The Rock Island Argus., 1883-07-28

At sixteen he was as tall and hand
'Ome a boy as one rarely saw, and bet
-er ny Tar, as manly heart It's Ire was
II stature. Not marvel of perfection
oy any means, but hesaw his own faults
and others vices, and for the love he
bore his poor, lone mother, herestrained
his own evil impulses and while not Sc
cluding himself from youthful associates,
he still thought of her wishes, her well
fare, her love, and, above all, her lone
illness. can sometimes fancy even now
I can hear him as he enters the house
seeking his mother / sometimes fond
ly believe | hear his hearty voice as he
meets her and calls out to her, Hello,
Sallie, and then he would kiss her and
she would gaze with loving pride upon
ler manly boy who had sofar outgrown
her as to delight in calling her by so
3atronizing apett term. Though that was
not her name, yet she liked it. 1t was
his boyish caprice to call her so, and
she humored it. She would rather have
him greet her with his ready, hearty
Hello, Sallie" than to have heard all
the most finished and dignitied saluta-
tions of ''good evening, mother that
was ever uttered.
She was no cold, precise, .forbidding
mother. He knew that when he en-
tered that house he entered not the
presence OF formality and restraint, hut
the abode of cheerfulness of light and
warmth, and if needed, sympathy and
comfort. Her's was happy, sunny
disposition, and he felt free to tell her
Of his bogish freaks, Of his little adven-
lures, of the sights and happenings OF
the day, because he knew that she would
enjoy anything that had pleased him,
that she weuld laugh with him over the
things that We're amusing, and advise
him as to what had been wrong.
Ii seemed to her such a little while
since he had been a babe, such little
while since she had taken him in her
arms and tied dainty knots OF ribbon in
| the little short sleeves upon his shoulders
| such a little while since she had made
glossy ringlets in his dark, wavy hair
Such little while, too, since she had
clad him in his long. white gown. tucked
the clothing around him in his little tun
| die bed and sat by his, bedside until his
eyes were closed in sleep.
Now he seemed to her almost a man
man in form and development. a mar
| in passions and feelings, but still boy
in experience. That she could one day
| be as proud of him as Il man as she wa:
of him as boy was her great desire
She had weathered many storms, she haC
breasted the breakers, had oyerriddeI
them andnow rested in still waters. Ht
had all this yet to undergo, and she knew
that some day they must part, and 81
one bright day he left her. A glad
hopeful smile upon his face, and she
bearing up bravely, smiling too upol
him, waving him good. bye, and mur
muring, God bless my boy Will
great tear drops coursed down lie
/ cheeks
Poor railroad boy, poor railroad boy
mother, was but a little while till tha
fond mother was hurryin% through win
ter's snow and ice, coming - quickly 4
trains would carry her; coming hun
dreds and hundreds OF miles TO see he
boy.
lhc tram had come IN. lhe mothe
was ushered into his room. In on
second she was on her knees beside lin
She clasped her arms around his dyin
body. Size kissed him. She inplore
him only to speak to her All, the vita
spark was nearly extinguished. Tn
physicians, his comrades, kind-hearte
sympathizers, too, had labored hard I
preserve his life until that mother coul
reach him and he should see her an
once more know her, but she came a
= most too late.
They called him once more by namt
boldly and firmly. 1t aroused his fee
n ing mind He turned upon his pillow
+ be opened his great dark eyes, he sa'
= her loving face bent over him, he gay
: his hand to her, with piteOus effort h
e calculated the fond old words: Hello
? Sallie" The tears glistened in his eye
and slowly the heavy lids dropped owe
them; closed nevermore to wake or
weep, and God viii deal tenderly wit
him.-JamcS Hasley IN the ArkanSt
TraUcIer.