Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-08-18
An Old, Old Story.

"C-o-m-e In! Well declare, stran-
ger, you gave me quite q turn! IL
was kind of expectin' somebody, and for
half minute thought mebbe as twas
her, but she'd never stop to knock;
want bite and a sup and q nights
lodgin'? Why of course; sit down, do.
l-a-most forgot to ask you, was that
illustrated. Poor soul! how tired and
worn out you look! can make you
comfortable for the night and give YOU
a good meal of victuals and a shake
down on the floor, but l would hard
l-y like to put you in Lizzie's room
she was that particular, and your clothes
are so wet and drabbled. Why. woman,
what makes you shake so-ague? Never
heard tell of any in these parts. Guess
you must have brought it with you.
Well, a good nights rest will set you up
wonderfully, and you can lie right here
by the stove, and the fire a-smolderin'
will keep you warm, and the light will
be a-burnin' till its broad day-broad
day!
"What do keep the light a-burnin'
for? Well, now, when folks asks me
that, sometimes l tells them one thing
and sometimes tells them another. I
don't know as l mind tellin' you, be-
cause you're such a poor, misfortunit
creetur, and stranger, and my heart
kind of goes out to srch. You see l
have a daughter. She's been away
these ten years. has Lizzie, and they do
say as she's livin' in grandeur in some
turin place, and she's had her head
turned with it all, for she never lets her
poor old mother hear from her, and the
fine people she's with coaxed her off un-
beknownst to me, and don't mind tell
ing you rs it was a great shock to me,
and amt the same woman since Liz
zie went out one night, and when she
kissed ne said: leave light in the
window, mother, till 1 come back and
that was ten years ago, and I've never
seen her since, but I've burned light
In the window every night all these ten
years, and shall till she comes home.
''Ics, it's hard to ba mother and be
disappointed so. allowed she was dead
till folks, as seen her well and splendid,
told me different, and was sick a long
tlme-that's what made my hair SO
white-but l hope she never heard of
1t, twou!d have made her rs miserable
as was, and her fine things wouldn't
have been much comfort to her! Folks
blame her terribly, but I'm her mother,
and it just seems as if could see her;
so pretty, with her long brown curls,
and the smile she had, and her gentle
ways, and l loving her better than
Heaven above me! This is my punish
ment-to sit alone all day and never to
sleep at night, but hear her crying
Mother! mother! where are youP' and
if go once, 60 dozen times to the
door. and look up and down the lone
some road and call, Lizzie! Liz
z-i-e! and there's never any answer but
the night wind moaning in the trees!
"Well didn't mean to make YOU feel
bad; don't cry, poor soul! You've had
enough trouble of your own, guess, by
your look! Your hands are like ice
and your temple and your face is white
and-and-why, what is this? You are
not old and your hair hangs in brown
curls-and your eyes-Merciful God!
it's Lizzie come back to her mother
it's my child that was lost and is found
put out the light--put out the light,
for the night is over and it's the clear,
broad day at last!"-Detroit Fres Press.