Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-11-04
Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of tear,
The upward glancing of an eye,
When none lint God ia near

When none but God il near
You try to pray while 1 ask th,
Lord to give you light and forgive
ness"
The gentleman then knelt beside
the bed, and besought the heavenly
Father to have compassion apor
this poor mortal who was about &c
launch upon the shoreless ocean Of
Eternity without a compass end
without chart.
As he prayed, the Judge approac.
ed nearer the bed. Its occupant was
woman-the Judges dauga ,er |
He looked at the wan, colorless
face of the woman, oyer which death
was tracing its pallid, painful fabric,
long and earnestly. Despite the
years Of toll and suffering some oil
her girlish beauty still remained,
and as the father looked be recog.
n,zsd and realized that this was his
daughter and that she was dying.
A siokly pallor crept into his face,
his limbs shook beneath him, he
buried his face in bis hands and
groaned aloud as be staggered TO
the wall for support.
Jessie had thrown herself upon
the bed, and, while holding and
kissing one of her hands, wept vic,
lentlv. When the mother felt her
daughter thus, she started, qnickly
opened her eyes and looked enquir.
ingly about the room, for she it was
who had sent her daughter to her
fathers mansion. At this moment
the Judge again came forward and
her eyes rested upon him for tho
first Time since that eventful night.
She gave him a searching look, and
then her dying eyes Enlightened for
a moment. He walked TO her bed
side and stood tottering like child.
He remem hered well the terrible
storm into which be had driven hrs
daughter sixteen years ago. He
had steeied his heart to her appeals
then but ss be thought of all her
suffer ngs it smote him sorely, sorely.
The man of God had ceased pray
ing and stepped back respectfully
to watch proceedings.
The mother was breathing heavi.
ly, but she mustered her strength,
and, taking the Judges hand, said
"Father, can you forgive me p
1t had been long, very long since
be had heard that word Father,
and it pierced his heart like knife.
He dropped upon his knees and
buried his face in the quilt.
The mother took the hand of her
child and placed it in the
Judges hand. The child looked
up enqniringly and the mother ex-
planned in two words
"Your grandfather p
Then summoning all her remain
ing strength, she addressed her
BUNDLED father.
"WiIl you-keep her-always ?"
"Yes-forever and she shall be
to me daughter, and shall soothe
my whitening head unto the grave"
be said with a husky voice.
"Kiss me-" she whispered.
He raised her in bis arms, the hot
tears streaming from bis eyes, and
gave her one lingering kiss. She
smiled upon him fairtly, and then
her head dropped upon bis breast
The Judges daughter was dead.
She who had fingered long by the
lark waters of despair would sor-
row no longer. The storm still
.aved without, but it did not bin.
Ter sonl from taking its way
through starry space up TO eternal
lay.
One-two- .hree-four - tdHv
But most of the latter appeared to
De against the Judge. He took his
iefeat with good grace, however,
or through severe Christening the
1esrt Of the Judge of old days had
,ome again.