The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1863-10-21


not milne, that you have tarfied 20 lOH- To OF
! plain ~ith you. Sir I do not Ak- either YOU
/ looks OF vSlr conduct. AID f-ar tou have 'u.'
bad designs in thus mtudng 90 sUcn a manr~'
into my family"
The wiuin oi this paFey had draNn tie cOla
/ osuv from tile parlor. anG by Their united inter-
terence The stranger MAS permured 20 lodge o..
tbe house. aud as no bed could bee had ne con
senfed 10 re-t in an ea~v char before the pafiuI
Ere.
/ Though the ooarders appeared 10 coLhde 81
+ The siianger- honesty, % aa- io- 81 "rtn Mr.
Franklin. With suspicious clur.r sAe collected
her silver spoons, pepper oos ali po"inEef,
[ from her clo-tf- ano aner securing nef patton
door Oy stsokng iork vcr the iatcn, carried
The yaslabirs 10 her chamber. ctargiug tne ne
gro inau 10 sleep ~ith n.s clothes on, to take %.
-lea, c.eaver % o,d ~ith him. ami to ~aken aud
seize TIE va4rant at the nt~t noise h- Should
make in attempting 10 plunder.
Mrs Fraikun ro-e before l4e -uu, foD-et tle
doalestic-, .ad ~a- qnite sgie,-oly -url ~rt io
hiG tei guest qliet', sleeping ln tis chan. Sic
a~Oke him wltu "A cheerful good morning, in
quued low he rested, and invited him 10 iartake
4 her breakfast, which Vas always served pre-
yiou- TO that Of her boarders
Aud prav, sir, ," SAID Mrs Franklin, " as you
AZ pear TO be a stranger 40 Boston, To what dis
laut country do YOU DelOug:
'' l belong, madam, 10 the colony Of Peunsyl
vania, aud reside Ia Philadelphia
Al the neLtion Of Philadelphia. the doctor de
clared that be. for the first time, perceived some
thug Ike emotion Ia her.
" Philadelphia" said she, while the earnest
anxiety OF IA mother sufI-ed her eye, ~hy %
tou i've in Philadelphia, pea Aaps you kuO~ my
Benz"
" " hO. madam
:" Ben +. auknn. Nv deas Ben. on now
would give tue world 10 see hin tie - the
dearest =on that ever blessed a motn,r
"WAa. Ben Franklin, TIE ptDtrr, your sou
Why. te L. nay most Intimate friend He ana
worked together aud lodged in ihe same room
ON heaven forgive mel exclaimed the
iady, raising her teariul eyes, " aud have sui
cred 4 friend OF NV son iiru 10 sleep Oh thi-
naid char, while | myself rested on -oii
bed 3"
Ms Franklin then told her unkuoau guest
tnaJ though be had bees absent iiOtn urr ever
since be- Vas a enid, she could not iaii TO kuO~
hiui an.Oas a thousand strange faces, for there
Nas d natural feeling "a the breast of every moth
er. whom she knew would enable her without
possibility OF a mistake, To recognize her son ia
tny Dis ui~e he might assume.
Ffauk.in doubted and took leave 10 dispute
lis tuotlcI plopOsitluh Oh the power OF hdLufd'
feeling. He SAID he had tiied the natural feel
lng u his own mother, and found it ius uficlent
90 the power she ascfibed 10 It.
And did YOUR mother inquired she, not
khos you: or # she did not seem To know you,
vas not her kiHahesS TO you an evidence thai
she something IN your appearance winch wa
tear TO her, 80 that she could uOt resist treating
you with pat tcular tenderness aud aft ecuon :"
No, indeed. replied F.ankhn, " she neither
knew inc, uor GIi she treat me with the lea-
symptoms OF kindness She would have turned
ne out OF doors but for the intefpOstiOn of strau
gers She could hardly be persuaded TO let me
slt At the table | knew 1 was IN Inv mother
mouse, and had clam upon her cOrdlahty and
hereiOre you may suppose when she peremtorl
Is commanded NE to leave the house, was IL
10 hurry to obey"
Surely" interrupted bis mother, she could
not have treated you 50 unmOtherly without
some cause"
d" gave her none, replied the doctor. "Sh,
sould tell YOU herself had always been duti
iul son-that she dotted upon me, aud when
.ame 10 her house as stranger, my behavior
vas scrupuOusly correct aud respectful. IL wa
stormy night, aud 1 mad been absent so long
tnat bad become a stranger m the place
told my mother this, aud yet, 30 little wa
she mAuenced by the natural feelings of whici
.ou speak, that she absolutely refused me bed
aud would hardly suffer what she called NV pre-
SUMPTION 10 TAXING seat at thu table III, sup
Der ended, then my good mother told me viii
al air OF earuestess that | must leave the house
Franklin then proceeded 20 describe the seen.
q the front dOOr-the snow drift that came
ppDoftunrly INTO the entry bis appeal TO hei
natural feelings Of a mOther-her ulnatur4.
ud uufeelmg rejection OF his prayer-and finally
1er very reluctant compliance with the sOhcita
ions OF other persons IN hls behalf, that be nigh
ne permitted TO sleep Ia chair.
Every word OF Inis touching recital went to
the heart OF Mrs Franklin, who could not tail e.
perceive that it Was true narrative OF tht
vents OF the preceding night in her own house {,
nd while she eudeavOred 20 escape from the
.elfreprOach that she had acted the part of all
nnfeehng mother, she could not easily resist the
conviction that the stranger, who became more
md more interesting Z her "a he proceeded 10
lis discourse, was indeed her own son. But
Shen she observed the tender express veuess OF
MS eyes, he teehngly recapitulated the circum
Stances uuder which she attempted TO turn him
sneterless into the street her maternal cOnvic
ION Overcame all doubts and she threw herself
uto his arms, exclamng, " It must bet must
De- nv dear Benz"