Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1873-04-24
SELECTED STORY
SEE HAS OUTLINED FER USEFULNESS.

SEE EAs OUTLINED Eza USEFULNESS. y
Not long since good-looking man
in middle life came to our door askin E
for ssthe minister" When informed
that he was out of town he seemed dis
appointed and anxious. On being CUES
toned as to his business, he replied: q
have lost my mother, and this place
used to be her home, and my father lies
here, we have come to lay her beside
him"
OUT hearts reese III sympathy, and we
said, ''You have met with a great loss. "
"WeIl-yes," replied the strong nam
with hesitanuy; ga mother is a great
loss in general; but our mother had
outlived her usefulness; she was in her
second childhood, and her mind was
grown as weak as her body, SO that she
was no comfort to herself, and bur
den to everybody. There were seven
of us, sons and daughters, and as we
could not find anybody who WAS will
ing to board her, we agreed to keep her
among US q year about. But I've had
more than my share of her, for she was
too feeble to be moved when my time
was out, and that was three months be-
fore her death But then she was a
good mother in her day;and toiled very
hard to bring US all up
Without looking at the face Of the
heartless man, we directed him to the
house of a neighboring pastor, and re-
turned to our nursery. We gazed on
the merry little faces, which smiled or
grew sad in imitation of ours-those
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 could say of us,
'.She has outlived her usefulness; she is
no comfort to herself, and a burden to
everybody and we hoped 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 their hearts are part
of our own, that our grave may be
watered with THEN 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 respect for the aged stranger, for
we felt that we could give her memory
tear, even though her own children
hand none to shed.
'SShe was a good mother in her day
and toiled hard to bring us all up-she
was no comfort to herself, and bur-
den to everybody else." ,..-..
These cruel, heartless words rang in
our ears as we saw the coffin borne up
the aisle. The bell tolled long and
loud until its iron tongue had chrenicled
the years Of the toll worn mother. One
-three-four-fye. How clear
ly, and almost nerrily, each stroke told
Of her weary fathers knees six-seven
-eight--nine- ten, rang out the tale
Of her sports upon the green sward IN
the meadow and by the brook. Eleven
Observation-Disclosures teen
spoke more gravely of school days, and
little household joys and cares. Six
teen seventeen-eighteens sounded
out the enraptured visions of maiden
hood and the dreams of early love-
Nineteen brought us the happy bride.
Twenty spoke Of the young mother,
whose heart was full to bursting with
the new sprung love which God had
awakened in her bosom. And then
stroke after stroke told Of her early
womanhood-- of the love, and cares, and
hopes, and tolls through which she
passed during these long years, till
fifty rang out harsh and loud. From
that to sixty each stroke told of the
warm hearted mother and grandmother
living over again her own joys and
sorrows in those of her children and
children's children. Every family Of
all the group wanted grandmother then
and the only strife was who should
secure the prize; but bark! the bells
toll on! Seventy-one-two-three-
four She begins to grow feeble, re-
quires some care, is not always perfect
/ " patient or satisfied she goes from
one child's house to another, so that ne
L Ole place scSHts AlhC hSAS' NV
mur1nurs in plaintive tones; and after
all her toll and WEAKNESS it is hard she
cannot be allowed home to die in !;
that she must be sent, rather than In
vited, from house to house. Eighty
eighty-one- two-three-four-ah now
she is a second child-now, "she has
outlived her usefulness, she has ceased
ito be comfort to anybody that is,
she has ceased to be profitable to her
earth-craving and money-graspinR
children. -a, D..
|, Now sounds out, reverberating
Through cur lonely forest, and echoing
back from the hill of death,,' eighty
nine! There she now lies in the coffin,
cold and still; she makes no trouble
now, demands no love, no soft words,
no tender little otfices; A look OF
patient endurance, we fancied also an
expression of grief for .unrequited' love,
sat on her marble features. Her chill
.dren were there, clad in weeds of woe,
and in irony we remembered the strong
mans words, '.She was a good mother
in her days. o@ ~ - =
When the bell ceased tollIng the
strange mipisterrose in thepulpit. His