The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1877-01-18
For the EAGLE.
Sunshine in q Shady Place.

CROOKED CREEK, January IL, 1877.
We are often disappointed in our ex-
pectations as we pass through this
strange world OF ours, Where we
look for light we find darkness, and
where we expect darkness behold there
is light. There is deal of sunshine
in shady places. We see il overy day
where we least seek it. and every day
we 90 away and forget tie beautiful
revelation of our Fathers compassion.
In the summer we stroll in the deep
glen where you would think no light
could ever enter. The path which
leads 10 the little forest brook is messy
and dark, and the few flowers which
blossom by the wayside have never
been kissed 10y the genial sunlight.
The water glides black and cold at
your feet, aud in fit of musing you
will sit down there, and you think,
with sign, that this glen of shadows
is like poor, desolate human life. SO
it is. But OH one little ripple there
comes a sunbeam. Down through a
thousand leaves that sunbeam has
wandered till il reached the brook and
here il was welcomed. 1t almost seems
that the glad little wave knows the
sunshine is scut to it from God, so
lightly and unsteady does it dance
along. 1t were well if the light was
always received so gratefully into the
shady place. The homes OF the poor
seem, TO the eyes of the world, as its
shady places. They are, often so, but
thank heaven they are not without
their sunshine That is very poor
hut standing by the lonely seaside, con-
tanning but very few OF this worlds
comforts. The Irishman tolls early
and late for his daily bread, and some
the high, bright places of earth, and
rebels in his heart against bis hard. lot.
Yet he is oftener unmindful of its
hardness. AS he climbs the rocky
path, unconciously, the shadows steal
out of his darkened heart aud bright
sunbeam enters in. IT'S white, child
ish face pressed close against the pane
peering forth into the darkness for
him. There is q sunbeam in that poor
hut which he would not exchange for
the wealth OF a world. IT'S the little
child that will not sleep until he comes.
A door is open and happy little voice
feels papa is here. First he must tell
her how far out in the water he has
been, how many fish he has caught,
and soon the bright eyes begin to droop
but The bright head is once more lifted
from his shoulder, saying-'.Don't go
away i'll the morning, papa, before |
wake" Not for the world. And il q
momont is sound asleep-the poor
mans sunbeam. And all this is in the
summer time. But the winter has
come. Hard and cold it seems TO those
who are clothed in soft raiment."
But what must it be to the poor? 1t
is night. The wind walls without
kcenly and bitterly, and the storm
beats down against that window where
once shone sunbeam, and out on the
dcsolate hills, and far down in the vii
lage church yard the snow is drifting
above ''lttlc grave" That mother
sits with paler check than on that sum-
her, his face covered in his hands. The
great Sun of life has called home the
one little beam which frightened the
poor mans poverty, We are in one OF
earth's shady places now. But God is
merciful and very pitiful. He sees
that despairing mothers heart, and
feals the last heart wrench of that ia
Their rnd sends comforter in to those
poor cottagers. a new hope is kindled
ana they begin to talk, very sadly at
first, but soon more hopefully of the
little one away from the storm and
cold forever Out of the heavy shad
ow grows q new sunshine. It. draws
them away from earthly sorrow nearer
and ever neaLer to heaven, for there is
"child ANGEL there, aud in the 'shady |
place" there is a new and ncver-fading |
sunshine. Earth has no sorrow that |
heaven cannot heal. JEAN.