The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1878-08-08
TEAR AND TEAR.

saw tear In her eye before they noticed
anything else. Some had called her a bag,
and spoken of her home asa howell. Some
had heard her curse and seen her Teeling
along, and they looked closer to see if it
really was tear. 1t was tear--a great,
round tear, and it rested ON her wrinkled
cheek as If human hand had placed it
there.
Isn'tit strange that sie shed a tear,
eveniin deathi" they whispered.
SOFT was, and yeti was not. When
death comes slowly the crust melts from
the wiokedest heart, and human nature
comes back with all the love and charity
aud sorrow and pity which heart ever
had. Death came slowly to her. As
she sat in the chair and watched the sun
70 down and the shadows come, ahe knew
that she would not live again to hear
the notes of the morning birds. Men
aud women passed her door, but she did
not cry out. Over the heads Of the glee-l
ful children playing at the curb.stone she
saw darker shadow than the rest. 1T
was the shadow Of death. 1tfeated over
the heads of the children as fog drifts
along the rivers surface, and asiit stop
ped at her open door, she knew that the
shadow was chilling her sunshine of life.
There was not a living thing in Or
around the house for her to love--for
her TO part with. No birds built their
nests under the lonely eayes--no cat or
dog basked in the suDshine creeping in
through the dusty windows--even the
rails and mice seemed teavoid the place.
The husband had been dead so long that
she scarce ever gave his memory a
thought, Her ,boy--l AhItthat was 1t.
AS the shadow entered the door and cast
its chiilover her, she whispered;
",Iohn was wicksd. Heran away--he
stole.from me, he beat meP
He had gone TO the war. She had not
heard from him even once. Yet, when
the hearts crust melted the love Of a
neither crept in, and she whispered:
Poverty vexed me. Despair made
me drink. Desperation made me curse
louder than my boy could. He was a
good boy once-I made him badl i, his
own mother. drove him into the
streets--beat him--abused him,
and when 4 could have won
him back by q kind, mothefly
word I would not speak it If he were
here Tonight 1 would sing those old
child-songs to him, j would tell him
those old stories, / would look upon him
az my own precious childl Here, in the
shadow OF death, 4 ask isiforgiveness; /
ask God to forgive mel"
Later, when the dusk was deeper and
the black sha9 COW bad erept yet nearer, a
boy searched about her door for lest
ball and heard her murmur:
John, won't youtforgive yonrmother
1 am dying, John, but all the old love
has came back tomel Lam yOnrmOther,
4 want to hold yeu in my arms and kiss
yoE as i used to / want to hear your
voice and know that yon forgive mel"
Her arms we're outstretched, her
fingers ieIt of the darkness, nothing more.
81 want you to call me mother
again!" she entreated. 81 want to
smooth back your hair as i used to, i
want 10 look into your eyes and see if
You still hate mel"
And those that found her knew not
the feelings that had brought the tear,
nor that it was the last of many which
had burned her cheeks az the gloom
grew deeper and the chilling
breath of the shadow made heart beat
slower.
1t had been fierce fight. Shoulder TO
shoulder the lime swept out from the
cover of the woods, dashed across the
long field, and found death beyond it,
death in such terrible forms that the line
fell back in wild disorder. Again and
again the pale-laced but,courageeus men
dashed at the position, almost gained ~,
and melted away under theifire OF shot
and thell and bullet. BY and by the
slaughter ceased. The living left the
field in possession of the dead and
wouoded, aud the deafening roar of bat
tie driited right and lett.