The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1886-01-15
WHEN THE DAY Is GONE.
The Thoughts That Come When
the House ID Quiet at
Mid light.
R. ]. Burdettc in Exchange.

R. j. Burdettc in Exchange.
How quiet the house is at mid.
night. The people who talk and
laugh and sing in it every day are
asleep, and the people who fell
asleep in it long ago come siIently
back into it. Every house
has these two classes of tenants.
Do We love best thOsew;ih whom
we can laugh and talk and sing, or
the dear, darling silent ones who
come 30 nOiselessly to our side aud
whisper to us in faint, sweet, far
away whispers, that have no sound,
so that we only hear their very
stiffness.
l am not tired, but my pen is
weary. 1t fall from my fingers and
| raise my head. l start to leave
the table aud my eyes fall upon a
little book lying oil the floor. 1t is
little First Reader" He left it
there this afternoon. | remember
now. remember just how l was
impatient because he could not read
the simple little lessOn-such an
easy lessou--and | told him 1t was
a waste OF my time trying to tea1h
him and pushed him away from me.
remember now. l see the flush
come iuto the little tired face, the
brave, cheerful look III his eyes
his mothers brave, patient cheer
iness-struggling with his disap.
pOintment aud pain. see him lie
down on the floor and the little face
bend over the troublesome little
Iesson-Such - simple, easy lesson,
and baby might read it. Then, af-
ter little struggle alone, it has to
be given up, and the baffied little
soldier, With one more appealing
look towards me Tor re intOrce.
menls, sighs and goes away from
the lesson he cannot read TO the
play that comforts him. And there
lies the little book, jnst rs be lett
it. All, me, | could kueel down aud
Kiss it now, as though it were alive
and loving.
Why, what was my time worth
to dayi What was there in the
book wanted to read One-half 80
precious to me as one cOOIng word
trOm the prattling lips that qui-
yered when Iturued awayf Ihate
The book ] read. / will never look
at il again. Were it the last book
In the world l think ould burn 1t.
All it's gracious words are lies. l
say 10 you, though all men praise
the book, and though an hour ago
thought it was excellent. l say to
you that there Is poison in its hate
tul pages. Why, what can | learn
from books that baby lips can not
teach me ! DO you know | want to
go to the door OF his room and
listen the house is SO still maybe
he is not breathing. Why, it be-
tween my books aud my boy l
choose ny book why should not
God leave me With my books I My |
hateful books.
But | was not harsh. was only |
a little impatient. Because, you
see, bis lesson was so easy, so sim
pie. All me, there we're two OF us
trying to read this afternoon.
There were two easy, simple les
sous. Mine was such very simple,
easy, pleasant, loving one to learn.
just u line, just a little throb OF
patieuce, Of gentleness, Of love that
would have made my own heart
glow aud laugh aud sing. The let
ters were so large and plain, the
words so easy and the sentences 80
short. And II Oh, pity me,
missed every word. Ibid not read
one line Alright. See, here is my |
copy now, all blurred aud bhstered
with tears aud heartache, all
marred and misSpelled and blotted.
[ am ashamed to show it to the
Master. Aud yet know He will
be patient with me; | know how
loving and gentle He will be. Why, |
bow patiently aud loving all these
years He has been teaching me
this simple lesson that l tailed upon
to-day. But when my little pupil
stumbled on a single worlds my |
time, then, so much more precious
than the Masters that | cannot |
teach tie lesson more than Oncef
All, friend, do We not waste time
when we plait scourges for our
selves. These hurrying days, these
busy, anxious, shrewd, ambitious |
times of ours are wasted when they |
take our hearts away from patient
gentleness, aud give us fame for
love aud gold for kisses Some
day, then, when our hungry souls |
will ask for bread our selfish God |
will give US stone. Life is not a
deep, profound, perplexing prob
lem. 1t is a simple, easy lesson,
snch as any child may read. You !
cannot aud its solution In the pon-
derous tOBes OF the old fathers, the |
philosophers, the investigators, the |
theorists. II is not on your book |
shelves. But in the Warmest cor. |
ner OF the most unlettered heart il |
glOWs in letters that the blindest |
may read a sweet, plain, simple, |
easy, loving lesson. Aud when 1
you have learned it, brother of /
mine, the world win be better aud 1
happier.
The Illinois Central Railroad is
- I.t1l = no- 900 hrfo1 - unIIr