Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-02-22
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY %, 1882
A LITTLE LINK.

She sleeps-the welcome wintry sun
lis shining on her little face,
The freight glints upon her halr,
My precious blossom! oh, how falr,
How very fair she is
And soft she sleeps, my little one,
And sadly to and fro pace,
And dream anew of Olden bliss.
The flowers plucked for her delight
Have fallen from the tiny hand;
The painted toy that charmed her eyes
With quaint design and action, lies
Beside the pictured book;
Strange thoughts arise, oh blossom bright,
That vex and thrill me as stand
Anear, and on thy features look.
Thy mothers face, thy mothers smile,
Thy mothers ringlcts flowing free,
Her tinted cheek her forehead white,
Her eyes. brown wells Of liquid light,
Yea, all her charms are thine;
Thy mother kissed thy lips erewhiIe,
Before she sent thee forth to me,
And to that kiss 1 added mine.
And when this evenings shadows fall,
And thou art by her side again,
Win she, too, seek, as 1 have sought
The kiss the childish hips have brought
Our parted lips to bless?
viii she, too, fondly question ali
/ said and did, and seek to gain
- glimpse of our lost happiness?
All dear my wifeI alb sweet my wife!
Too lightly won, too lightly lost;
Might ripper age repair with tears
The havoc made in earlier years.
Should we weep, thou and /?
Should we clasp hands, and end the strife
That ali our youthful years have crossed,
And fare together till we die?
If we two stood upon the brink
Of thai wide gulf that yawns between
Thy life and mine this many day,
And one should to the other say,
81 erred the *irst-and most"
Should We stretch out glad hands and link
Our lives and let the dark :! has been"
Float from US like grim gray ghost?
It's hard to say, for pride is strong,
And either blamed the others heat;
But as I look upon the face
OF my one child, and in it trace
The looks of one away,
My heart cries out against the wrong
That bars us both from union sweet,
''And whose the blame ?'' sadly say.
L was to blame, for was hard;
She was to blame, for she was proud:
And so the pride and hardness built
A wall between us, high and guilt;
And yet no guilt was there.
But when my heart grew soft, she barred
The gate on love. I cried aloud;
But she was deaf unto my prayer.
And SO we drifted far apart,
While friends came in to heal the breach.
Poor fools ! to think that they could touch,
Tso wildly, for despair.
But pride put gauds above the smart,
And we were gay and light of speech,
And jeered at love and Knocked at care.
But still the child, the little child.
Goes at the stated seasons forth
From her to me, from me to her,
And keeps keen thrilling thoughts astir,
Awaking old regret.
Thought springs tonight unfettered, wild.
Oh, wife what is life's living worth
If thou and L are parted yet? =
Lo will break the bonds that hold
My life and thine in separate ways,
And standing by thee, face to face,
Beseech thee ill thine empty place,
And bless my lonely soul
With love like that fair love of old.
That gladdened all our morning days,
But stronger grown, and calm, and whole.
1 viii not grudge to own me wrong
Great heaven what slender form is here?
What loving eyes look into mine?
What hands in mine own hands entwine?
My wife, my wife, at last
Wake up, white blossom, sleep not long,
Awake to bless thy mother dear;
Our days of dark are gone and past.
Ny bird, thou hast flown home to me.
Thrice welcome to thine early nest
Nay, not word between us twain
OF all the empty years of pain
For evermore be said.
Il is enough for me and thee
That thou art here upon my breast,
That all our foolish past is dead.
All the Year Bound