The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-09-23

the time"
Kiss met Doyou think you deserve
to be kissedp No, shan't kiss you to-
night. / can't give my kisses to such
naughty children. Go to bed and pray
God to forgive you and make you good,
that you may be a comfort to your
mother, and not wear her life out with
your bad conduct" and she impa-
tiently pointed to the door.
well, CO." said the elder one,
with an angry twist of his sore should
ers, and he shut the door after him
with a good deal more noise than was
necessary; land perhaps I'll pray too;
but won't pray TO God to forgive me,
for | hain't been naughty at all; but III
pray to Him to give me a mother that
don whip, and that'll love us and kiss
u.s.
And with hearts crushed and torn the
little ones sought their chamber and
strove to undress. A weary time they
had of it, for their fingers were sore
and swollen and their eyes so blinded
they could hardly see the button holes
and much less the strings to their gait
ers.
4" I'll haveto go to bed with my shoes
on" moaned little Frank, as, pulling
the wrong way. he drew his lacing into
a hard knot. 40! dear, l wish Mary
would come" and he burst out afresh.
"She darsn't, cause mother won't
let her." said Henry, as giving an i'm
patient jerk to his jacket, he drew it
off, with sad rent though, and the
loss of a couple of buttons. "Here,
I'll help you off with your things" and,
taking out his pen-knife, he severed,
with little ceremony, the Gordian tie,
and with twitch here and pull there,
succeeded, at length, in stripping his
gentler brother.
I'VE hain't said our prayers" said
Frank, as Henry leaped into bed.
"Well, l amt going to say 'em, eth
err" responded the other in an angry
tone. It's no use trying to pray when
you feel SO ugly, the minister said so
the other day; besides, my hands and
shoulders ache so can't think about
anything but that old whip. She did
whip us awful hard, didn't she?"
"Yes. o, it did hurt, though, and it
does now; but guess I'll just pray God
to make her love US, and never whip us
when we don't mean to be naughty"
"'Twon't do no good to pray that,
Frank; cause when she's so cross she
dom think about God nor nobody else."
"Well, old granny used to say, if it
don't do no good, it won't do no hurt
to pray, and it'll make you feel gooder
than it did before" And so the little
child, though every nerve within was
quivering yet with pain, and though he
was tired and hungry, Just in that frame
of body when he needed to be folded to
a mothers heart and kissed and lulled
with the holy music of her evening
hymn, knelt down and folded his red,
smarting hands, and prayed to the
Good Father not only to make him and
his little brother good boys, but to make
their mother love them and never whip
them again when they didn't mean to
be naughty. If ever the recording
angel was tempted to blot out a moth
ers sin. it must have been when that
prayer was heard in heaven.
There was a holy beautiful look on the
face of the suffering child as he raised
it to his brothers. His old granny's
words were .rue-he felt "gooder"
than before that knee was bent, before
that petition was lisped. But he could
not make his brother feel so. Dark, re-
vengeful feelings were boiling in that
young heart, and they dubbed over
soon in expressions like these:
q think it was real mean. in mother
4 II, l.
nothing bad. What if we did break a
window? Father has got plenty of
money to pay for it and if he ain there's
no use of making such fuss about a
dollar [ wish we'd broke two; we
might just as well. Its her own fault,
too, if she'd let us play in the parlor
with our blocks it wouldn't have hap
pened. She needn't have killed us if
she did think she must whip US. l wish
l was big man. I'd clear out some
where and never come back. wonder
if everbody's mother is so awful cross.
o dearr' but here his voice melted into
sobs again, now wild and convulsive,
stirring the whole frame, then deep and
passionate, choking the throat and
again so low and mournful that they
seemed but audible pulses of break
ing heart. But healthy childhood has
ever true and gentle comforter for all
its woes, and the little boys, in an hours
time, were fast asleep, their Veined
eyelids fearfully swollen though, and
their brows and rosy cheeks sadly
stained with the efforts of their little
fingers to wipe off the scorching tears.
1.-The careless little things" grumbled
Mrs. Layton, as going through their
chamber an hour after midnight, on her
return from a brilliant party, she STUN
bled over their scattered clothes, Il
verify believe the more whip them the
worse they grow. How glad shall be
when they are old enough to take care
of themselves and keep out of nv way"
And the "crossn mother, without a
single prayer for the beautiful gifts God
had vouchsafed her household, without
one kiss upon the fragrant lips of
those precious babes, without even a
glance toward the little couch which
had given rest to the little limbs she had
so cruelty tortured, hurried to her own
room and hurried to bed. God read
her heart-I am glad | cannot.
Mercy on me What has happened?
What is the matter?" exclaimed Mrs.
Brown, in a half frightened tone. as she
was routed from light doze in her
chair by the shivering of window and
the scattering of broken pane. "Who
could have done that, who could have
been so careless? l hope, 1 trust it was
not my little boys, and yet it would be
strange if it were they, for they
are but children, frolicsome, light
hearted children, and L can't expect
them ALWAYS to do riUht. / am sorry.