New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-09-26

sombre theory have known him to kin poor |
outcast dog because my mother had not only
given II shelter and succor but an OCCASIONAL
carcss Of well have known him to fling pot
OF mignonette from the sill Of her bedroom VIM
dow because she watered and tended II too real
ousy He sent adrtft more than one serving
girl because the scant waves they got from hls
own ucht earnings left them SIN e,gcr and active
70 f,ilfr their loved mistress least command
II was like gr,idging lily the odor she gave 10
air. and yet he bore grudees just as wild and vain
as this Moods of rage it Is true. reused them,
but their betrayal was volcanic only because the
soil itself held malicn heat For days and weeks
ne would he tactahle enough In his dcmeanor
toward his wife Then the fame would leap
The bolt would fall For all men who looked on
her with a gaze Of more than careless heed ana
II was so hard for any ono To look on tha' raie
lovabe starry eyed face indifercntly y he would
hoard severe rancor My mother had no f1ends
Of either sex Our lonely dwelling place forbade
intercourse and conn anionshp among her c1uas'
and the men and women whom she sometimes met
were Of low AMI common type. But she "~s
forced IN my fathers presence. TO regard no man
exccpt with studied coldness. The insult OF hs
vigilance must have pierced her. marvel now
that 1t did not ALLEVIATE her love But thao
seemed imperishable. AS flash new light upon
find myself seeing 1t only in the hues OF martyr
| dom 1t was nothing less violent, and yet she
! endured IL with ideal mcekness
II any excuse OF a sane sort can be accredited
| Ia nv fathers action. II might deserve the name
Of morbid irritation evaporation disapT ointment
He had expected full forgiveness. in time from
| his rich French father-in-l He had written
| more than once 10 tie Breton farm house after
T rcachinc America with his stolen bride he had
| made my mother write as well Their ettc1s had
been re entant respectful, selfaccuslng. even sup
pucatory But the result had all been one. NO
apsver had ever reached them. The French
| fathcrin- law remained obduTately silent Perhaps
tIs silence preyed upon my fathers mind In
| sanity like every other mortal ailmcnt has us
chief goading spur We say of man This or
that caused his illness or Of mailman "such
| an event unseated his reason. ! am sure that
nv father took grievously 10 heart his klnsn an
PERSISTENT disdain 1t ate into his self-love when
was massive and stlne his pride which was over
weenng. He his place In the new World
whittier he had mmiGrsted. TO be small ana
mean place His vegetable gardening brought nm
little profit his lack OF funds for use IN that SORT
OF investment which first plants, then waits ana
then rears was one long ban against hnanca
EXPLOIT His austere nature prrcluded WIN "i"
all cainful intin acies and fr1endshlGs lie c"uiu
never smoke a ple with man IN his paror ana
strike a contract for mutual advancement through
the social tobacco fumes lie would aIwavs ma
heen thinking Of my mother in the next cham
ber and wondering If any aid prolfered him were
not the fruit Of a seed which her fair face hao
sown.
know that describe the self-torn ent Of ar
! exceptionally gloomy soul But such chrom'iii
viii have its dark autobioeral hi, al uses hereafter
l I
a single black line lie who has set himself u
pajni with shadow should not shrink through
E fear Of too grim picture The rathos Of on
situation lust as my ninth year cTeIt toward
tenth was indced woeful winter Of un""n'e
rigor had yielded 10 a spring OF chill rains
Warning had reached us that in month we mus
c 90 Already | had seen. more than once grou
| of men on the huge Of rock near our non
IS One OF these would point hither and h'thcr
al seemed to tell the Others of plans ana sche"'
1t for fufure action | used To watch him in dunl
n fear I was like the dweller In some cnhq'"rc
r. town marking the movement OF the foe one
IS he pointed straight at the pancs OF n own n't
IF easement II was almost as If had seen I'll
70 aim an arrow there ] sTrang hack and hid m
fare Once again the same man pointed tn m
lie father in his garden Work had been quite fuu
m that day The rain had fallen IN sheets for hour
a and now under blurred sun the ground hy so
ST Cen and viscous Ny fathers head WAS dToope'
as he stared at the limp green lines of some Nern
rN growth that the rain had spoiled II not klle
IS | could see scowl on his face. lie was at "
n with all the world which cared no more aho
er his being at war with II than cyclone cares I
Is a wheTy lie had not moral STR myth enough
H. nut his own weakness in some sort Of defens
he state The blood OF 1euton peasants ran In
adj veins he of a race which had been led
| stead of leading. been dr1v en- instead Of dI1vir
BY I think an old inherited torTor bound him,
set his present straits and put sullen passtvity
mr. the place OF brisk self-help But the Tity OF
he rostion was the same They were going to bla
nd the great rock and To crush and rae his hreai
III under the tumbling fragments.
au | saw that my mother was suffering much
q restless flicker in her dark eyes. or furti
ON tren or Of the delicate lils. alone told me WI
e. pain she really felt She had never let me wa
! at my fathers side out Of doors. | was nc'
We very strong in my bOyhood and she had us
Of every care to make me robust She gave
iris such continual care indeed. that if / had beer
l rose bush instead of an only son my father wo'
lty long AGO have flung me out Of the window A
I'm now plainly renewed that she dreaded abso
hat privaton chiefly on my account There lay
a worst grief and fear put my arms about
less neck one morning | searched her Talc face.
'is beautiful and yet 80 sad. There are some ia
n that seem to be touched by the shadow Of va
tse future calamity. My mother had such a ia
tg When this tragic hint is bent with beauty
and bearer OF both has q Ierilous gift. like that
'ev Mary stuart who wrecked souls with smile
vas "You are breaking your heart said to
To in French We always spoke together in Frcn
uld "Do not saw that Otho 20 she protested !
heir prised and trembling.
ing an. 1. 4. .,,o ,or+ IN aAnd il 10
mott ida I pl
ue' II do not seei"
o", "Whst do you sec my son?'
u'' "Ihat you are very unhappy
M, III She pressed her HIS upon rhine. "Why
you say that 1t is because Of you Otho?'
&C., | asked
~ "You think that am weak I said. :"
mink that u sharp poverty comes ON us l