The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-03-17
Swinging on the Gate.
mother week nearer Homei

| the day when she will be his love forever
while the sweetheart thanks God that on
week more has rome from her life of hate,
| unfulfllmentl The sick sufferer who is cX
pectlng death thanks Gou that anothe
seven day vail has been removed from be
fore the door we all must enter once, an,
wonders if another week will be all 70
earth or part for Heaven.
To night we walked home, for the oar
were crowded. We were thinking of th'
labor we had done since last week wen
and this one came There were so many
letters written-so many columns of edi
tOral written-sO may requests granted
and so many rcfused-so many made glad
ahf so many disappointed, just as it is il
life each day, you know. And we wer,
thinking and wondering how many thou
sands, or hundreds of persons in the lane
would read this Saturday Night what We
had written and printed since last W.
closed the labors Of the week, wiped oul
pen so clean, and placed it on the little
rack TO rest against the morrow
AS we walked along we saw leaning
over little iron gate in front of neal
brick house pretty, chubby-faced boy, as
if waiting for some one Looking to q
NiUuOh, VIC StiN ~ Mollldu
sitting thereby with paper i'll her hand
as if reading.
Hello, little captain You are the boy
that has red checks and bright eycsi What
are you doing out here in the cold ?"
"Inm Ioohing TOR my popa :"
Where is he coming from ?"
"Down town, sir, and he comes atoOt p
/" What j. your name >"
" Bobby"
"lIow old are yous"
" Five years, SD my mamma says ~
Where is Your mamma?"
At the Window Don't you see her q.
Tenn ~
"Oh, yes-that is she, sure enough"
"Yesr'
"When does your papa Gomez"
" He always comes n0O And | am
waiting for him, and so is mammal"
"Well, Bobby, you are nice little boy.
Do you love your papa. ~
" Yes, sir"
"WelI, he will come pretty soon. May
be he is stopping to buy something to
bring you ?"
81 know he is--and he'll kiss me when
he comes, and he'll kiss mamma, too,
cause he always does, and kiss him, and
mamma kisses him, too"
"Well, Bobby, hadn't you better run in
where mamma is, and look out of the win
dow till papa comes? it's cold out here p
No, sir-I don't want to- He'll come,
for he always comes noyc >"
Just then, down the little one sprang
from the gate, pushed it open and then
scampcred down the sidewalk few rods
to meet the one he had been waiting for,
and who he knew always came R0to
Perhaps some of you saw him. He was
a well built man, clad in honest garb.
His cap fitted close to his head-his coat
was closely buttoned-he caught the little
boy in his arms and kissed hm-then let
him down and walked along with proud,
firm, muscular step, like monarch among
men. No wonder the little boy swung on
the gate-no wonder the wife sat looking
out Of the widow for his coming. He held
the hand of the little one who trottcd
along.by his side As they came to the
gate, by the side of which we stood care
lessly, the woman at the window arose
and walked to the door, the man passed
by-littlc Bobby looked at us with smile
and said
81 told you he'd come"
They passed into the house, and We
came to ours.
The man did not notice us. Perhaps he
never heard of us-pcrhaps he has. II
may be he is a man that hates us, and
says bitter things against us. Well, never
mind-he is good to his little boy-he is
good to the one he loves, who is mamma
to little Bobby-he comes home Saturday
night with proud, firm step-he is a man
10 an1 Ha
him.
That man is living to purpose. He is
a true man, of use in the world. Two
hearts, at'least, besides his own, were made
glad by his coming And he was good not
to keep them waiting, as thousands and
thousands OF men, and women, too, keep
their loved ones waiting, when the heart
is hungry for love, and the minutes drag
like hours. He was workingman-his
hands and clothes told us SO. The week
went and he came-not late, as if he hated
to come home, but early as if his heart was
there Little Bobby was proud of him.
He knew his papa would come; and with
a warm and earnest kiss. Little Bobby
was happy. The father was happy, or his
looks lied-and they did not
Now, we have been thinking till the
hands on the watch face before us point
to midnight. What a good world this
world would be if every home had gate
where swung and waited little one
knowing that now papa would come with
a kiss, a smile, and a good heart. If al
every home, by window, were seated
some loving woman and loving wife, wait
ing, not drcading, the approach of her
husband, knowing he would be there on
time, quick, firm in his step, prompt in
his manhood, and sober, like one who is
monarch of himself, and therefore over all
And all men might be so-can be SO, il
they will. And then what a glorious
world in which to live
And we have been thinking, and mus
write it before we quit work, Of the thou
sands of little boys and girls who might
swing for hours and hours on gates, o.
the women who may watch at windows
for hours, wondering when will come
how will cOme-the one who is at hear
real good, but who lacks the nerve to bt
the man he ought to be, can be, should
and would be, if he would only pause to
think, and see il there was not a better
way to happiness than he was in. And
we have been thinking of the poor widows
whose husbands can never more to them
come, no matter how long they watch al
windows-Of the men whose wives are
gone, never more to rcturn-of the or
phans who have no one To come home
now and catch them TO their arms and
love them And we have been wonder
ing if any man who reads this will he
brave enough to go to his home little
earlier each night, and try to be good
earnest man, who will be proud of him
self and of his manhood of whom his
home ones will be so proud as he is de
serving. We know some will, and some
will think they will, but when comes the
hour, they will forget as we all do; anC
instead of making glad the hearts Of those
who would be SD glad to have them come
home, perhaps not with presents, but like
men, sober, kind, loving; will wait jus
a little longer, till thus their life becomes
failure.
God bless all who love their lovet
ones and who do not keep them wait
ing, and all those who suffer at heart from
the absence of those they dearly love, an,
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