Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1890-08-16
"A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW"
The Beautiful Story on which the Well,
Known Song Was Founded.

| "A LIGHT IN The WINROW.
The Beautiful Story on Which the Well
Known Song Was Founded
Few are probably the persons who
have not one time or other hear2 the
Sunday school song, "A light in
the window" Unless am mistaken
it was founded upon story told upon
the little island of Sylt, but which
might easily have its exact counterpart
on almost any seashore where mothers
heart beats with yearning love for her
sailor son and keeps its fond promise
from night to night. Among the sim
pie fisher folks onIthe island lived wo-
man and her son. He was her only
child, the pride of her heart as well as
the source of constant dread, for the
boy loved the sea as his father before
had loved it, and nothing gave him so
much pleasure as to watch the incoming
tide tumbling its curling waves over the
sands. No sooner was he strong enough
to WELD an oar and steer boat than he
joined the men in their fishing expedi-
tons. The mother, with all her fears,
and the fate of long line of sailors in
her mind, yet would not have had it
| otherwise, for it would have been
deemed dishonor among the hardy
coasters to have kept the boy at home
or sent him safely at work for some farm
er. What ever the dangers, they
must be faced for the sake of family
pride. Had not the boys grandfather
been a captain when he went away the
last time? Had not his father sailed
his own ship when he went down in
great storm. The child was the last of
his race, but he must not dishonor il by
tame and cowardly safety on shore. So
the boy grew up, tall of his age,
straight as q mast, nimble IS the heetest
and handiest boat, blue-eyed, fair-haired
true-hearted, real son of the sea. The
fishermen taught him the tricks of his
craft until he knew how to sail boat,
or do many little things which q sailor
must know. Whenever a ship was in
the offin0 he was soon aboard, learning
the rigging and how work was per-
formed upon her. He was great favor
tie among the longshore folk and with
the sailors, and when at last his thir-
teenth year had came around and he
obtained the consent of his mother to
go to sea, he easily found q good ship
and captain. Then there was parting,
and tears shed by the mother, while he
looked forward into the great, wide
world with the joyous eagerness of q
boy. But with her last blessing the
widowed mother promised that every
night light should burn in the sea-
ward window of her cottage to light
him homeward and to- show him that
she still lived, awaiting his return. The
ship sailed. Six months passed and
sailors had dropped into the village and
told how she had spoken and all was
well, and the neighbors came to the
house and told the pleasant news to the
waiting mother, who nightly trimmed
the candle, lit it, and set it in the win
dow to make a bright path up the
sands. Again six months elapsed and
other sailors arrived from far-off lands,
but they had no news to tell of the ship.
A great storm had happened and she
was overdue. She might yet make
port, but-and the people shook their
heads and carried no tales to the widow.
whose candle burned brightly every
night and cast long streamers of light
out upon the sea. Another year passed,
but the sailors going or coming brought
no news of the ship. and the neighbors
whispered apart and shook their heads
whenever anyone spoke of the widows
son, but no one was cruel enough to cut
the slender threads which held the an
Choir of her hope. And thus the light
continued to glow out toward the sea at
every cleaning, and burned steadily
through every night. Years came and
went. The children who had played
with the sailor had grown to be men
and women, and her own head had been
silvered with age, her form was bowed,
yet no one dared to cut the cable of her
hope. Tender words cheered her and
tender hands smoothed the way for her
as she patiently waited for the home
coming of her fair haired boy, and every
night the glow of her candle streamed
out to seward and told the story of the
loving heart waiting at home. How
many years did she watch and wait? Il
do not know. But one day, at eventide
there was no cleaning patch of light
across the sands. The window remained
dark, and the accustomed beacon failed
The fisher folk, and when they wondered
and went to the cottage they found that
The mothers soul had gone out to seek
,he son.
The Sublime and the Ridiculous.