Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-05-31

my wife, who often: perhaps, searches un-
authorizedly there -
As he said this dreadful idea crossed
his mind. That son, spoiled by the
mothers indulgence, already corrupted
by spending money, was thief-a thief
while yet child He rose in bed and
spoke in voice of thunder:
Robert, you age stealing my money -
Horror fro1e the boy he dropped from
the chair like . cat, and was into his own
bed In the next room and covered his face
with the sheets. Anguish and stern re.
solve possessed at once the fathers
stricken heart. He had delayed too long
to cl,astise his wayWard son now gliding
into ruin. It must be done, hard thoug b
the thought should be. He awoke bis
wife, and suppressing her replies with an
iron will, related the story Of her dcpraved
child. Henceforth, /" he said, I must be
tho magistrate and mother instead of you
Robert, como dress yourself
He thrust the frightened mother back.
The boy fell on his knees, but could not
speak one word, 20 largo the knot that
gathered in his little throat, SO resolute
the startled, fawn-like eyes, as if agony
and perversity worked together to make
him Obdurate. Down the stairs and into
the orchard, away from sight, the father
bore his child, and making him kneel upon
the grass, struck hard and slow with a
switch of the apple tree, telling his boy to
confess yet dumb as Isaac upon the altar
beneath his fathers knife, the shrinking
childhood of the boy received his hard
chastisement. Carried back, all trem-
bling as with a chill of death, to the house
mOllrninop tho 0skkln hon laid in, hic
0cd, still frozen tight of speech and only
the ointment of a mothers tears fell on
his tortured back and famine narrowed
sneS: S:'ders, but his large eyes turned to a
little box tnat he kept his treasures in,
and thew placed it in his bed where he lay
all day sighing from his inarticulate
soul.
The fathers heart was wrenched to
think of such frail, dear son persisting
in his wickedness, and turning from re-
pentauce, He sat by his side all that
afternoon, demanding his boy to confess
and save them both the pain of another
chastiscment. which else he would feel ro-
auired to enforce next day.. The boy
trembled, but did not speak. and put his
arms around his little t,ox as if it was his
brother.
luo WuS UlkuS UuAVuSA = c'6AA ~-.~
through the chamber ever and anon from
those suffering lips Neither man mol
woman slept. At early day tho anguished
father felt that the stern punishment must
be meted out again unless his boy spoke
and repented. He rose and passed into
the chamber where the son lay in his
lowly bed, all strewn with his little draw
ingk, and his arms around his box. He
sighed no more, but seemed asleep. Upon
his face a color paler than the snowy
sheet extended. Another guest was N
tho bed the guest that cometh like real
thief in the night.
Mary" cried the father, " Mary, my
wife, come here Robert is dying"
The mother came on feet OF doves
wings. She raised her son upon hel
breast. The little lips unclosed ane
spoke tho last forever to this world
~ love my papa. Mamma, l 0nl!
wanted his pencil, not his money. Deal
God, let papa love me ="
And SO, among the little drawings h'
had been working at every dawn, til! hi
pencils were worn to the wood and ne
would have borrowed his papa's noiseless'
ly, whose sharpened pencil was fE. M
waistcoat pocket, the little artist yielded
up his broken heart. Only the room re-
sounded with childless fathers cry
~Oh! had my son again, even though
he wcs> a thief ~