Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1860-01-07
LITTLE CHARLIE;
Or, A Plea for Gentle Words.
BY MARY L. BATCHELpR.

''Thcrc, now. never saw such trouble
some child in my life. do believe it is i'm
possible for you to keep still a minutc;" and
u hand came down with no gentle touch upon
the fair check Of beautiful boy, who stood
limidly shrinking beneath the angry glance Of
his pa>Sonatc mother am so sorry, ma.
ma; ! didn't 20 to do it," the hot flush Of
shame mounting to the very curls that nestled
npon his brow. cs. you are always sorry
but you never mcad.' These words though
spoken quickly, were much more gentle than
the first angry exclamation, for the mother
SAW she had been unjust, and the accident
hal been caused more by her own careless.
ness than the childS writing late the night
before, She had left the inkstand open upon
the table. where he had accidcnty overturned
| it in reaching for his cap; like all quick tenn
prrcd PERSONS she felt her fault most kccniy,
Tut WAS avrr>c to acknowledging it even Ia
herself. Colnc. Charlie, it is time YOU were
g"img To school, and then shall have qIi' t
rn"mcit;' >ioNly gathering mp his books hc
started for the door, the gIicycd look telling OF
!i> Inward pain.
Where is my goodbye kiss, Charlie =
| This was pleasantly said, but there was no an
>"cr!ng ,iIi,c, oniy deepening "f the flushed
check a. hc rrlii'I, 81 th"u.ht you were an.
! 2ry with ln', mamma, aud WAS afraid Ia
n1uhL. Nlu."- uhLpnnr shuil.Ai.h1 ii lunlb
cr Why was not that little head piuwr,l upon
! your loving hcaft, and tn'tcr hands PIT tortti
t. part tlil' clustering hair, and shower ki>,v>
mi'on iir, check, and brow, until those sal
eyes w"uid beam with llappinc>, again. Alas
III" hot binud ot ger has stained your chrck,
ha>ty words have escaped your lips in that
pure lr, S"nrc. aud both pIidc and Shame with
hold the i,IrI car,>>.
! Furtivcly ,!an'ing mp and catching the soft
"'cl expression "i his mothers tacc, in mo
, n"ht 'iitlc AIMS were twiurG alinut h,r nrrk
tears fail tiiirk ahI fast, whiir rosy lips clos,
rrr>>cl To hers mInmlIr, IL am hot mad
mamma, onig \" ,orrY."
ILi> was too much for the mothers heart
p he WIS her daIiihG, her only on, and she
/ lu!ri him with h the all"r "f her imrul>iye
hatrrc. and yet he was made to feel again and
again the bitter ELECTS Of her passionate tom
per.
Kisses are witl.h,ll no longer now, but with
qui."iimg hp and tcarbrdItnincd eve, She
i"hdly clasps him To hcr heart aud inwardly
vows. with the help "f God to curb the imlul-
>ivr t,Ir.,rr whirh Iuc> her t. 50 much pain
ai'l >'ir"N. There, pet. you must run tu
school or v"u viii hc late; 80 the hri Llt Iing
lets w,rc >nopthrd ngait,. nainuin' : last good
, bye Kiss given, aud Charlie bounds away with
,;i,i;c "n his lip, bat the loaE la>l,e$ still
damp with the tears that :ii>tcurd upon lis
check.
, twas lovely sprtg day. the mir was scent
%! With Il 4 wy +, >lnt>-, the warm sunlight
'otiy f,d'!c'i in the opening cui'~ al t!Ic drow-
y iirw"i> Sought with eager kissing lips To
uhhii tl'cir wiitrv dreams l,ht winds CO.
,r.,iiif "i!!r lc uriia;,l h'nIyh~ sent Il show
rr i :t,Wy h,"s,,liii, to t.lc ground; every
tinI "a> bii.ht and beautiful. Then why
ti- sd "~| ulr"u the m"thcr'> brow Where
fore Iii, uncomfortable choking sr;!>atOn in
III" throat, a. watching the last glimpse Of hti
lnling boy, and marking with mother
iEiir tine careless grace Of his bounding limbs :
cold hard seemed clutrhhg at her heart, II
'Ialk shadow to veil her sunlight, and with
tears g'i>tvring On her check she slowly turns
m wan1rrs from room to room, restless and
GH'irrFy.
liulraII! schools ont! merry shouts rim.
tll"u IA the air, a> troop after troop of noisy
b't> cone rushing into the street faces bloom.
iag. eyes bright with joy and smiles. for school
i out an hour earlier than usual, and they are
brim.ful Of fun and glrr.
lIaIk. there is clalnor. n scattering oi
! tmid boys, aS a frightened horse comes dash
ing madiy through the strcct>-a wild pierre
! ing Shrirk-and little Charlie has fallen bc
ucath those murdcruIS houiS. There he lies
his sunny linglctS trailing in the dust, their
glossy beauty sadly married by the crimson
drops slowly wclling from that cruel wound
a >tiiicd Sob an upward look of the gentle eyes
o'rr which the death film has already gather
cd, and those rosy lips still warm with moth
cr's kiss are Stilcd in death. Alas! who will
dare tell that drSoIatc mother the fearful tale:
The house is very quiet now, 50 very q"iH
roM d"d d0r1, although the warm sunlight
comes dancing through the vines that drap,
the window; the sunny slopes are rosy witt
the hl">Spming peach, the cherry trees hav,
pnt on their >urpliccS Of SNOW, while the birt
notes come ripping through the leaves like
the "rrattc oimcrry children" But he whose
voice was sweetest, whose artlcSS talk mad,
music in that darkcnclhomc, lies hu>hcd and
still, his golden IingctS tcnlcrly laid back
J from Il check no longer blooming, but cold ant
lamp aS marble his hands like folded lilies
placed upon his breast with dcwy buds be-
tween
| Ills useless zap hangs in the hall books ant
! toys arc tossed upon the table aS he had left
/ them in his childish play; few violcts, tho
! first U. the season, which Charlie had fnunt
and brought to his mamma, are smiling il
their beauty as fresh and j"yOuSaS if the littl,
hand that plurkcd them was not cold in death
Dear little Charlie, you will mrcr be Sorr!
ngtin : the smile that dwcllS upon those plac
! ii lips, tells of glorious home in Paradise
where there shall be no more sorrow, no more
tears.
Fold back the ringlrts from the dear ones head,
SIrrw summer blooms above the palid breast,
Then breathe PRAYER. while burning tears shed
And gently bear hm to his drcumlcss rest.
"Oh, God thou who ,l0>t temper the win,
to the shorn lamb" have mercy upon tina
stricken mother. now suffering a bitterness!
Leyond the pangS Of death, for there is nt
greater anguish than the remembrance of AZ
unkind word, wrong done to loved ones sleep
ing the 81 cnt sleep with the kiss Of death upor
their brow, the utter impOtcncy Of our ycarn
ing love to clasp them from the grave ant
bring back smiles to eyes that never smiled
again, and words of forgiveness FROM palli'
lips now hushcd forever
| --@~O~%
"A celebrated comedian arranged with hi
grcen-groccr, one Berry, to pay him quarterly
I but thr grccngrocrr sent in his account Ion;
before the quarter was gone. The comedian
in great wrath, called upon the green.grOccr
and, labOring under the impression TINT hi
credit -,leHl.ted, said III say, here's
pretty mUl Berry; you have sent in your b'i
II L e. "a l., u, tntl tl,.,0