Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-07-04
"a light IN THE WINDOW.
Tho Beautiful Story on Which the Well
Known Song was Founded.

The Beautiful Story on Which the Well
Known Song was Founded
Few are probably the persons who
have not one time or other heard the
Sunday-school song, A Light in the
Window Unless l am mistaken it is
founded upon a story told upon the lit
tie Island of Sylt, but which might
easily have it's exact counterpart on al
most any seashore where almother's
heart beats with yearning love for her
sailor son and keeps its fond promise
from night to night.
Among the simple fisher folks on the
island lived a woman and her son. He
was her only child, the pride of her
heart as we'll as the source of constant
dread, for the boy loved the saa a his
father before had loved it, and! nothing
gave him so much pleasure az TO watch
the incoming tide tumble itt curling
waves over the sands. No sooner was
he strong enough to WELD AM oar and
steer a boat than he joined The men in
their fishing expeditions.
The mother, with all her fears, and
the fate of a long line of sailos in her
mind, vet would not have 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 farmer. Whatever the
dangers. they must be faced for the
sake of family pride. Had not the
bows grandfather been a captain when
he went away the last time? Had not
his father sailed his own ship when he
went down in a great storm? The child
was the last OF his race, but he must
not dishonor ii by tame and cowardly
safety on shore. So the boy grew up,
tall Of his age, straight as a mast, MIN
BILE as the feetest and handiest boat,
blue-eyed, fair-haired, true-hearted, a
real son of the sea. The fishermen
taught him the tricks of his craft until
he knew how to sail a boat, splice a
rope, or do many little things|which a
sailor must know. Whenever a ship
was in the offing he was soon aboard,
learning the rigging and how work was
performed upon her. He was a great
favorite among the longshore folk and
with the sailors, and when at last his
thirteenth year came around and he OBJ
tanned the consent of his mother to 60
to sea, he easily found a good ship and
captain. Then there was parting, and
tears shed by the mother which looked
forward into the great, wide world with
all the joyous eagerness Of a boy. But
with her last blessing the widowed
mother promised that every night a
light should burr in the seaWard win
dow of her cottage to light him home
ward and to show him that, she still
lived, awaiting his return.
The ship sailed. Six months passed
and sailors dropped into the village and
told how she had been spoken and all
was we'll, and the neighbors cine to the
cottage and told the pleasant news to
the waiting mother, who nightly
trimmed the candle, lit it andset in the
window to make a bright path upon the
sands. Again six months elapsed, and
other sailors arrived from fartof lands,
but they had no news to telld the ship.
A great storm had happened and she
was overdue. She might yet make
port, but-and the people shPok their
heads and carried no tales to The widow,
whose candle burned brightly every
night and cast long strcamerg Of light
out upon the sea-. Another veal
passed, but the sailors going Or comine
brought no news of the ship, and the
neighbors whispered apart and shook
their heads whenever any spoke of the
widows son, but no one was cruel
enough to cut the slender threads which
hold tho onohnr nf hnr Howe A.
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 lad had
grown to be men and women, her own
head had been silvered with age, he1
form was bowed, yet no one dared tt
cut the cables of her hope. Tender
words cheered her and tender hand.
smoothed her way for her as she
patiently waited for the homecoming O
her fair-haired boy, and every night the
glow Of her candle streamed out to sea
ward and told the story of the lovine
heart waiting at home.
How many years did she watch ant
wait? l do not know. But one day
at eventide, there was no lgleamin.
patch of light across the sands. TIL.
window remained dark, and the accus
toned beacon failed the fisher folk, ant
when they wondered and went to the
cottage they found that the mother
soul had gone out to seek the son.
Louisville Times.
Mlo... Upp