Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1881-12-17

MY poor, poor boy I"
A pang Of conjunction smote
Demands heart as he glanced at the
pale, sorrowing face that bent over
him. "Forgive me, mother; you
have suffered much. 1 know now,
what it is that has made your life so
sorrowful. But why did you never
tell me this 2"
sit was your fathers wish that
you should be kept ignorant Of it as
long as possible"
A hard, bitter look came over
Bernard's face, such as his mother
had never seen there before.
"He knew that l must hear of it;
that it would be cast up to me as it
has been and will continue to be as
long as l live. 1t was cruel of him
to leave me, his only son, a heritage
of shame like this ~
"Hush, Bernard; you must not
speak of him thus to me. He paid
the penalty of his sin, for sin it was;
nor would have you consider it
otherwise. Though the world scorn
and condem him, you, his son, and
|, his wife, must cast no reproach
upon his memory. l want you to
see the thing he did in all its black
les and moral deformity. But for
for him, the sinner, let there be no
bitter word, no harsh judgment, not
from our lips, my son. No man
more truely repented or tried more
earnestly to atone. No woman ever
had a kinder husband. He loved
you, Bernard, and the bitterest drop
in his bitter cup was the thought Of
the stain that rested on the name
you bear; his last injunction to me
was to so teach and train you, that
you would regard with horror the
slightest approach to the great error
that has been born and still bears
such bitter fruit; his last prayer was
that | might SO live as to lift the re-
proach from your name and his"
Rising to his feet Bernard looked
sadly upon the speaker, from whose
eyes the tears we're falling fast.
"You have needed that injunction
well, mother, as | can testify. L
shall not forget your teachings. But
if all are to judge me as Mr.. Burch-
ard does, what will it avail"
They will not. You will find few
men like him. He bears me person.
al grudge, though l never wrong
him. No n can really harm you,
but yourself, Bernard. AS for this
which so discourages and binders
you now, you must live it down."
This was the last conversation
that Bernard had with his mother
on that subject. The following
night Mrs. Reed was seized with
hemorrhage of the lungs, and before
morning the tired heart, which had
borne it's burden SO patiently, was
at rest.
a few weeks later Bernard and
MI. Burchard met again.
Bernard shrank before those keen
gray eyes, which was quick to note
the change in his look and bearing.
"You found my wolds true -
81 found them true. But to con-
denim the son for the fathers sin is
cruel and unjust as you will some
day acknowledge"
cit is the way of the world, boy.
What a you do handed
against the world 2"
Between Bernard and that jeering
smile there tloated a pale face, whose
calm, tender eyes looked beseech-
ingly into his. He raised his hand
upward and said:
81 can live it down !"
Twenty years later there sat upon
the judicial bench of a New England
city, a judge so noted for his learn
ing and integrity that his fame went
out through all its length and width.
Few would have recognized in
that dignifed man, whom all classes
delighted to honor, the poor, friend
less lad that we introduced at the
commencement of our story. Yet,
so it was. Step by step, through all
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