Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1862-02-12
The Broken Il art.
BY REV. J. /. CORNING.

! A JOYOUS old age is ike a flower which
+ has braved the frosts of autumn. and
! smiles from YOUR garden bed on a No
/ vember morning with all the fresh elee-
/ fulness of spring. | never saw this spec.
/ ia lie more beautifully illustrated than in
d" Mother B. as she was tamiiiarlv STYLED
b the Younger members Of nv conrrera
ton She IS the widow of devoted
| minister Of Christ; and the tolls and tri-
ais which ordinarily fall 10 the lot of min
listers wives had left no dimness in her
! eve and scarce a furrow on her brow
She was the most indulg Mt and attentive
| listener in my congregation, and when
her seat near the pulpit was vacant Ca
rare occurrence,) | always missed an in
sp;ration in my sermon. Whatever was
the theme or however poorly tre ,ted, she
Always had ready for the preacher a
cheerful response sometimes it was a
smile, sometimes Il tear, sometimes a II rht-
Ing up OF the eve, som etimes q nod of the
head, and not seldom a radiance Of the
whoie face with kindness f3ll-orbed as If
every teI1ure were saying audibIy, well
done my son. One look from Mother
B 5 pew was Il better impetus to ser
mon than the best volume in ~ library
Everybody loved her How could one
help it? | have seen her IN the cent. Of
II company OF yonnE people looking ike
some dear o.d lruit tree among the brigh'
flowers o. Il garden. She cJaid man eie
wlCh equal grace IN the gr ve ,un ,els {
tue a-el AMI Jlc .au CHING sporls of child
lOod. la every circle sle WIS radiant =
lJ the ireside, IN The prayer meeting, in
the sewing circle, IN the evening party
everywhere. Wherever Mother B. was,
Il, I
sorrow.ui found Il star twinkle OF nope.
Ou5 Of Il numerous family OF children
al had been converted save One-a high
spirited, generous hearted talented voun-
man, the prlde OF her old are as respected
intcltcc uai gifts He was popular IN m
ana had been elevated to most hOnor;,-
Die and responsible public Office in the
municipal government
/ remember how her eve used to k,ndie
with N ptuer!y pride when she spoke oi
as pubic honors, and then a tear would
we'll up and dim the sparkle, as she added,
:. But he Is the only child have got that
Is nut h stan.
On day WAS rhispcred on the street
that Air. b. was suspected o. dishonesty
IN mana 1lng the municipal finances Peo
pie were SLOW 10 believe 1t. Some said il
VS. utterly false; others that at the worst
It c'uld not be any more than the acccp-
tine OF brIbc, or personal share IN
tie letting Of Il city contract; things re
gtrded scarcely more than vcnal obi
ia ties in politica. circles
Everybody said that the report must be
kept from Mother b. - ears. or it would
break her heart Not many days elapsed
oeiore evidence Of large embczzlcments
out OF the public funds h d accumulated
to such Il degree against the suspected
man, as to leave little doubt that he was
dcepdyed criminal
That sabbath, when Mother Il.
seat in church WAS vacant, and the report
Uuzzc through the aisles that before day
light that morning her son had been
lod -ed in jail, will never be forgotten
do not remember to have see her in
church again alter that fatal morning
Once III a while her form, seemingly seized
with sudden decrepitude, could be seen
vending slowly to the prayer meeting
and one scene ia that circ viii never pass
f:om the memory Of those who witnessed
it. 1t was after an oppressive silence,
N trAS, and Mother 3. arose in her
seat, and with choking uttcrance said to
the assembly: " o pray for my poor boy,
and pray for ne that ! may bear the ', III
Of God. There was little audible prayer
in response; for hardly any one could
speak But If ever a fcryent and concert
ed iEtercession went up to the throne OF
the plying God for Il mortal, it was when
the weeping auditory prayed in silence .or
tlat bro&en-h TED mother and her way
ward son
\ few weeks passed, and we missed her
on the street; and the mufled door-beIl
nd the frequent visit OF the physician
chase 1T the door. limited but too pla My
the dreary catastrophe of this great sor-
The communion at her bedside. a few
davs before her death. at which the errng
son was prcsent-permitted 20 90 from
prison for last visit to his mother-wjii
be "a monument among my pastrol recollec
tons Up to this last Interview she had
cherished faint hope of his Innocence,
as he had pleaded Not Guilty before
tn Jury But IN a secret interview before
sa .ramental service, she had adj jured HIM
as a diving woman 70 disclose to her the
truth. and he had confessed to her III his
deep guilt What else inspired, in that
secret interview Of admon ton and prayer
and cOntrition non, but God and the wan
derin- son can tel.
Not many days elapsed, and mcssen
-er summoned Inc at an early hour from
nv chamber to the death-bed Of mother
3 The power of speech hal almost left
r: bpt as rose from my knees attc.
commenting h,r Iep trtins spirit 70 t;ol
she pressed my hand convulsively and
said, 'GooD-BY GoOD-BY NY HEART Is nEo-
kenny HEART l. BROKEN.
\ few more pulse-tarohs, and the lrt'-
ken heart of mother b. had found the
Balm Of Gilcad-
BY \ c,ol looains fellow was ar
raigned heior Court cIarEed with having
stolen 4 watch 1t was his first error.
ana he was ready 10 plead guilty The
Ju1se addressed him in very gentle tones,
asking him what induced him tocommlt
the theft The young man replied tn i,
having been unweii Tor some tisne. the
loct r had advised him to take something.
which he accordingly did The Judge.
rath pie sd with the humor OF the
81 prr 70, L-eJ ,rbat had lpl MIN to Selp Z