Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-11-27

fVMN M0AI& tM&&L WV I180%
soul was freed from It's frsil tene
ment. and Mrs. Sunderland was
childiess widow.
/ vii not dwell upon her desoIa.
ton; the whole community sorrOwed
with her; everybody had liked merry
little Frank Sunderland, and hi
mother was almost an equal faverite.
IL friendly sympathy could have
lightened Der grief that solace would
have been hers; perhaps Il did, even
though nnconsciously 90 herself. bat,
as she sat the evening before the ~
neral By the side OF her dead darling.
she felt as though there could nerei
be any more brightness or pleasure
for her this eide Of eternity.
She sat there fearless. speeches;
and despairing. and heard not tie
timid knock that came upon the door.
nor did she notice the figure that q
moment later entered the room until
voice choked with sobs said:
aPlesse. Mrs. Sunderland. manyn'i
see himy7
Then she turned and saw Charlie
Cooper. The boys swollen eyes
showed that he had been crying. bat
Mrs. Sunderland looked at him, apa
theticaliy, and when she had realized
what It was be wanted. turned quite
calmly towards the coffin and With
drew the cloth that covered the wax
en- face. .#
Charlie gaxed FOR q few moments
upon bis dead school-mste, awed and
silent, though the tears chased each
other down his cheeks. In q little
" lille the mother kissel the marble
brow, sill with that unnatural calm
ness. and recovered the face.
chsriic was trembling from head
10 foot with repressed agitation. and
Mrs. Sunderland almost unconciously
laid her hand upon his shoulder as If
to calm him. At her touch the boys
seif-controi gave way; with a chiid's
instructive desire for comfort and sup
port in sorrow. he flung his arms
around her, and dropping his head
upon her bosom, burst into . violent
al OF weeping
"Oh, Mrs. Sunderland he cried.
II can't bear TO have him Due; |
can't can't--he was always SO good
to me-"
The mothers lips quiyered; her
features worked convuisively; the
healing tears came at last to her ach-
ing eyes, and with her face bowed
upon Charles curly head, she, too,
wept freely aud softly, and with the
blessed tears the first bitterness in her
anguish passed away.
Mrs. Sunderland's friends came to
her and took her away from the
scene of her bereavement. All that
affection could do was done to cheer
her, and after a few months her
healthy. cheerful temper began to re-
assert itself, and so aided the effort
of benificent nature that by Septeul-
Der she felt able TO return TO Green
vile and her boys grave, and to be.
come again, In measure, her ole calm
and gentle self.
The schools had Just reopened, and
though the remembrance of one
short year ago, when her ewn boy
was there, the brightest and most
hopeful of the young throng who
commenced the school year together,
brought pang of almost unbearable
pain TO the mothers heart, she endur-
ed this suffering as she had endured
all the rest--uncomplainingly.
The examination for promotion
was again held, and this time Charlie
Cooper ranked first among the five OF
his class who were promoted to the
higher department. Mrs. Sundcr-
land was sincerely pleased when she
heard of the lads triumph, and few
mornings later, when she met him,
sire stopped to shake hands with him,
cougratulating him most cordially.
:" But how does it happen you are not
In school this mornings" she asked.
"I-I-don't 60 TO school just
now" he stammered. "fve stopped
awhile"
why, how does that happens
Surely, now is the very time you
ought to be most regular in atten-
dance"
II know-rd like 10 be, but"
again he stopped, much embarrassed,
and it was not without a good deal
of questioning that Mrs. Sunderland
at last drew from him the informa.
ton that he had ceased to attend
school on account of his fathers ina
bility to procure Tor him the new set
of books his promotion had made
necessary.
Fathers had q felon on his hand
all summer, ara it's not well yet. He
hasn't been able to work much. and
we've had to be awful economical.
Mother just cried like everything
when father said he just couldn't
spare the money to buy a lot of new
books. She was mad at first, but
she soon got over that, for she knew
father couldn't help 1t. She's saving
up now, and so am |. and we'll raise
the money between us before Christ
mas, guess, though those kind Of
books do cost like smoke," he con-
cluded, with a rueful sigh.
After be had gone Mrs. Sunderland
returned 10 her home. and, entering
the darkened parlor, sat in the rock
ing chair end cried softly for u long
time.
Then she went up stairs aud open
ed deep drawer la bureau. from
whence issued strong perfume OF
withered rose leaves. She removed
the linen towel that shrouded the
contents of the drawer, and from one
corner drew forth a slate and a pile
of books, almost new. She opened
the books one by one, and in each
she kissed the name, Frank sun
derland,r inscribed in big. boyish
hand: then she laid her cheek upon
the books, fondling them as though
they were living creatures and cried
again. i.
AT last she wiped her eyes and tied
up the books in a neat. strong pack
age.
:" am doing just as he would want
me 10 do" she said 10 herself. She
wrote the name of Charlie Cooper
upon the package. and giving II to
her little kitchen maid. directed IL 10
the house of her neighbor, Mr.. Coop
er.
The evening OF the same day. as
Mrs. Sunderl and sat alone, reading