Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1873-05-15

But God heard my prayers-the blind mans
prayers-and spared her to me, my
sweet,
And our home grew merry with cradle songs
and the patter of little feet;
With the patter of little baby feet that would
toddle up to my chair,
To lay little soft head on my knee, that loved
to nestle there.
SO the year. pass'd on, and even life now often
seem'd hard to me;
But when l sat in the eventide, with my little
ones on my knee,
While Bessie would sing us some quaint old
song of love or of doughty deed,
I'd think how good and pleasant it was to the
life / had thought to lead.
Let's see, It's twelvemonths ago since first l
noticed, with strange surprise,
That the darkness seem'd to grow lighter-like
at times to my poor blind eyes,
And a yearning, passionate, trembling hope
crept into my heart and brain;
But never a word | said to the wife, lest my
thoughts should be false and vain:
Never a word | said to my love, lest her heart
should be overcast,
To know | had CHERISHED a hope like this, to
find it a myth at last
But | quietly told my story to VIII, we
saunterd up and down
The garden, and we two thought of plan for
getting me up to town.
Then | spoke to the wife of book I'd plann d,
that fancied would answer well,
But | wanted some talk with firm in town, to
see if they thought t would sell;
And Willie had promised to go with me and
see me through it, | said,
For l knew that she couldn't leave the BARNS,
or I'd like her TO go instead.
She tried to persuade me from it at first, and
doIefully prophesied
All sorts of accidents and mishaps, and then
she pleaded and tried
To get me to take her with us, too; but at last
we settled it right,
And Willie was pledged again and again not to
trust me out of his sight.
So we went to town for week or so, and
you'll easily understand
My fluttering hopes, and doubts, and fears
now the test was near at hand:
Enough, that one wondrous day, Saul-like, the
scales dropp'd off from my sight,
And l tainted in WIlie's brotherly arms, in a
sudden burst O light
l was dazed and giddy-lile for while, but
soon got round again;
And o. the grateful, passionate joy that
throbb,d in my every vein!
Dear God, what a happy world it was-how
winsome and fair to see!-
The very stones of the London streets seem'd
beautiful to mel
And deep, deep down in my heart of hearts
there nestled this crownlng bliss:
80, what will she feel, my Bessie, my love-
when she comes to hear of this
O the tears of JOY, Q the clasping arms, O the
bonnie head on my breast,
When | come to tell her the glorious news, my
beautiful, my bestn
We sat far into that happy night, l and dear
old Will
All, the rose-like spell of those rich deep hours
is fragrant memory still
And we talk'd of the dear ones down at home,
and the story we had to tell,
And the wondrous love of the Master above
who ''doeth all things well.'
We spoke of Bessie again and again, and
ALWAYS with moisten'd eyes,
And we felt 'twould be best to spare my love
too sudden glad surprise;
So was to keep on my old blue specs" by
way of a loving ruse,
And to patiently bide the fitting time for gently
breaking the news.
You can easily guess what my feelings were
when got back home at last;
And how as | trod on the threshold here, my
heart beat thick and fast;
And how had nearly told her all, in burst
o passionate bliss,
As nv darling flew to welcome me home with
a loving clasp and kiss.
Dear heart, twas the same sweet bonnie face,
nav, BONNER than before.
With the old soft charm in the lustrous eyes
that had won my heart of vore.
Sweet ewes that were moist with tender tears
that went TO my heart to see:
God knows that l never knew till then the
daDths of her love for me-