Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1862-11-20
Moral Gale.
MOTHERLESS.
by T. :. ARTHUR.

BY T. $. ARTHUR. ..a
A child, of scarcely four years, stood
on a low chair by one of the parlor
windows. Her check was pressed tc
the glass. Was she sleeping, thai
her form remained SO motionlcss q?
Three days before, q long proccssio,
OF carriages had moved from the house
led by a itcarsc with its slowly nod
ding plnmcs, bearing to the city o
silence II dead mother. Her child
now stood at the window, with cheeks
pressed against the pane, motionless
but not sleeping, as every passer who
looked up into her sober face could
testify. uas~t... ... aa..a ......
My eyes have been full of tears
to-day said Mrs. Christian to her
husband, who came in a little while
before the twilight began to fall.
"What cause have you for tears ?"
was asked. .... . .''.a . .....
Come to the window and you shall
see" Mrs. Christian drew her hus
band across the room. "Look over AT
dear Bessie Long. A dozen times 10,
day have | seen her standing by that
window, all alone, looking drearily
out. Poor mothcrless child How
my heart aches for her! No more
tender care ; no more atiluencc of love
but, instead of these, cold duty, or,
it may be, unkindness and neglect.
have imagined thousand causes OF
hcart-achc for that little one to-day
| and OH p! how | have longed to take
her In my arms aye, into my very
bosom. To me, there is something So
sad about a motherless child -
As yonr own carly experiences
have proved.
A sigh came fluttering upon the air.
And now, silent for some time, Mr..
and Mrs. Christian stood looking
across the street upon the sober face,
and almost movclcss form of that
motherless child at the window.
Why Ellen ~ 4 tear had fallen
upon the hand Of Mr.. Christian.
Il don't know what has come over
me" said Mrs. Christian, drawing back
from the window, and among the shell
ter of curtains. "The sight of that
child keeps my eyes running over with
| tears y a -".. s.... "..
Her husband tried To Load her hack
| from the window, but she stood still
opposing the gentle pressure on her
arm. 1t was if she were, in meas
urc, fascinated 10y the child, and could
not withdraw from its presence.
"If had known Mrs. Long" she
said.
"What if you had known her ?"
The thought which had come into
Mrs Christians mind remained unspo.
ken.
Now it began to be as if curtains
were slowly closing over the windows.
4 dim bbscuriiy was yelling every
thing, and, as the minutes passed,
sensibly increasing. Mrs. Christian,
with eyes still bright from the up-well-
ing of tears, looked over the street
again. There stood the waiting child
as she had been standing for so long a
time. But, suddenly, she started
threw up her hands with a glad mo.
ton, while all her rosy face broke in
to waves of joy, Then she disappear
ed, and in an instant afterward stood
in the street door which her father had
opened. Mrs Christian felt thrill of
pleasure, as she saw Bessie leap into
her fathers open arms, clasp his neck
almost wildly, and rain her kisses on
his lips. The door closed upon them.
shutting out from bodily sense the Wis
ion, but not oblitera:ing line of its
beauty from her inward eyes.
"She is happy now aud would to
God that all motherless children were
as happy. Said Mr.. Christian.
Something in her husbands voice,
as he said this, caused Mrs. Christian
to glance up into his face. He was
still looking from the window, but
with the distracted air of one who
contemplates an inward and not an
outward image.
There she is now, said Mr.. Chris
tian, with so much of concern and
pity in his tones, that his wife, in sur
prise, asked. "Who?p AS she looked
across at the window opposite, but
saw the child, who had awakened So
deep an interest no longer there.
"The poor little girl saw sitting
on doorstep as | came along"
"Whcre is she?"
Creeping along with that heavy
basket See. Now she has stopped,
and is gazing up at the window where
Bessie Long stood few minutes ago /;
and now she has put down her basket.
How weary the poor thing seems
She is sitting again. Ii there was
any love in her home do you think
she would be lingering so? 1t makes
my heart ache to look at her. She is
not coarse child, nor an evil child
She has known love, though its ligh,
has faded SO nearly from her path
saw that in glance l had of hen
face. You cannot see its expression
now, for evenings shadows have fal,
len too thickly.'
Mrs. Christian had drawn her hand
through her husban's arm, and now
leaned upon him, as her eyes rested
on the lonely child sitting as motion,
less on the step across the way, as
had stood the other child at the win
dow. Her heart was open and pity
flowed in.
Poor neglected one +" she said
pityingly.
aPoor motherless one /" broke il
the husbands voice. Mrs. Christian
sighed.
at may be-" The sentence
dropped unfinished.
What? Mrs. Christian looked VI