Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1888-10-06
little ONE"

# suited him somehow. the name
Little One
In all his brief life he had not known or
answered to any other II seemed 10 be /
part and parcel with himself and it had |
teuaciuusly chung to him from the hour he !
hat, been thrown Il friendless waf upon |
ouc mercy until the present, when at 10
years of age lie was no larger than are |
/ most children OF 4 and ).
| We were Il chlaiess couple-niv hus- |
band and l. Our luxurious home had
never -esounded TO the pattering Of baby
/ footsteps nor the music of buhy voices,
| aud 50 when on that bitter winters night
we had found him lying in mute helpless
ness .ipon the threshold, we thanked God.
/ and at once adopted him into home and
heart And in home and heart he had
rcencd triumphant ever since!
Who he was-from whence extractcd-
! we had never thought to question. IL
| mat tered little if honor or shame was his
| heritage lie had come 20 rs in a time of
! sorest need: he was helpless aud innocent
| and fair to look upon, and 20 we had
/ straimhtway entlroned the tiny stranger.
From the very frs, he was possessed OF
d touching, appealing sort of beauty, and
of most endenring baby ways; and MS day
by day discovered some new charm III
mind or body, We grew TO love him with
a love that was akin 10 doiatry Oh how
we loved Our Little One. And now, when
| Istani beside the mound that covers his
ashes. how the hot tears gusl to NY eyes,
and how throbs MY heart in kecnest an
guiSh. as ! recall the winsomeness that so
endcared lin!
Had we been gifted with prophets
vision we would have toreseen that the
level hal been lent lis for season only,
and the i!oN had not then fallen so sud
denly TO find us unprepared.
The many veiurd transparent temples
the larlc, melancholy blue eyes ever bent
upC. the unseen, aS 1t Were--tne gentle
toi.es-tEc spiytlke tread-toll a story
all their own but love had blinded us and
We could not read between the lines.'
For him the future WIS to he one un-
ending dream Of delight; for him we built
castles in spain ana planned and boarded,
80 tiiai when maiI!ood should come to
:, MIA lac wDuld take his place among the
rrouaest III the land. Could we but have
known that this fIal life SO dear To us,
was fast reCp,iing from our grasp-that
the tender feet were even now approach
} ing the shores of the Mystic sea, think
We we would have SO dreamed and
! planned? True. there were moments,
I even III our blindness WHEN a vague fear
!, would send pang sharper thau sword
, thrust To the heart, rs we caught his rapt,
spf away gaze, or marked IN unusual
Lara ler in his movements. But all such
fears were dismissed as quickly rs they
came and we would 20 on planning and
dreaming, as before.
Always II quiet child he grew more and
iaore so as time sped on until now none
ever saw him engage in romp and play
: Ike others Of his ase. nor heard his Nolct
t raised III bnyish laugh or shout. IlIis
was unnatural and should have causee
&c lis timely alarm So that we might have
!, tried the efficacy of more vigorous meas
ures But we were blind and could no
see what WAS best for the child Fo
n hours and hours he would amusc hinsel
< in his own suhaned fashion with his book!
and toys while sat sewing hear him
If And l. who loved him better than life
n was content to have it thus.
But when the twilight shadows fillet
the room it was his habit to throw hi
g playthings aside, climb my knee, END nest
u Ing his golden head in my bosom, beg 10
10 tell him the dear old Bible stories an,
tA OF The ANGELS with their harps and crown
10 stories To which he had listened fron
K. Infancy but of which he never wearied
Then when he'd time came ana | ha
/, rohed him in his snowy niIhtdress, h
- would kneel Mt my feet, reSerently fol-
- his waNen hands and pray with IN earnest
- ness tint was almost nncanny in SO Noun
a child after which he would coax to b
It. taken in my arms To he rocked and sun
es 10 sleep. 1t was n baby trick OF his Mhic
50 lie had never ontgroan. and one i'll Whic
del.l,ted to indulge him. 1t all come
u. back to mc--the tiny white robed forn
l,,lI, th. inf LII
se PRAYER, the contiding, golden head, III
i.acA OF clinging arms around my neck
and n great wave OF agony breaks ore
;. ~ my soul ut the retrospect.
ne We had made for our Little Ore
se ,iowus nest; we had sheltered and hedge
Linn about with tenderest care; hut ala
ire no earthly love, however tender, coui
ey screen him from the Destroyer! Scarlt
OF fayer of a most yirulent type broke ont !
the village, and in spite of all human pr
.,ufioa our ..one ewe lamb was an earl
= victim How we battled with our hert
y, ieSpair as we hoNered in breathless sn
" ~ pegaa above his pillow How alternalcl
'sn etafed we were by hope, or depressed {
g,rebodiur rs we watched the erlnso
check, or noted the hlful pulse let tho
tell only who have thus endured 0l
Ly one loves tendrils We're being wrencht
,ut from their hold on the heart-ohe by ot
aur hopes were going cut with the SAINT
of Il life and we We're forced TO bow
~ tie inscrutable!
1t WIS a glorious evening IN ear
but June The sun had gone down III mo
t'f!.n usual pump leaving IN aflefeio"
/ mid radiance, which in turn hat gAt
ne ti,cr Ia the solemn stars and n full orb
us moon Little One had been lying !
he hours in sort Of conscious sthpor, io