The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1879-08-07
Halbert and Hob.

lu VIVA part OF NOrln EDgland, there nYc
once two wild men,
Inhabiting one homestead, neither hoyel no
hut,
Time out of mind, their birthright: father an
son, these-but-
Such son, such father Most wildness b
degrees .
softens away; yet, last Of their line, the wildes
and worst were these.
Criminals, them1 Why no: they did not mur
der and rob;
= But give them word, they returned blow
old Halbert and young Hob;
: Harsh and fierce OF word, rough and savage o
decd,
Hated or feared the more-who knows ?-th,
genuine wild-besst breed.
Thus were they found by the few sparse folk
OF the countryside;
But how Jared each with other7 Fen beasts
couch, hide by hide,
In a growing, grudged agreements so, father
and son lay curled
The closelier up in their den because the last Of
their kind in the world.
Still, beast irks beast on occasion. One Christ.
mas-night OF snow,
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 pastime in
hell-nay, WORSE:
For pastime turned to earnest, as up there
sprang at last
The son at the throat of the father, seized him
and held him fast
ont of this house you go I-(there followed a
hideous oath)-
This oven where now we bake, too hot to hold
us bothl
II there's snow outside, there's coolness; out
with you, bide a. spell
In the drift, and save the sexton the charge Of
parish shell {!
Now, the old trunk was tough, was solid as
stump Of oak lt a..lt Ell 4;
Untouched at the core by thousand years:
much less had its seventy broke
One whip-cord nerve in the muscly mass from
neck to shoulder-blade
OF the mountainous man, whereon his child's
rash hand like feather weighed.
Nevertheless did the mammoth shut his eyes,
Drop chin to breast, drop hands to side, stand
stiffened~arms and thighs
ALI Of a piece--struck mute, much as a sentry
stands,
Patient to take tho enemy's fire; his captain so
commands.
Whereat the sons wrath few to fury at such
sheer scorn
OF his puny strength by the giant eld thus act
ing the babe new born.
And Neither will this turn serve yelled he.
'Out with you Trunde, log
II you cannot tramp and trudge like man, try
all fours like dog
Still the old man stood mute. So, logwise-
down to the floor
Pulled from his ireside place, dragged on from
hearth to door
Was he pushed, very log, staircase along
until
A certain turn in the steps was reached, q yard
from the house door-sill.
Then the father opened his eyes-each spark
OF their rage extinct
Temples, late black, dead .blanched- right hand
with left hand linked
He faced his son submissive; when slow the &C.
cents came,
They were strangely mild, though his sons rash
hand on his neck lay all the same.
'Halbert, on such night of Christmas long
ago,
For such cause, with such gesture, did /
Ny father down thus far but softening here,
heard
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, not brave the
finger Of God
dared not pass its lifting; did well. l nor
blame
Nor praise you. stopped here; Halbort, do
you the same
straightway the son relaxed his hold of the
fathers throat.
They mounted, eide by side, to the room again:
no note
Took either OF each, no sign made each to
either: last
AS first, in absolute silence, their Christmas
night they passed.
At dawn, tho father sat on dead, in the self
same place,
With an outburst blaokening still the old bad
fghting-face;
But the son crouched all a-tremble like any
lamb new-yearned.
When he went to the burial, some ones stafI
m he borrowed -tottered and leaned.
But his lips wore loose, not locked-kept NUT
tering, mumblng. 'Therel
AT his cursing and swearing ! the youngsters
cried; but the elders thought, In prayer.
Aboy threw stones he picked them up and
stored them in his vest.
So tottered, muttered, mumbled he, till he
died, perhaps from rest.
is there reason in nature for those hare
hesrts2 Oh Lear,
That reason out OF nature must turn then
soft, seems clear
& Robert Browning.
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mi q -.