, 1876-10-15

| AG0ptet to each particular case. IL was sometime
rather difficult for them to find the place" afte
| wazds; but they were, none the LEES interested
the reading. And had not Hrs. Moody as good
right to revise and adapt the books
! anybody else had to make them: Surely the thin!
| she read ont Of her own heart for the good OF he
dock were OF just az high authority a. IT ths
had actually been printed between those htIl
bearing the name Of the famous old American Sun
| day School Union
1t the table the mother would repeat text q
| Scripture or verse OF hymn, and the childre
*ould say it 10 chorus after her That table,
| may well be supposed, WEE not always very vel
supplied; but the mother: thoush toiltns day an
| night to feed and clothe her children, and 10
] always knowing to-day where the food was t
come from for tomorrow. kept up brave near
| and wore cheerful face. The shadow Of povert.
Father above, and Of The godly mother below
| kept the little ones from want and gloom, ant
| made their home happy one in spite Of all thei
But another aorrow fell upon that home on th
I mountain side. Oae Of the elder sons, with
boyish ambition to make his fortune in the grca
world, suddenly disappeared.
For years no tidings Of the lost boy reached th'
| widowed mother. It seemed sometimes as if he
heart would break for him. ''Oh! il could onl,
! know he was dead, it would be better than this
Maybe be is sick and In want!-maybe he has fal
len in with wicked men, who will make him lik'
themselyes!'
Of stormy winters night and listen to stories o
their dead father what be did whit he said how b.
looked how he was Kind to friend and lost great
deal Of money By him, and 50 their little home ,sat
rnongaged. and they werepoof- But by chance an,
one spoke the name Of the absent brother, grea1
silence fell upon them; the tears would come into
away to bed. whispering their ..Good nights. =
aud walking softly as they went; for that name
was like . sword-thrust to the mothers heart.
Then they would lie awake listening to the roar o
the wind among the mountains, and thinking may
be he was ont in the cold somewhere: or, S orst
than that, perhaps he had gone to sea, and while
they we're fnug in bed was keeping watch on s
Wave-beaten deck, or climbing reelins 1Aast in
just such darkness and storm
Now and then, between the gusts, a sound
would be heard like the wall OF the summer wind
branches OF the great nl1pletrees in the yard; low
and gentle now, and dgAin rising into louder and
stronger tones. Then they held their breath and
listened. Mother was sitting up to pray for hes
lost boy.
NEXT morning perhaps she would send them down
to the fost-O in the village, mile and hall
the mother never said SO. But no letter came.
Long years after, when the widow was growing
old, aud her soft dark hair WIS turning white, one
summer afternoon tall swarthy man, with heavy
black beard was seen coming in at the gate. He
came Up under the porch, ard the door being open
he stopped and looked in, with au eager, anxious
was seeking, though he had stopped at the church,
yard on his way through the village to see whether
1Ae.r were two graves instead Of one where his
iatnor had been laid SO many years ago. Surely
Old homer ~ '" ~ $3.50 ''@~
The widow came to the door to bid the strange.
in TIE eyes that had watched 80 long for Ills
coming did not know him now. lie was onlya boy
when he ran away; years OF hardship and exposure
to the sun and storm had made him strange even to
his mother
',.Will You come in'" said she, in her courteous
and kindly way.
ynt the stranger did not more nor speak He
etood there. humbly and penitent1y, in the pres
ence OF her who're love he had siiehted, and whose
z
gratitude began to o.arWhelm him, the big tears
oesan to find their way over his wealher~beaten
lace.
By those tears the mother recognized her son.
he had come at last: There was 80 ,nuca OF the
old home in him that he could not always stay
away. But he would nut cross its threshold till he
had confessed Ms sin asalnst It. and heard from
The same lips which had prayed for him often
aud 30 long the sweet assurance that he was for
:. No! no." said be. +'1 cannot come in till my
mother forgiyes me-
Weeping upon his neck forgetting all the sor-
row he had caused her in the JOY Of seeing him
and because she loved him.
