Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-01-11

words that [ never, never, never meant,
Teddy"
81 thought you never could mean it,
Charles" said the little fellow. He had
borne up with wonderful stoicism till
now, but the overwhelming sense of re-
lief was too much for him, and he began
to weep and sob convulsively.
Then Mrs. PembertOn glided from the
shrubbery at hand, made half gesture
as though she would have clasped the
little fellow in her arms, and bore him
away, but checking herself, turned on
her eldest son cold, reproachful glance,
and said:
1t would be less unkind of you
Charles, and more manly, if you are de-
termined to tear the child from me, not
to make his remaining days miserable. 4"
And then with aggravating meekness
of demeanor she turned once more to
the house.
Teddy looked after her with queer
old-fashioned smile on his young face,
but, when she was quite hidden from
view, he sprang up and clasped his
brothers neck, saying;
"I'll go to school Charlie, and I'll do
just as you like, and you'll see if [ won't
be man, and I'll win the Greek and
Latin prizes, too, if I can; but you know
I'm not clever, Charlie, SO you mustn't
be disappointed if I don't do that all at
once, will you?
"I'll trust you, Teddy, my boy, to do
the best you can, and none of us can do
more than that. I shall miss you sore
ly, Teddy, but thereH be jolly long
holidays, you know, and we shall have
pleasant times together then. And now
come on and let's see how you'll guard
your wicket. IF you don't do me credit
as cricketer I'll sit on YOU"
The poor Iady's heart was very sore
when her boy had gone, and she felt her.
self alone, and many and dread were the
misgivings that darkened her mind. And
Charles, too, felt himself alone. They
may talk as they will Of the solitude of
the deserts, of Arctic wastes, of unin-
habited islands, but there is no solitude
like that of being shut up in the same
house with one we love and with whom
we would fain hold affectionate inter-
course and communion, but who at
every advance toward confidence with
draws to some inner shrine and bars our
approach.
Mrs. Pemberton's married life had
been outwardly calm and uneventful;
but she was out of sympathy with her
husband, man of easy, jovial tempera-
ment, who scarcely noticed her coldness,
and never troubled himself about it; and
she had sought consolation in religion.
She had fallen under the influence of
certain meek fanatics, who held that
"the world" and things of the world
were forbidden to them. When her hus-
band died, leaving her only life inter-
his eldest son sole guardian Of the boy,
she had made some efforts to win over
Charles to her views: but his honest,
healthy nature was absolutely impervi-
GUS to these narrow notions; he was, ac-
cording to the jargon of her sect, "given
up to a reprobate mind" he belonged to
the world from which she had been COM
manded to come out and be separate, -
and day by day the icy crust of reserve
in which she lived became thicker and
denser; and it was rendered more hard
by the feeling of bitterness inspired by
the provisions of her husbands will.
Charles felt all this acutely. He tried
to be, and he was, a good son, but all
attempts at filial confidence were re-
pulsed. He had rarely been betrayed
into an expression of disrespect, and
when he had his utterances were re-
ceived with meekness that was infinite
~ worse than any reproach. Few as the
impatient words were, Mrs. Pemberton
bore all these sayings in heart, and en-
braced them as cher cross" The kind
of fatalism which she had accepted,
made her bow with resignation to the
will which had decreed the eternal per-
oItion of her elder son in common with
that of the overwhelming majority of the
human race, but with something of in
consistency she prayed with passionate
earnestness that her young son might be
given to her, and might be gathered into
the fold of the elect.
The boy throve at school. His health,
now that he was relieved from maternal
coddling, improved rapidly. AS was to
be expected, he did full justice to his
brothers diligent coaching in athletics,
and, what no one had expected, he de-
veloped wonderful faculty for mathe-
matics. Nothing could be more salts
factory than the reports of his conduct
and progress; and nothing brighter and
more beautiful than the lads healthy
condolences with his brother in his happy
holidays, when he described his school
life and the young hopes and ambitions
kindling within him.
But Mrs. Pemberton looked on all
these things with pious disapproval.
"Charles," she would say sometimes,
"you are filing that dear boys mind
full of worldly thoughts, and should
the Lord one day open your eyes to
see the truth, it would be gall and
NORWOOD to you to think what you have
done"
"Why, mother" he would say, "even
the Apostle tells us to be diligent in
business; and it is Teddy's business now
to get wisdom, and with all his getting,
to get understanding.
"You talk lightly anu frivolously, y
would be the answer, "for you are OF
the world worldly; the letter, which
killeth-you know; of the spirit you are
Ignorant, spiritually blind.
sc But MOTHER