Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1862-02-27
M 1stGllau
Our Old GRANDMOTHER.

find the marks of my shortest steps beside
those of my beloved mother, which were meas
ured by my own, says Alexander Dumas, and
50 conures up one of the sweetest images in
the world. He was revisitiag the hone of his
infancy he was retracing the little paths
around it in which be bad once walked aud
strange flowers could not efface, and rank grass
could not conceal and cruel ploughS could not
oJilerate, his shortest footsteps" and his
mothers beside them measured by his own.
Aud who needs to be told whose footsteps
they were that thus kept time with the feeble
patlering Of chdhOod's little feet 1t was no
mother behind whom Ascanius walk, d with
equal steps in Yirgils ine bnt a strong, stern
man, who could have borne him and not been
buvdeued folded him in his arms from al
danger and not been wearied everything, in
deed, be could have done for him, but just
what be needed mOst-cOuld not sympathze
with hn-be could not be child again. All,
rare art is that-for indeed it is an art, TO
set back the great old clock of time and be d
boy once more Mans Imagination can easily
see the child a man, but how hard it is for it
to see the man a child and he who had learn.
ed to glide back into that rosy time when he
did not know that thorus were under roses, or
that clouds would ever return after the rain
Tbea he thought fear could stain cheek no
mO.e than drop of rain a flower when he
fancied that life had no disguise, and hope no
blight at all-has come as near as ANYBODY
csn TO discovering the northwest passage to
Paradise.
And it is perhaps for this reason that iC is
so much easier for mother TO enter the king.
dom OF ueaTen than it is for the rest of the
world. She fancieS she is leading the children
when, after ALL the children are leading her,
aud they keep her indeed where the river is
narroweSt aud the air is cleareSt and the
beckOnhg OF the radiant hand is SO plainly
seen tron the other side taSt it is no wonder
she SO often let's go her clasp upon the little
finger she is holding and goes over to the neigh
bOr aud the children follow like lambs to the
fold, for we think it ought somewhere to be
written: Where the mother is, there will
the children be also"
But it was not Of the mother we began to
think but of the dear old-fasbioned grand
mother, whose thread of love "by hand" on
LIES little wheel was longer and stronger than
they make it now, was wound around and
shout the children she saw playing in the chill
dren's arms, in true love knot that nothing
but the shears of Atropos could sever for do
We not recognize the lambs sometimes Wheu
summer days are over and autumn winds are
blowing, as they come bleating from the yell
low fields, by the crimson thread we wound
tooat their neckS 10 April or May, aud so undo
The gate aud let the wanderers in J.?
Blessed be the children who have an old.
fashioned grandmother AS they hope for
length Of days let them love and honor her, for
Secan tell them they will never find another
There is a large old kitchen somewhere in
hep and an ldfashioned fireplace there
NJ? SNaits smooth old jambs of stones-Smooth
win many knives that had been sharpened
tnere-smooth with many little fingers that
nave cIaag there. There are andirolS, too
.8eetd andironS, with rings in the top, where !
III many temples of fame have been builded, |
",'n spires and turrets of crimson. There is |
Ooad worn hearth, worn by feet that have
Oeen torn and bleeding by the way, or been |
IdVe beautiful" aud walked upon floors of
|SSeIated gold. There are tongs 10 the corner,
ssuefe~Ith we grasped a coal, and blowing |
w little life" lighted our first candle there !
~ shovel, wherewith. were drawn forth the |
so"lng embers in which we saw our first fan |
IeS aad dreamed our first dreamS-the shovel |
"Hh which We stirred the sleepy logs till the
sparSs rushed up the chimney as if forge
were IN blast below, and wished we had SO
many lambs, 50 many marbles, or so many
sonetljnss that We coveted and SO it was
We wished our first wishes.
lhere is a chair--a low rush bottomed chair;
sue'e Is little wheel in the corner, big
"ueci 10 the parTet q loom in the cham her -
aaHl -IT'e are chests full of linen and yarn, and
f'I'S Of rare pattern, AID samplers in frames.
ana everywhere and always the dear old
~uGSIed face of her whose firm, elastic step
IOcAs tue feeble saunter of her children's chill
1G.sn-the odfashioued grandmother of TWEEN
years ago. She, the very Providence of
"' o'a nomestead-she who loved US all, aud