Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-08-14


"Sho's wurf all tho horses
IN dis whole big worldl"
-Ch,istian Union.
The Comet.
And the comet came, With luminous
head, and threatening his fiery tail.
1t was gazed ut from palace to cot. by
the crowd upon tho street and the
lonely wanderer over the painless
heath and each CT all tho gazers had
his own thoughts about it. "Come
and see the sign in the sky - were
words on the lips of all, and all hast
ened to see.
But in tho house little boy was
sitting quietly with his mother; the
tallow candle was burning, and the
mother thought she perceived s.shav-
ing" in tho light. The tallow had
raised in point, and formed q curl,
which, as she thought, signi6ed that
hef little boy would soon die, for the
shaving turned toward him. It was an
old superstition, and she believed it.
But the little boy was to live many
years upon the earth-ive and see the
comet when, after more than sixty
years, it should re. appear.
The little boy did not see the omen
in the light, nor did he think of the
comet which now, for the first time in
HIS life, was shining from heaven. He
was sitting with q mended bowl con.
tanning sOap-suds, into which he was
dipping the head Of clay pipe, then
putting the stem to his mouth and
blowing off bubbles. little and big,
they waived and scared in most beauti,
full colors, changing from yellow to red,
lilac and blue, and then becoming
green, like the forest leaf, transparent
in the sunlight.
God grant you years upon earth as
numerous as the soap-bubbles you
blow!" said his mother.
$50 many! SO many!" said the lit.
tie boy. 1.-THE suds can never be blown
up!" and the little one blew bubble
after, bubble. "There goes d year !
See how they fly" said he as each
bubble tloated away. A couple of then,
went directly into his eyes, giving them
pain and bringing tears. In each hub.
bic he had a vision Of the future, shin.
ing, glittering.
1--WE can see the comet :" called the
ncighbors. "Oh, come out don't sit
in there!"
And the mother took the little one
by the hand; he had to lay away the
pipe, the soap-bubble toy; the comet
was there, and the little one saw the
shining ball with tho fiery tail. Some
said it seemed to be three yards long :
Others that it was millions of wards :
people see differently.
"Children and children's children
may Be dead before it comes again. -
said the people; and the most of those
who said it were dead and gone when
it came again. But the little boy, fol-
whom the shaving stood in the candle,
and concerning whom the mother
thought, ''he will soon die !" vet. was
old and vhite-haired. The old adaoe
says that "white hair is the blossoms
of old age !" and with him tho bios.
som was profuse; he was now an old
school master. His pupils spoke of
him as wise, knowing so much of his.
tory, geography and astronomy.
All things return, he said; "only
set your mark upon characters and
transactions, and you will always find
the same again, in some other dress,
some other country"
And the school-master told them ri
William Tell, who was compelled to
shoot On apple from the head of his
son; but, before shooting, had con
cealed upon his breast another arrow
with which to pierce the breast of the
wicked desler. In Switzerland this
occurred, but many years before the
same TRANSFERRED in Denmark with Pal
natoke. He, too, was compelled to
shoot an apple from the head of his
son, and, like Tell, concealed IN arrow
with which to take revenge; and. furth-
er back, more than thousand wears.
the same event is recorded as having
TRANSFERRED in Egypt; the same events
re-appear rs do the comets: they dis.
appear, remain while away, and then
come back again.
And he told of the comet, now ex.
pected, the comet which he had seen
when he was little boy. The school.
master knew much about the heavenly
bodies, mcditated upon them, and vet
did not forget history and geography.
he had laid out his garden in the
shape of the map of Denmark. Here
herbs and flowers were arranged &C.
cording to the adaptation of soil ia diff
ferent parts Of the country. bring
me peas ~ he said, and these vera
brought from the bed that represented
Holland. "Bring me buckwheot ."
and this was brought from Laupeland.
The beautiful blue gcntian and sweet
willow were to be found up at Skagen
the glossy Christhorn over at Silke.
borg. The towns were signified bv
emblems. Here was st. Canute with
the dragon, siguifying Odonse; Absalor
with bishops staff signifyiug Soro.
and a little vessel with oars lAaror'
signitied Aarhus. From the school
masters garden one could learn quitt
well the geography of Denmark. but Of
course b. must be instructed bv tho
scl'ooln*ster, which was so agreeable
The comet was expected, and con-
corning it he told what people of old
Gays when it was last here, had said.
Inc comet is good wine year." bc
sad ''water may be mixed with Il
without being perceptible. Winc-
dealers like comet years."
During fourteen days and nights the
SKY was clouded, and the comet oh.
scured; but it. was there. The oil
schooimastcr was sitting in his cham
Der close by the school-room. Tho
Bornho!m clock, which had belonged
TO his chilahood's home, stood in fhc
corner, tho leaden weights neither
rising nor falling, the pendulum
imotlonless; the little cuckoo, which
''"d formerly come forward cuckooinp
'ach hour, remained back in it's place
s'lcnt all was still there, tho clock
mao ceased to 90. But tho old piano
"hich f';tl also pcrtaincd to tho homo
OF his childhood, still POSSESSED Gfn
the strings could rcsound, some,
what hoarscly, the melodies Of II whole
human life; and thereby tho old man
Kept IN mind so much, both pleasant
and sad, in the lon, row of intervening
years, since when NJ Il child he had
gazed upon the comet, until now it was
.Saln here: He remembered what his
mother bad said about the sIavings m
Inc tight; he remembered the i,eauti-
|'!' soap bubbles, each donating for
lin year, he hat said. How bright,
low full of colors, only the bright and
Joyous he saw therein; child play with