Connecticut western news., 1884-05-28
VOT, NH
 Tho Leader

The child looked up to me with a most distressed countenance, while the tears covered his face.
 'T can't find my arrow" said he with quivering lip.
 '1'm sorry-but crying won't find it. Come up stairs with me-" Willy as- cended to my room.
 ''Now don't let me hear one word more of this. The next time you get an arrow take better care of it."
 There was no sympathy in my tone; for I felt none. I did not think of his loss, but of the evil and annoyance of crying. The little fellow stified his grief, or rather the utterance of it, as best he could, and throwing himself at full length upon the floor, sighed and sobbed for some ten minutes. A sigh, longer and more futtering than usual, aroused my attention, and then be- came aware that he had fallen asleep.
 How instantly do our feelings change toward child when we find that it is asleep. If we have been angry or of tended, we are so no longer. Tender ness comes in the place of sterner emo- tions. I laid aside my work, and taking Willy in my arms, lifted him from the floor, and laid him upon my bed. An other long, futtering sigh, agitated his bosom as his head touched the pillow. How reprovingly came the sound upon my ears How sadly did it echo and re-echo in my heart
 "Poor child !" I murmured. "To him the loss of an arrow was @ great thing. It has disturbed him to the very centre of his little being. wish, now, that I had put by my work for few minutes until could have found his arrow, or made him new one. I would have lost no more time in doing so than have al- ready lost. And, after all, what is lit- tie time taken from my work to the happiness of my child? An, me ' I wish I could learn to think right at the right time. Dear little fellow! He was so happy with his bow and arrow. But all was destroyed by the untimely loss, which I could have restored in 8 few moments. Unfeelng-unnatural mo- ther Is this the way you show your love for your child ?''
 stood for nearly five minutes over my sleeping boy. When turned away, I did not resume my sewing, for I had no heart to work upon the little gar ment. I went down into the yard, and the first object that met my eye was the lost arrow, partly concealed behind 8 rose-bush, where it had fallen.
 ''So easily found!" said I. "How much would Q minute given at the right time have saved An, me! We learn too late, and repent when repentance is of little avail"
 It was an hour before the deep sleep into which my Willy had fallen, was broken. I had, in the meantime, re- sumed my sewing, after having lost fully half an hour in consequence of being unwilling to lose few minutes for the sake of attending to my child, and relieving him of the trouble that had come upon him. The first notice I re- ceived of his being awake, was his gratifed exclamation at finding his lost arrow beside him. All his past grief was forgotten. In few minutes he was down in the yard, shooting his arrow again, and as happy as before. No trace of his recent grief remained.
 But could not forget it. With me the circumstance was not as the morn ing cloud and the early dew. The sun- shine that came afterward did not dis sipate instantly the one, nor drink up the other. I was sober for many hours afterward; for the consciousness of hay ing done wrong, as we'll as having been the occasion of grief to my child, lay with heavy pressure upon my feelings. T. s. ARTHUR.