Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-07-04
MOI "sENTIMENIAL.g
Robbing Life Of the Beauty which Il IN
the Expression Of Love.

Robbing Life of the Beauty which Il IN
the Expression Of Love.
Mrs. Harden blew the horn for break
fast az O'Clock. Her husband came In
from the barn and her son from the gar
den, where he had been digging since
dawn. The Hardens were thrifty far
mers, sober, hard working, God fearing
folk. They were healthy and prosper
Gus; they ought to have been happy, but
they gathered about the table silently,
even without giving each other recog-
nizing smile.
1t was a raw, cold morning. Mrs.
Harden had been up since Q o'clock to
make certain dishes because her husband
liked them. He thought, as he ate them
now, that mothers biscuit were even
crisper than usual and her chops done to
a turn; but he did not tell her so.
Cely, the daughter, who had been at
work in the dairy, came in Just as the
others were finishing their meal She
nodded and they nodded to her, but no
one smiled or spoke. Her mother had
put away her breakfast to keep it warm,
and as she set it before the girl she felt
as if she would like to stroke her head
or kiss her, as she used to do when she
was a baby; but such demonstrations
were sentimental" and sentiment to a
Harden was only another word for silli-
ness.
Tom Harden was an industrious lad,
whose thought and ambition were bound
ed by the farm. His father, the day be-
fore, had heard some influential men of
the county declare that Toms calves
were the fattest brought to market, and
his apples the soundest and most care
fully packed. He knew that such praise
would delight the boy, and wished that
he could hear it: but he could not bring
himself to repeat it.
When breakfast was over the men
started for distant part of the farm, not
to return until night. Cely, as she packed
her fathers dinner, felt wrench of pity
at her heart for the old man. He was
old and weak; he had worked for his
children SO faithfully and long! If he
could but rest nowl She would have
liked to put her arms around him and
tell him this.
Instead of doing so she carefully packed
the basket, saying: "There's the beef and
the bread and the pie and the bottle of
water. That's ALL
All; but the word of tenderness, the
loving touch which would have cheered
and sweetened the days labor for the
old man!
Too many Hardens are to be found
upon our New England and middle state
farms. as well as in our villages and
towns. They are often the descendants
of men who fled from persecution and
wrested their living by hard labor from
q savage wilderness, and thus learned to
value only the rugged virtue of truth and
endurance and to despise the lesser chari-
ties, the amenities and courtesies of life.
The present generation has inherited
their grim, unpleasant virtues.
Never be afraid to brighten the life of
your friend or neighbor by praise or love.
provided the praise and love are true.
God has made nothing for use without
giving it an additional touch of grace
and beauty. The hardest rock, seen
through the microscope, has its exquisite
tints and lines.
Why should we strive to rob our lives
of that harmony and beauty which is the
of the love that comes from
Companion.