Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1861-09-13

ino,ned. A. last he took pity, and, lifting
aie Up on his knee, cndeaYored to comfort
me-
This was not however, any easy matter.
knew much better than he dil how very
naughty had been and felt that ! had
murdered the poor tender little birds. !.
II can never, never forgive myself y |
sobbed.
'But you must DO reasunable,H be said.
You gave way to your vanity aud wilful-
ness, and persuaded yourself that you only
wished to be Kind to the hlackbirds and
you have been punished. Isit not so n
20 yes" cried II am 50 wicked !
wish were as good as you arei
''As am = he began.
| was too young then to understand the
sharp tone ofseli-reproach in which he spoke.
La my eyes be was perfection only perhaps
a little TOO good. But he went on -
''Do you know this fault Of yours reminds
me Of time when was just as wilful and
concvi,cdl just as much bent upon doing the
( great duty of helping others 10 my own
\ grand fashion, rather than in the humble way
in which Gods Providence pointed out, only
il was in much more serious matter was
older, too, and SO had less excuse ] am
almost tempted to tell you about it; not that
our cases are really quite alike, but that
the punishment which met my sin was SO
unspeakably bitter in comparison with yours,
that you may be thankful to have learned
lesson Of humility at smaller cost"
did not understand HMM fact did
not understand many things that he said, for
he had a habit of talking to me as if be were
speaking to himself; but / had general
idea Of his meaning, and said (very trulyJ,
Il cannot fancy you doing wrong"
was puzz.ed again BY the curious exs
preston Of his face but he only said.
"Shall tell you story %
knew his stories of old, and gave aH
eager 'Yes."
ut is a sad one,' he said
81 40 not think should like very funny
one just now," | replied. is ii true I"
"Qaite," be answered. at is about nv
self" He was silent for few moments, as
il making up his mind TO speak and then
laying his head, as he sometimes did, on my
shoulder so that | could not see his face, he
began.
when | was a boy lolder than YOU, SO
that | ought to have been better,) | might
have been described in the words of Scrip-
ture, was the only son Of my mother, and
she was widow We were badly eff; and
she was very delicate, nay, ill--more i'll, God
knows, than had any idea Of had long
been used to the sight of the doctor once or
twice week, and to her being sometimes
better, and sometimes worse and when our
old servant lectured me for making a noise,
or the doctor begged that she might not be
excited or worried, fancied that doctors
and nurses always did say things of that sort,
and that there was no particular need to ats
tend to them.
mot that l was unieeIing to nv dear
mother, for | loved her devotedly, in my will
tul, worldly way. 1t was for her sake that
had been SO vexed by the poverty into
which my fathers death had plunged US.
For her sake | worried her by grumbling be-
fore her at our narrow lodgings and lost com.
forts For her sake, child, in my madness,
wasted the hours 10 which / might have
soothed, and comiorted, and waited on her,
in dreaming of wild schemes for making my
81 dffamous and rich, anl giving her back all
and more than she had lost. For her sakeI
fancied myself pouring money at her feet, and
oading her with luxnries, while she was
praying for me to our common Father, and
aging up treasure for herself in Heaven.
Zone day, ! remember when she was re-
nonsirating with me over bad report which
he schooimaster had given of me (he said [
,ould work, but would not), my vanity over
ome my prudence and | told her that I
hought some fellows were made to sfag' and
ome were not that | had been writing
'oem in my dictionary the day that I had
lone 50 badly, and that hoped to be poet
ong before my master bad composed q gram
mar. can see now her sorrowful face, as,
nth tears in her eyes, she told me that all
fellows alike, were made to do their duty
before God, and angels and men, That it
7as by improving the little events and op-
of every day that men became
reat, and not by neglecting them for their
wn presumptuous fancies. And she entreat.
me to strive TO do my duty, and to leave
ne rest with God. 1 listened, however ini-
atiently, to what | called Jaw or
cold,' and then {knowing the tender interest
le took in all did) tried TO coax her by
fering to read my poem. But she answer
!, with just severity, that what she wished
as to see me good man, not great enc,
ld that she would rather see my exercises
lly written than fifty poems composed at
le expense of my neglected duty. Then she
armed me tcnderly Of the misery which my
,nceit would bring upon me, and bade me
hen | said my evening prayers to add that
aver of King David, Keep Thy servant
ON presumptuous sins, lest they ct the
,minion over me-
"Alas they had got the dominion over
g already too strongly for her words to
Ike any hold. SHE wont even look at my
'em, | thought and hurried proudly from
G room, banging one door, and leaving the
her open. Aud | silenced my uneasy
ms ience by fresh dreams of making my
rtune and hers. But the punishment
me at last. One day the doctor took me
to a room alone, and told me as gently
he could, what every one but my
f knew already-my mother was dying.
cannot tell you, child, how the blow fcll
on me-how at first utterly disbeieged
truth 1t seemed impossible that the
ly hope of my life, the object of all my
ienles and fanc:es, was to be taken away.
it | was awakened at last, and resolved
1t, God helping me, while she did I've, |
aid be better son. | can now look