Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-03-13

ingly about my fingers, and the needles,
IN their cheerful, constant converse,
echo the thoughts in my mind.
Again clouds overshadow my life.
1t seems naught but ga long, a rough,
a weary road" No flowers, no sun
shine, no JOY. The cold phantom,
Memory. keeps grim watch over the
graves in my heart. And o the dreary
aesolateness of heart gravesl Ny I'M
needed knltting-work looks it's silent
reproach, as [ take it in my hand, and
the heated tears fall upon it. The
wool grows softer under my saddened
touch;i he clash and clatter of the
needles sink into a gentle whisper in
their kindly efforts to console me, and
as one by one in quick succession I
note the stitches change their places,
my brain becomes clearer, and the
troubles on my heart seem to have fall
en- into the work.
Then quaint thoughts come cluster
ing around the glistening needles. /
see my work increase by the simple eff.
fort make in placing the wool over
the ends and drawing it through the
stitches ; relax my effort, and the work
remains unchanged; continue the mo
ton, but fail to use the wool, and still
1t is the same. While my hands are
thus employed, my mind finds amuse-
ment in the semblance between the
work and life. [ remember that we
cannot by our work alone form truly
beautiful character, but must constant
ly draw material from the Great Source,
and then by our own hands it must be
wrought into q symmetry and beauty
pleasing to the Father. -. ...-..
But see l have carelessly dropped
a stitch. Half vaguely watch it, for
getting that to save my work the won
dering stitch should be at once reclaim.
ed. At first the injury is very. slight, -
scarcely to be noticed, in fact; but it
creeps stea1thily adown, adown the
the work, until too late I find that nv
lahor is almost lost because of the ugly
streak my carelessness has made. /
see in this an evil habit, scarcely per
eeptible at first, but slowly and surely
stealing its way along, until life IS
iirevocably married that might ether.
wise have seemed perfect. II So I
AnonIf all to making comparisons be-
tween the work and people have seen.
There are the coarse, unpleasant black
or brown stocking people, from whom
we instinctive]y turn aside, as thew
stalk along through life, savagely push
ing everything before them, Wills they
cry out from hearts void of anyl love
save for self, IS Life's a scofullg praeti-
cal race, and you folks that stop to
pluck flowers by the way will find the
gate at the other end closed before
you" Then the blue and white yarn,
y J" mixed mixes L think they call it i, does it
not carry you into the very midst of
jolly, ,good-natured farm people by
whom it is used SO much It does me,
until can almost see the gay family,
rejoicing in..the full possession of physi-
cal and moral health, gathered around
the evening table, and with them can
almost taste the yellow pumpkin pies
and nice seasoned ginger snaps. -A'
The bright, gayly plaided work rep
resents another class of people. These
l fancy are mostly young girls.
Gay, joyous creatures, who,
though now and then surprised
into the knowledge that life is not all
dreams and fancies, persist in never
quarrelling with it, but laugh their way
along, as merry as a June day. Ca
PRECIOUS, dangerous creatures they may
be,-and. like a skein of tangled yarn.
the more we look at them the worse
they may get,-yet withal so full OF
warmth and sunshine are they, making
us SO happy by their presence even
while they torture us, that We can but
love and take them to orr hearts, al
most wishing that the world were filed
with just such beings. -l -.~5
And the pretty white knitting work,
---shawls and other articles of real ar.
tistic beauty, this passed owe,
common wooden needles. stitch by
stitch, and In every one invisible
threads of genius and patience are cum
ningly interviewer. And tbis la is
delicate beauty reminds HE of persons
not less pure,-characters that, save
for the hard, unpliable needles of dici
1ofire, could never have been woven
into the quiet, loving influence which
falls like dainty drapery about those
who come within their charmed circle
winning the love md admiration of all
All, this work of mine has suggested
many a kindly thought to me and
while l remember its eenRclntiUhb anC
cheerful chats, while reverence lives il
my heart for the dear old grandmothe1
who first guided my childish hands in
TO the mysteries, never will [ forsakt
my knittingwork.-Our Young kttn5
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