got his hirumscarum
turn. for his father was al'ays sober
minded man but it was amazin' how he'd
be sartin to come out straight. never had
an easy hour the FIRST ten years Of his lie,
for fear he'd be brought home with broken
limbs but after he's gone through with
what would have killed dozen ordinary
children, / gave ur. concluded be ore u
charmed life. b ess his heart my brave
handsome boy never gave his mother
cross word in the world and saw the tears
,tandn' under his Iashes that mornin' when
he kissed me good bye, before be started
For the army. though he talked SO CHEEKY
about his comm back a cap'n or colonel.
Poor fellow, hope h. won't get the rheu-
mats campin' out o'nights, and they say they
have TO put up with such fare Us we would
not have the face to offer to a smart dog
| wish could do upa paper o. these dough-
nuts for the boy, he al'ays was fond OF 'em.
Dear me them cakes are burnin', dipping
her large tin ladle into the boiling fat) but
i al'ay. hus rates me when get TO thInkin'
o. Reuben. I'm reminded sometimes O.
what Parson Hunter said to me, "Mrs.
Palmer you mustn't make an idol OF your
son. lie belongs to the Lord" l know
it's true as Scriptur', but | can't help
thinkin' the Lord'l show marcy on my
weakness, cos he's all l've got, and after
yrea, many struggles I've gwen up the
others to him but my very lfe's bound up
10 that boy, and if anything should happen
to him, God knows it would break his poor
mothers heart"
And Mrs. Palmer broke down here, and
she sat down on the old oaken chest, and
wiped her eyes with the corner OF her cheek
apron. Light warbhngs of some old psalm
tune Guttered down the stair case, and then
the door opened, and a pleasant looking
glrl burst suddenly into the room. Rebecca
Palmer was twenty two, md the sight OF her
bright young face was like picture rejo'c-
ing the ewes. She was not beautiful, but
her cheeks were full Of the glow of youth,
and the richness Of perfect health.
swell, child, ;" said Mrs. Palmer. saking z
her kettle from the crane, ''You jest hustle
round spry, and get up supper. Your father
and the men will come home clear tuckered
out, for they've been fellin' trees all day
and we must get hearty meal for 'em.-
You slice up some ham, too. and Try dozen
eggs. while ix up some short cake" =.
SMOTHER. did you hear the stage horn ~
asked Rebecca, as she laid the cloth she
had spuu With her own hands for the sup
per.
eyes; and vas kind o impressed there
vas news from Reuhen."
"l wonder what keeps father 60 2" re
marked Rebecca.
.Lik.Iy ~ not he's gone round to the sav
ern to learn il there's any .idings from th
army"
Another half hour shrohbed itself ava
~ ~. pul.es of the old fashioned clock u