''And that il just the way" says Noody,-who
sometimes tells the story to his great cong1ega-
tious,-'t that is just the way God forgiycs all the
prodiSal 6ons vino came back to linn. Do yuu
think mother Kept her long-loet boy out there in
tue porch till be had gone through with string OF
apologies, and done list Of pcnances, and eyer-so
many prayers? Not at ALL She took him to her
heart ut once. She nude him come right in. She
[orgays him al, and Fejoced orer his coming more
no,s he waa foundr'
4 lorelier spot than that old homestead would be
lard to ind II stands On the eastern slope OF the
ALLEY OF the Connecticut River, which lrEe flows
through narrow meadows, with grand hills on
either side, rising here and there into peaks,
sh4ch II there were not 20 many Of them
allied mountains, and honosei with separate
2anaes: Whateyer advantage there is in glorious
1atu1al scenery, TIC boy Dwight enjoyed it in
great perfection. Certain it is that in after years
lis manners came to be quite suggestive Of buld
oeaks. mountain torrents, and hurricanes sweep
ny over woods and hills,
The air OF that region is the very elixir OF life
)ne OF his Chicago friends went to visit him at his
I'D home, being Just ready 10 die Of consumption;
,ut in little while b he inhaled so much health
le gave up his immediate prospects Of heaven and
rent back to business oncc more.
Among tile ricn inheritance5 OF this poor boy
sere avlgorous con tlsuton, boandlcss ambition,
md animal Spirits aud will stron.. eno1g g to break
lown all opposition und drive aim Oil to sucr ess.
lis pride was all the time leading him to under
IKE things far Ike yoni lig years. His mother
ays, lie used to tn.n. himself man when he
:as only boy" The fatherly authority Was
wanting, and i!e soon cime TO feel himself his own
aasfsr- IN; thing was ca.ier than submission.
He had little failn in prayer. Once when he was |
Keeping nncer heavy fence It fell down upon
ua and caught him, that he could not get away.
hen began to cry for heip; but be was far from |
ny house, and no one acnri him. At last he got
fcly outs and this Wa6 the account he gave Of his
scape:
! tried and tried, and couldn't lift them awful |
lcavy rails: then lollered for help; but nobody |
anne; and then began to think should have 10
le away up there on the mountain all alone. But |
happened to think, maybe, God would help ME, |
. asked Him. And after that I could lift the !
ai!s, inst 1e easy.''
During these years Dwight went through as many |
8 dozen terms at the litti. district echoolhouse;
ut very little of the school ever went through him;
! fact the boy WIS So amazingly Jut!, that there
rag really room in him for the sciences and arts
There we're few things he could not do for his
l0Lher: ut her earnest entreAty he would even do
little studying. He would usually obey her:
ut she wis the only person in all the |
orld WHO ever was able 10 manage him
[e was proud aud wilfull to The last
osernable. partly because he was natural leader
inlsei Still there was nothing vicious in his dis
ositon. II he could be made to see that he had |
ronged any one, he was ready to beg his pardon |
,r 1t, and do better in the future.
His last term Of school was in the winter OF his |
7th year He Was the leading spirit among the |
oys. and SO much mischief did he lead them into
latat ]enth the teacher in despair. and
1reateEcd to turn him out. At this his mother WINS
rely grcved. She told him how much ashamed
le should be to have one OF her SOUS turned out |
school, and directed him to go.to the teucher,
K forgiveness for his bad counuct. and try 10 be
credit to his mother rather than disgrace. This
did in all sincerity. and the rest Of the term for
e first time in his life, applied himself faithfully
study.
But it was too late for him to become a scholar
be time had come when he felt called to the hard
orE OF life; and, with such little learning rs had
cumulated in him, he hardly knew how, he must
out and boldly face the word.
Whatever religions Impressions he had felt In