The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1879-01-23

and offered her hand, her face resoluie,
and her lips trembling.
"My son, God says give me thine
heartr she exclaimed, solemnly.
"And can you indeed come to me
and call me son, my more than
mother ?" replied Alonzo, his eyes
downcast and his voice husky.
''Yes, dearie; We are all human, and
we're commanded to forgive Others, II
we'd be ourselves forgiven when We 90
wrong"
Mother, do you ever sin ?"
''God knows, child, / never mean to-;
but ! often find myself actin right con-
trary TO Scrlpter. and tho l don't DO
nothin' criminal, or anything the world
calls wicked, think the Lord is often
sorely vexed with me about my repiuin'
and eomplainiu' at the ways o Provi-
denee. 1t pears natural for everybody
to sin aud come short o. the glory O.
God"
''Then, mother, you don't despiso
me >"
"No, child; Pm only sorry for you,
and pray the Lord to take away your
stony heart, aud give you a heart of
/ flesh"
"But Grace despises me; she told me
so.n
"And can't blame her overmuch for
that, honey. You must admit that you
have cruelty wronged her"
'Ies, mother, admit all that. But
1 loved her So"
"CerfaiH, now %
Alonzo could not help but shrink and
quail under the sal, earnest aud moth
erly gaze of Mrs. Emerson's kindly
eyes
"Ees, mother" he faltered, in a half
whisper, his head partly averted, by no
means hiding the expression Of his fea-
torres in the brilliant moonlight that
fiooied the low, shabbily-furuished
apartment
III pears to m-, 'Lonzo, like you re
not teiliu' the truth. | had a dream
about you last night, aud it seemed like
you was tellin' a set o. fellers that YOU
was only baggin' the goose to secure the
golden egg, or something to that effect;
and il 'peared like you was awful merry
about me, and you called me mother
goose. Maybe there's nothin' in dreams,
and / s'pose there isn't; but the Whole
thing comes back to me so QUAR- like,
that I can't help speakin' OF it,"
Well, mother, may just as well be
honest with you first a. last. I have
been selfish aud wicked, not only before
| saw Grace, but since we have been ac-
quainted. OF my first numiIiating sin,
you know Of my second one, which was
nothing more OF less than wooing you
and marrying your daughter against
your better judgment, have no pallia-
tiou save that my circumstances, or
rather, my fathers, for he assumed the
responsibility, aud not I, drove me into
a matrimonial bargain Of which have
made merry. Your dream was not all
dream. Some waking fancy must
have inspired it,"
"No, 'Lonzoi it wasn't fancy; it was
fate"
81 accept your amendment as a fact,
mother. But tell me, do you think
Grace will ever love me again ~
"Why should you care, seeiu' you
don't have any love for her ?"
"But, mother, do love her now.
Indeed, do. have nothing further
TO gain by keeping my marriage invio-
late II she doesn't care for me, seeing
the cats out o. the bag and the fat all
in the fire in spite o. me. Mrs. Emer-
son, do you know I almost hate my
mother >"
"Why, Lonzol I wonder that God
doesn't strike you dead."
"Why should he? / can't help my
honest convictions Why should size
have meddled in my affairs, I should
{ like to know ?"
at was God aud the angels prompted
/ her, Lonzo, else she never would have
had the courage to do it. She told me
herself that she would have gladly been
burnt at the stake if by so doin' she
could have 'scaped her duty. But she
wanted to save you, Lonzo; you and
your child Aud now, my son, let Us
pray together. Depend upon it, God is
able TO forgive you; aud he can over
rule even your wickedness till it shall be
made to praise him"
The miserable husband Of day knelt
in sincere self-abnegatiOu beside one Of
the mothers whom he had so deeply
wrouged, aud reached his hands implor-
ingly TO heaven.
TO be continued