The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-01-01


Warder's heart swelled In a great hu.
man throb, and something like tear
gathered in his eye. He held the
child close and kissed her, while she
wound her fingers In his long beard,
laughing gleefully The very FIRE
blazed up again as if in answer
to the unwonted sound of baby-laugh-
ter in the house; and the child
tried to grasp the Pickering shad
ows, and stretched her pink toes
in the rudy glow. Warner was
wonder even to himself he fondled
her, danced her on his knee, called
her pet names long forgotten, and,
wondering suddenly if she were in
need of food, he set her on the car
pet, with his heavy chain and seals
for a plaything, then he went down
stairs to grope his way through the
pantry in search of milk and a cup in
| which to warm it at the Goals
When the baby had drank and
played, and drank again, the long
tringes began to droop over her vio-
let eyes, slowly her curly head sank
on his shoulder, and she was fast
asleep. He laid her down upon the
sofa, tucked up in wraps and pillows,
which he brought from his own sleep
ing room; then he sat down beside
her, and watched the long night
through. ......... -..,.,....
Some of the thoughts which came
to him in that silence were known
only to God and his own soul. ALI
his past life moved before him like
panorama, and IN the clear, wondrous
light that shone upon 1T, and irradi-
ated it through and through, he could
not choose but see all things as they
were--his own ingratitude and stub
born pride, the love he had crushed,
the blessings he had thrown away.
Once more he stood at the bedside of
his dying mother, when she gave him,
as her last trust, his little fair haired
sister, the child of her old age-iust
such child as this babe might grow
to be-saying, John, you will
be brother, father, and mother
to her, all in onep' He remem-
bered how the little May grew up, a
sunshiny creature, making the house
glad with her bird like music and her
winning ways; how she loved him,
and hung about him with kisses and
caresses when he came home at night;
how proud he was of her beauty and
her sparkling wit; the splendid match
he planned for her; and then-oh!
beginning of dark daysl--the time
when a penniless clerk came between
him and his cherished schemes, with
nothing but his love and honest name
to give her, yet daring to offer both
how she turned from the rich sutton
to smile upon the poor; his own fierce
anger; her gentle entreaties the day
when he cursed her with cruel words,
which he shuddered now to recall,
and she rose up from his feet with
the Warder pride in her pale, sorrow
full face, and went out of his home,
| but obi never-he knew it to-night!-
never yet out of his heart. He remem-
bered how, maddened by the news of
her marriage, he had been guilty of
we'll -directed insinuation, which had
lost her husband his situation. He
had lost sight of them since; he had
tried year by year to Danish them
from his THOUGHTS; he did not know
tonight if she were yet alive. The
the old home had grown still and
dreary, while he stifed the yearnings
of his heart and made no sign-years
in which lie had become more rich
and powerful without, but always
more lean and shriveled and bank
rupt within. Oh D. ~
His eye fell on the old book, which
he had read that evening. and he
saw how he had dared to fill his ex-
lied soul with the husks of willing
doubts, denying God, and starving for
the want of all that might have fed
higher life. Was there no hope? He
turned to look at the babe sleeping
still The gray dawn of the new
Christmas day stole in between the
heavy curtains, lighting up her face,
and he thought-no doubling now =
how, eighteen hundred years ago,
little child was born, poor and friend
less, like this one, heir to a heavenly
throne, indeed. yet Graded in an
earthly manager. And they shall call
his name Emmanuel, for he shall
save his people from their Sins I he
words came like long forgotten mu-
y;c-he had learned them to say at his
mothers knee. While they still sang
themselves over in his thoughts, the
babe awOke and stretched her little
hands to him, with a smile Of racog-
milton. John Warder had forgotten
how to pray as others do; he could
not shape his petitions according to
the creeds of men; and yet | think
that God met his broken, shame faced
soul. where it stood afar off, not dar-
ing to come nearer, and gave it, in the
sweet confidence of the innocent
child, the token at once of STRIVING
and benediction.