Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-09-14
HALBERT AND HOB.

HALBERT AND HOB.
Here is thing that ,o happened spn Like wild
In u wild part of North England, there lived
once two wild men
Inhabiting one homestead, neither howell nor
hut,
Such a son, such father! Most widest by
degrees
Softens away; yet last of their line, the wild
est and worst were these.
Criminals, then? Why, no: they did not MUIR
But rive them word, they return blow
old Halbert as young Hob:
Harsh and fierce of word, rough and savage Of
Hated or feared the more-who knows-tic
genuine wild beast breed.
Thus were they found by the few sparse folk
of the countryside;
But how Jared each with other? Fen beast
couch, hide by hide,
In growing grudged agreement: so father
and son lay abed
The cloSelier up in their den because the last
of their kind in the world
Still, bc..s: irks beast on occasion. One Christ.
Came father and son to wOrds-such words |!
more cruel because the blow
TO crown each word was wanting, while taunt
matched gibe, and curse
Competed with oath in wager, like pastimc
in hell nay, worse:
For pastime turned to earnest, rs up there
sprang at last
The son at the throat of the father, seized him
and held him fast
"Out OF the house you go!'-(therc follow 4
hideous oath)-
This oven where now we bake, too hot to
hold us BOTH
If there's snow outside, there's GOODNESS: out
with you, bide spell
In the drift, and save the sexton the charge of
parish she'll"
Now, the old trunk was tough, was solid as
stump of oak
Untouched at the core by thousand years:
much less had its seventy broke
One whipcord nerve in the musciy mass from
neck to shoulder blade
OF the mountainous man, whereon his child's
rash hand like a feather weighed.
Nevertheless at once did the mammoth shu,
his eyes,
Drop chin to breast, drop hands to sides, stand
stttened-arms and thighs
All of piece-struck mute, much us a sentry
stands,
Patient to take the cncmys fire: his captain so
commands.
Whercat the sons wrath flew to fury at such
sheer scOrn
Ofhis puny strength by the giant Glib thus act
ing the babe newborn.
And Neither will this turn scrve!" yelled he
Out with you! Trundle, log!
7 ~ frO,, II k~,,l
try all tours like dog!'
Still the old man stood mute. So, logwse-
down to the floor
Pulled from his fre-side place. dragged on
from hearth to door
Was he pushed, very log, a staircas along
until
A certain turn in the steps was reached, a
yard from the house door-sill.
Then the father opened his cycs-cach spark
OF their rage extinct
Temples, late black dead -blanched-
hand with left hand linked
He faced his son submissive; when slow the
accents came,
They were STRANGELY mild, though his sons
rash hand on his neck lay all the same,
''Halbert, on such night Of a Christmas long
ago,
For such a cause, with such gesture, did I
My father down thus far; but, softening here
A voice in my heart, and stopped; you wait
for an outer word.
''For your own sake, not mine, soften you too!
untrod
Leave this last step we reach, nor brave the
finger of God?
l dare not pass its lifting; did well, nor
Nor praise you. stop here; Halbert, do you
the same"
StraiShtway the son relaxed his hold of the
fathers throat.
They mounted, side by side, to the room again {;
no nOe
Took either Of each, no sign made each to
either; last
AS 1irst in abso ute silence, their Chrtmas-
night they PASSED
At dawn, the father sat on, dead, in the self
same place,
With an outburst blackening still the old bad
fighting face;
But the son crouched all a-trembe like any
lamb -weaned.
When he went to the burial, some ones staff
he borrowed-tottered and leaned
But his lips were loose, not locked-kept NUT
tcring, mumbling. "Thcre!
At his cursing and swearingw the youngsters
criedbut the elders thought, "In prayer"
a boy threw stones; he picked them up md
stored them in his vest
So tottcrcd, muttered, mumbled he, till he
died, perhaps found rest.
as there a reason in nature for those hard
hearts," o Lear,
That reason out of nature must turn them
soft, seems clear