Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-06-08
soUTLrvED HER USEFULNESS,
ATrue story Told by Mother.

A True story Told by a Mother.
Not long since a good looking man
in middle life came to our door asking
for ''the minister" When informed
that he was out of town he seemed
disappointed and anxious. On being
questioned as to his business, he re-
piled, Il have lost my mother, and
as this place used to be her home, and
as my father lies here, we have come
to lag her beside him"
Our heart rose in sympathy, and we
said, ''You have met with great loss"
"Wen-yes," replied the strong
man, with some hesitahcy, ga mother
is great loss in general; but our
mother had outlived her usefulness.
She was in her second childhood, her
mind was grown as weak as her body,
so that she was no comfort to herself
and was q burden to everybody. There
were seven of us sons and daughters
and as we could not find any one who
would board her, we agreed to keep
her year about. But have had more
than my share of he-, for she was too
feeble to be moved about when my
time was out, and that was more than
three months before her death. But
then she was good mother in her
day, and toiled very hard to bring us
up"
Without looking at the face of the
heartless man, we directed him to the
house of a neighboring pastor and re-
turned to the nursery. We gazed on
the merry little faces which smiled or
| In of
little ones to whose ear no word in
our language is half so sweet as
!, "mother'' and we Wondered if that day
: could ever come when they would say
) of us, "She has outlived her useful
ness-she is no comfort to herself and
, a burden to everybody elsel" and we
hoped that before such day would
dawn we might be taken to our rest
God forbid that we should outlive the
love of our children! Rather let us
die while our hearts are part of their
: own, that our grave may be watered
J with their tears and our love linked
with their hopes of Heaven.
: When the bell tolled for the mothers
: burial we went to the sanctuary to pay
) our only token of respect to the aged
' stranger; for we felt that we could
5 give her memory tear, even though
l her own children had none to shed.
t ''She was a good mother in her day,
/ and toiled hard to bring us all up
she was no comfort to herself and a
burden to everybody eise!" these
cruel, heartless words rung in our
f ears as we saw the coffin borne up the
v aisle. The bell tolled long and loud
S till its iron tongue had chronicled tie
/ years of the toilworn mother. One
t wo-three-four-fiYH How clearly
: and almost merrily each stroke told OF
i her once peaceful slumber in her
t mothers bosom, and of her seat al
t nighttall on her weary fathers knees
e Observation-Disclosures rang
/ out the tale of her sports on the green
t sward, in the meadow and beside the
y brook. Eleven-twelve-th
e fourteen, spoke more gravely Of
: and cares. SiXteen-seventeen-
teen sounded out the enraptured Wis
ions of maidenhood and the dreams o
early love. Nineteen, brought before
us the happy bride. Twenty, spoke O
i the young mother, whose heart wa;
- full to bursting with the new strons
- love which God had awakened in he
:, bosom. And then stroke after strok
: : told of her early womanhood-of tn
= loves, and cares, and hopes, and fears
Il and tolls, through which she haC
passed during these long years, til
! fifty rang out loud and harsh. From
, that to sixty, each stroke told of thu
l. warm hearted mother and grand
mother, living over again her joys ant
" sorrows in those of her children ant
. children's children.
r Every family group wanted grand
mother then, and the only strife wa
n who should secure the prize but, hark
# the bell tolls on! SeYenty-seventy
- one-two--three-fo She begins t,
q grow feeble, requires some care, is no
IS always perfectly patient or satisfied
. she goes from one child's house t,
y another, so that no one place seem
> like home. She murmurs in plaintiv
10 tones, and after all her toll and weari
~ ness, it is hard she cannot be allowe
10 home to die in; that she must b
n sent rather than invited from houce t.
house. Eighty--eighty- one-two-
three-four All, she is now a secont
n child--now "she has outlived her use
n fulness she has now ceased to be
fit comfort to herself or anybody;" tha
"a is, she has ceased to be profitable t
10 her earth craving and money graspin
ri children.
n Now sounds out, reverberating thrC
id our lovely forest, and echeing bac
n from our chill of the dead" eighty
IN nine! There she lies now in the cofll
no cold and still--she makes no troubl
to now, demands no love, no soft word
d. no tender little offices. A look of p;
n. tient cndurance-we fancied also a
expression of grief for unrequited loy