The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-09-10
w. G. Il. u.
"For God and Homo and Native Land.
A MOTHERS TEARS.
BN NELLIE HALKErr.


BY NELLIE HAIKErT.
Tonight have listened To sad, sad
story, and want to tell it to IA many
mothers M possible while il still burns
in my heart.
One of the earnest workers in the Wo-
mans Christian Temperance Union re-
ceivcd Il letter from mother about her
only son. 1t was IN words like these:
"My boy has been missing for five years
from his home. At last, after long and
weary search, a trace of him Inns been
found. They tell me he il in PRISON
under an assumed name. Now will you
find out if this is true, and send me word
as soon as possible?"
Our friend, who had labOred long in
prison work. mt once consented, and be-
fore very long was able Ia tell the moth
er that the report was correct; that her
Charlie was an inmate of that prison for
long term of years, under an assumed
name, for Il crime committed while
drunk.
Another letter came from the SORROW
lug mother begging speedy interview
with our friend, that she might send a
message through her To the dear wan
derer.
On arriving at the home she saw every
thing that money could buy and cultur-
eel taste select To make n beautiful, at
tractIve home. The mother was i'll IN
her room, lying on a bed that she did
not expect To leave until carried To her
grave. Her HAIR had grown white in
those five long years of watching and
waiting for one who came not. The
| a I,l, lnl 10 far
| the rich Jewels they still wore. And, J"
thought our friend, "what n contrast
your jewels are to the ones your boy is
wearing to-dayp'
After long talk about her boy, az II
boy No gifted, 40 beautiful, 40 well-edu-
Gated, Il graduate of one of the prOmin-
ent colleges in the United States, she
said, 81 know | shall never see my
Charlie again. Long before his term of
years is over | shall have been laid III
my grave. But yOu must not tell my
boy this. DO not let him know how i'll
| am. Say all You can tO encourage him.
Tell him when his time is up mother
will have something waiting for HIM,
waiting To bring him home, and that all
that | have shall be his"
Then with trembling hands she lifted
"A package lying beside her on the pillow
and said. "'Iake him this parcel from
me. He will value it more than any,
thing else that could send, for it is a
cabinet photograph of myself My boy
always loved his mother"
our friend asked permission to look at
the picture, and, contrasting its proud
beauty with the sorrowful, wasted face
beside her, said, "But this is not pict-
IRE of you as You are now.
| ooh moi Rut Charlie will ramon hnT
me best that way. / looked like that
five years ago, when he went away from
his home"
"Let me have picture of you as you
are now, tn show your Charlie after he
has seen this" said the lady. 81 want
Inn To see what these five years have
done for you"
After some persuasion the mother con
scented for the sake of her boy; the pho
tographer was sent for and Il picture was
taken of her IN her weakness, i'm hel
grief.
With the two photographs our friend
went the long distance to the prison to
see the erring one, asked for HIM and
was informed that Number Nineteen
was ut present in the dark cell for his
high spirits rebeling against some one
of the many prison rules. lie had been
i'm that cell for twenty-four hours, and
would not submit; his food had been
sent back from each meal untasted, and
the warden feared it would be worse
than useless to send a message to him al
6uch a. time
"But | come from the sick-bed OF hls
mother, bearing mothers message tC
an only son. must see him and de-
liver il now. have travelled SO many
miles, and my time il precious,-can only
stop few hours III your city. Will you
not allow me to go down to that dark
cell and try if | can not make hin
speak
AT last her entreaties prevailed and
she was taken down the long flight Of
stone steps, led through dark corridor
and to the door of the cell. They called
but no answer. The door was opened
and on the plank that formed the entire
furniture of the cell, sat the unhappy
young man, his face buried i'm hls hands
Charlie, you do not know me. but
know about you. ! have just been al
your home, taking dinner with your
mother"
Don't say her name to me 1t mus
not be mentioned in such a place AZ
this ~
''Well, Charlie Just submit to the war
denis orders now, and he will let you
come upstairs, where we can talk better
about mother, for | have only a shor
time to stay here, and want To give yOu
all the news from home"
So the words were uttered, the pro
mise given, and the young man allowed
tO 90 back To the upper rooms where
light and AIR were more bOuntitully CIV
en- to the prisoners. On the way he
realed and would have fallen had not &
KIND hand held him up. The warden
sent for food at the lady request. Again
the difference in the home food and the
prison fare struck the visitor 30 forcIbly
The elegant silver service had been re
placed by this one tin cup and plate
the dainties from far off lands which he
had been accustomed to- from childhood
We're now exchanged for one piece OF
brown bread with no butter, and coffee
with neither milk nor sugar in il. After
these refreshments had been taken, she
showed Charlie the first picture. "Do
you know who that il? ?"
Gazing on il with heart almost toe
full for speech, he replied, "'rhat is my
mothern and tears came rolling down
his cheeks.
The lady quietly slipped the Other
photograph beside it. He read hel
meaning, and words We're not needed
Ia point to him the white hairs, the
many traces of sorrow and suffering.
"Does my mother look like that nowr
no asked, with trembling voice nnC
streaming eyes "Did do that? Did my
sin change her SO i'm these few years
since saw her last?" and he wept a.
only strong man can weep in the agony
of his soul A long silence broken only
by sObs, and he went on, eyes, did it
and yet it was not my doing 1t was the
drink that had maddened me, the Ii
quOr that learned to love i'm childhood
/ never remember the time when | die
not know the taste of wine and brandy
My father was Judge, and he drank hi
wine day by day, and gave it to his only
son. With her own jewled fingers, my
mother prepared many temptin,
sauce and relish that carried to us the
fatal taste of the poison when we know
il not. ] went TO college while quite
: young, but began even then to feel the
weight of my bondage, fully resolved to
break off from those habits. But IN,
mother, in packing my trunks for me
had packed the wines as carefully as the
linens. My tempter had followed me
sent by loving hands, and could no
resist its power. The chains cooled We
tighter about me. The honors | might
have won 80 easily, had my brain beer
cool, my nerves steady, were lost by mt
and taken by others who had let the
wine cup alone. At last the crime wal
committed when was under the inhu
ence of liquor that has brought me here
and robbed me of SO many of the hes
years of my life. So my mother la,
grown old weeping for mel Her Charli,