The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-09-27

Sklsis / s6oaS6t q Is I brsssed q onward M 4.
Be9fJb Repentance for my caSel6sehess, I
NJ tnll " anxiety for the future; Il hail
grown from = boy Into Z man h tho1e nv
Wesa1 Of sui8qkiG0 1 kAeN Va Were not
| richy kh6W thefB was mortgage ON the
Property. Ny fathers business Is law
yer was based upon his high reputation
| Tor probity and intelligence, and It would
die with him. If our house. were % be
sold, what would becOthe OF my mother
and the llsAM 0hess ! hid beek . good
Ehnlak. But what c6uid i Boy who hal
hot hnished school Do 70 support y family I
envien my poor neigtttfs. Their sons
could learn tfade-some of them even
nov, no older than myself, were earning
their own living.
Instead Of approaching our own place
by the highway, went round by the
lanes. forded the river (which was low
and CAME UHt unpefceiSed under those
windows Of the house which overlooked
Il was about Ten yards from my home
when sharp cry of anguish struck upon
my eat. No words can describe that cry
or the effect 1t had tpUh the.
In those days there was no ether, no
cblorufofm, to lull the patient into in
sensibility. The doctors cut right down
into the quivering flesh, and human
nature could not refrain from cries. do
not know how long the agony of my dear
father lasted, nor how long It was that my
suspense and suffering endured. When
recovered myself was lying on my face
in the midst of bed Of geraniums, grasp
ing my mothers plants-which had
pulled up by the roots-in both my hands.
l heard no more. The house was perfect
~ still.
II rose. Shook myself. went in by
side door, more dead than alive. Atthe
foot of the stairs ! met my mother coming
down.
" Mamma, mamma, is it all overp
Calm yourself, Frank. What had to
be done is all finished. The doctors say
he will get WE'LL
"Then she began to wonder over my
return, to scold me for leaving my uncle's
house, to lament over my new clothes,
which had not been improved by the dust
of my double journey, or my passage
through the Zorn.
1.-THE dear, dear patient slept He was
not told OF my return for several days, for
it had been his particular wish that we
should be away at the time of the opera
ton.
cat last my mother had to tell him, for
she never kept anything from him.
:" He asked to see me and tried to CON-
fort me, and made me remark that he was
getting back his color. 1t was happy
moment to us both. He wept nearly as
much as my mother and l.
mislcd you, my son, he said, be-
cause if anything very sad had come of
it, l hoped you would never suspect the
truth
"Ah, papal even now shall never get
over it.
"Oh yes you will, Frank. Now you
must stay by me until school begins. You
shall be my nurse-my head lacquey, my
hospital steward Ny dear boy, you have
suffered SO much from my accident that
it is only fair you should enjoy my conva-
lescence.'
"From that hour began happy int
macy between father and son, which was
one of the greatest blessings of life to me.
The dreadful accident which had hap
pened through my heedlessness made me
careful and thoughtful; my fathers cour-
age and great kindness made deep i'm
preston upon me.
Zone day when was grieving over his
illness, as / stood beside his bed flor he
was well long before I could be CON-
forted). he said
"t We were both careless, Frank. Your
heedlessness was not grave fault at your
age, but ought to have been upon my
guard. As your teacher and your father
was wrong to take my stand, in order to
IL xxysfh h,1p
yards of you. / ought to have stood near
you and seen after you, and have given up
shooting myself that day. That is what
mean to do the next time we go out to-
gether.'
"tNo, father, nor I exclaimed vehe-
mently. l shall never 60 out shooting
again
"sYou are wrong, my son. want
you to be sportsman. The exercise is
invaluable to us lawyers; it stretches our
legs. Beside, the time may come when
every Frenchman Who knows how to
handle gun may be of great value to his
country
"My dear mother did not at first like
the idea of having two sportsmen in the
family. She had been married sixteen
years, but she always felt anxious when
dear papa went out with his game bag and
his rifle. However, she said, what
can't be cured must be endured and, il
| Frank must go out shooting, l will give
him talisman which will keep him from
being imprudent.'
~ have the talisman still, and here i,
| is. This pin, which no doubt you have
noticed in my cravat. See the little silver
dove bearing the tiny chain, at the end OF
which is leaden bead. 1t is No 7
shot. My poor dear mother had it made
for me by the best jeweler in Strasbourg.
This little bit of lead, which is almost
worn away to nothing, is the shot which
came so near killing my father.
Now, tell me, can | ever forget to be
careful, my young friend, with such re-
membrance. of my own hcedlessness fast
ened in my bosom ?'-Iranslated from the
French for the Baltimore american.