Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1882-12-27

them Oh the still air. The vestry was
filled, and the two women slipped quiet
ly into a back seat. When the music
ceased, they sat with bowed heads, EACH
thinking her own thoughts for the dying
year, when a voice broke on their ear
80 chan 4 and sottened that they hard
90 recogui: 4. at first, the voice Of Dea
iln Frost. After a few broken sen
G i 1t grew clearer, and he told of h'r
struggles with poverty, Of his efforts to
hold his home, OF his hnrd conviction
that God was looking after everybody &
welfare but his, end leaving Him, th0uGh
he had tried to serve him, to fight lis
battles alone. lie told them of tho
humiliation and bitterness with which,
that very night, ne had gone to tie house
of his creditor with the admission that
ne could not pay his debt, and that he
had been met there by the smiling state
ment that the debt, principal and inter
est, had, this very day been paid by a
friend, or by friends, who wished to re-
main unknown. He had no unknown
friends. God must have moved the
hearts Of these, his brethren, to such
compassion on his anxiety and care, and
the act had been as GOALS Of fire upon
his heart, lighting it till he saw his bard
ness aud sin, warming it till it melted in
gratitude anil love to God and to those
who had done this good to him who had
tried to love God, with very little love
to his fellow men,
He made bad plrce of work of the
story, but THE people knew he felt it,
and that he was going into the New
Year with new love in his heart.
And there were tears running down
the white, wrinkled face in the back
seat. The deacon's wife was glad she
came.
They sang a verse, and Mary's voice
was sweet and clear Young Nelson
heard it: the deacon saw him turn around
aud search for Mary in the crowd, yet,
strange to say, no anger arose in his
heart.
The moments sped on. There was
stiffness. Every heart was silently lae-
ing its burden upon the tteast OF the
dying year--its burden Of the things to
be left behind before the soul could
press forward toward the mark" It was
all very sweet and still, and the deacon's
wife felt how good it was to be there,
when there arose from her side the tall
form of man who had occupied the
seat alone when the mother and daughter
came in. She had not looked at him,
but now as ahc gazcd at the ere"t figure
and the benrde1 fai'e, she saw and knew
her son. Il stiflcl moan escaped her
lips. HIS eyes looked tenderly down
upon her and stcadied and gave her
strength. She chung to the baud hu gave,
her. and bowed her face upon it while
he spoke:-
Il cannot let the old year co." be
said, "sitting here among my ola neigh
bors, without telling th,m Of the bless
ing that year has brought to me. 1t
has been the year Of birth to me-- Of
birth into the only real lifc-~that hidden
with Christ in God. Thirteen years ago,
on the Inst night Of the year, while my
parents prayetl here with you, I turned
my back on you and on my home, OH my
baby sisters face, on my mothers tears,
and began my life of wanderings. They
have lasted many years; they have led
me into many forbidden paths; but in
every one, however far astray, I have
heard the voice OF God calling me. |
have seen my mothers face Watching for
me through the nights; and especially
lis each year brought around the anni-
versary of my hight, have ] felt Der
prayers following me. I have heard her
speaking tenderly to me again and again.
l have remembered the love with which
she made and hid for me the little
Christmas gifts, and l resolved to arise,
and, while the year still fingered, to
bring myself back to my mother, and to
acknowledge before you all the wonder
f'll mercy and love which have found
i'll returning to my mothers God.'
And as the last words died upon his
lips, and he sat down, throwing Que
strong arm around his mother and draw,
ing her head down upon his shoulder,
the deacon knew from whom his New
Years gift had come
" Forgive nc, Harry he said alon,],
moving with outstretclled hand, and. the
tears streaming over bis rough cheeks,
to the side of his son.
NAY, father, forgive me- and az
they clasped each others hands, the old
church clock struck twelve.