The Southern reveille. (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1876-1890, 1876-12-15
PORT GIBSON. MISSISSIPPI FIiDAY DECEMBER IS. 1876
..Father,s Ret,er oG..

rs
/ ..Father's Retter oE..
I ffeyas a white-heaaed man who had
lpssstkis forfscnre years, and WAS
oriy hietlx Whiting till he shou d he
sun, oned home, though to prretieai
I fdo8shis son, or Martha, Johns ener-
\ 2eliBife, he seldom of late had spo-
X i en- lncdi1ing thiN, for ne had oysr-
lHetIR ien talking Of him 70 each str (
4 sfti1 A.cohiisassioDatet' liify Eiiild
na:ald he was gfbsfiae, lal.d G
gaf We way Of femaiiiing on the
17safstf f'iazza 10 tine -weaflier; sitting
theewith his open iiible till the rays
ol lllssetting sun threw their fading
I g!dihs over the rim of the western
flflf when he quietly went to his own
! som.
| Not that they were unkiad 10 him,
Il, nol Only John said that fathers
| fctlties are MT what they nscd to be;'
/ ;ltgMartlla. who was orderly To pain
| tfl tiegree, was "woriiedn whca she
| iliud his cane or his spectacles mis-
| pIced-and tlien he often forgot to
bins the easy chair 10 from the porti.
co;Ng omitted To hang his hat Oh its
cuGtsRary nail in the eufry.
Fl dpwish you would be more par
iicuar, father" she said, rather sharp
ly, you left the west door open twice
tVTfy, and you always frget to wipe
yCf' feet on the husk mat.n
was not the words that teucbed
| bill go deeply, but the tone.
| u he took his accustomed place, af
| te dinner, on the pleasant ptrtico, ho
fe a greater degree of languor steal
0yr him than usual, SO much SO that
! Wsaid rather feebly to Martha, who
| ms vigorously sweeping the little en-
spguess, Marthy, if you will give ME
yo4 arm, III lay down spell on the
sof&n the dinin'-roam; don't feel as
taEkh | could-gct mp stairs to bed"
sHlsnsense. father" was Martha's
careess answer, "the dinin rooms got
| To I, swept and AIRED, the furniture
dusaa, and the dfugget put down;
| ytssl2 net ter sit still spell, and if yoa
| l0ni feel better, Ill come cut and help
goHbp stairs.'
TIE afternoon wancd; and as the old
malwatchcd the shadows creep ever
| the iurplc hills, golden ray fingered
1 FIR Em1ncEt on the open leaf of his
bibE by whose s0ftened light his dim
meteyes read:
''le glyeth power to the faint; and
to.tkm that have no night, lie in
| gteiAath strength. Even the yonth
7siais.liiallat aud be weary, and the young
! ssnuFIImll utterly firil.v - TS,ss --.r-
| A'RH tide Of years rolled back, aud he
Isa sillss-h yeIngr wiilfnl and pleas
4 u as.s.ii,.S Lisss an sas-
tra%t, taking his own path, that led
nav through floweiy meadows, but
otteIPSt over SteepA maintains and bv
ihecdge of terrible abysses, pluckiRg
from over hanging bonghs fair fruits
Wheh nanseated, and yainly attempt
ing to slake his thirst with bitter wa
ter. always STRIVING to reach gorge
| GUS city whasc palaced d0mes nppear-
ed ever ahead-the city of cloudland.
And then he saw a hand eutstretched
leading the wayward youth frem the
read he has chosen, and with thrill oil
fnl1less of joy he saw Him cruciiied
saying: Follow thou me -" and iu
spirit he again rose Rp and followed;
leaving the past with Its sins in the
hand that first guided him, no tears
might avail to blot them out, no re
mnrke conld atone for them.-nuly in
Gods keeping was the past lost ia
view.
0tentimes fainting, with feet weary
andfemetines bleeding, he followed
thedirine footsteps thronga the wear;
sometines SO nigh him that lie could
alnost touch The hemDf His garments;
snISrttmeG at Il distance, when His
fngu seemed indistinct and shadowy,
lie fiiuted hy the wayside, and flin
wand rest; and even then did the
prolhecy cnBe true, and, asking, his
strdngth was increased.
His way, in the last years, had been
throagh deep waters; bnt when at
tiHts their waters had almost gone
oYcl him, and yet had receded, even
thea had he seen the fnrm of Him
wh'ln lie followed still bcckoping from
the other shore, and he had heard his
voice saying: "Lo, am with you all
the days even unto the end -
They that wnit.nn the Lord.n The
claiming Of evening was around him
hlJhe wist mott the words seemed to
shine from the page before him.
f'liave not waited 81 thee, Lord 7 y
was the cry of his heart, 'imperfectly
and feehly, yet according to the
strength which thou gayest me
Lord, Jesus, let not my waiting be
very long, if so he thy holy will
! lt was .darl1sw hon. Martha remember
ed that lie bad not yet eonle il; the
tea-talile was sthDdiiig aRd John had
ss'S 'st'iasi'atienib exclaimetl;
,i''',I Yisb father wspldp't always keep
rs waiting9"
And Martha, ne she laid her hand on
the cid mans shoulder, had like t.
teranee on her tongue, but there was
no need of IL,
His atiffencd finger had fallen on
this sentence, j.. z
They shall mount up with wings as
eagles, they shall rnn and not he
weary, they shall walk and not be
faint.n
"Curisas coineident, wasn't 1t 70 said
Jshn, after the funeral.
And Martha, who was putting awax
hiSecane and Speetacles in the little
back closet, answered with mechaui-
cal sort of sigh:
well. fathers better off,
Beyond all comparison and imneas
Rrabfy t'better off"
----S------s~-s-.S-