Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-05-24
For the MONITOR.
SAVED FROM EVIL.

1t was dark, cheerless night. with
wind sobbing through the trees in 6tful
gusts, and rain beating pitilessly against
the windows of a comfortable chamber
where mother sat watching the restless,
uneasy slumbers of her sick boy who
lay close to deaths portals. AS the
dreary hours wore away, she laid her
head upon the couch of her sleeping
child and prayed: "Oh T! my Father
spare him. can not, can not give him
up. He is my all, my hearts idol.
Let what will, spare my child.'
Was it in answer to earnest prayer that
the child was raised up from the very
brink of the grave? The mother firmly
believed SO, at least. AS he grew strong
and active, with great physical beauty
and full of glowing promise for the fu-
ture, the mother rejoiced with joy
unutterable, and realizing how near she
had been to losing him, she became too
indulgent for his own good. AS he
grew older, he became headstrong and
unruly, and resented the restraints his
mother laid upon him. Years passed
swiftly by. and Edgar Allen was twenty
one. Where now was the promise of
his boyhood; was it fulfilled? Impul
sive, passionate, easily influenced and
generous to fault, he had become
reckless, disslpated young man. "On
the road to ruin" everybody said, and
for once everybody was was right. He
I married sweet girl, who loved him
passionately. She made him her idol,
but soon learned her mistake, and her
bright young hopes lay broken mass
of ruin at her feet. He broke her heart
before ten years, and turned from her
grave, only to plunge into wilder ex-
cesses. How often the sorrow stricken
mother exclaimed in bitterest agony,
"Oh, Edgar, my son, my son, would
you had died IN your innocent boyhood. +"
One day when he was about thirty years
of age, he became involved in a quarrel
with some of his low companions, and,
in fit of rage shot one of them through
the heart He was tried, convicted of
guilt, and sentenced to be hung. The
day of execution arrived, people came
from every direction to witness the fear
ful sight. His mother was with him in
his cell. until the officers of the law
entered to lead him forth to the scafold.
She was clasped for the last time to the
breast of the haggard, guilty man who
called her mother she saw him leave
his cell; then with wild, despairing
shrek she awoke. The gray light of
morning was stealing into the room. 1t
seemed to her as if she had lived years
and years. Could it be dream after
all ? Oh, blissful awakening!
Her child was awake. and she could
not fail to notice that death had cast
his dark shadow over him, and from the
depths of her heart she cried, "Take him,
Heavenly Father, if it be Thy will -
His large eyes were full of the light of
Heaven. The mother bent over him
he clasped his arms about her neck, and
with a look of angelic joy, exclaimed.
eddie hears the angels, don't cry.
mamma, Eddie is going to Jesus" The
rays of the morning sun shone in at the
window. and rested like an angels smile
upon the face of Eddie, as his gentle
spirit went to the Good Shepherd s care.
A heavenly peace came silently as the
sunlight and rested upon that mothers
heart. Spring was bursting forth into
beauty; birds warbled from the trees
violets were springing into beauty on
the sunny banks when they laid little
Eddie Allen in the grave. AS the
mother noted all the fresh gladness in
nature, she thought of another land
where Everlasting spring abides, and
never withering flowers" and it seemed
that she could almost see the green pas
lures, where the tender Shepherd was
leading his lambs by river, clear al
crystal, and as she turned away from
the little mound she murmured, "Saved
from evil" Dora SUTTON.
n.y., III. oc