The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1890-06-12
"A LIGHT N the WINDOW"
The Beautiful Story on Which the Well KnOWn
Song Was Founded.

Few are probably the persons who have
not at one time or other heard the Sun
day school song, "a Light in the Win
dow" says the Louisville Times. Unless
l am greatly mistaken It is founded upon
story told upon the little island Of Sylt,
but which might easily have Its exact
counterpart on almost any seashore where
a mothers heart beats with yearning love
for her sailor son and keeps its fond prom
Use from night TO night.
Among the simple fisher folks on the
island lived woman 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 seas as his father
before him had loved it, and nothing
gave him so much pleasure as to watch
the incoming tide tumble its curling
waves over the sands. No sooner was he
strong enough to WELD an oar and steer a
boat than he joined the men In their fish
ing expeditions.
The mother, with all her fears and the
fate Of long line of sailors in her mind,
yet would not have had 1t 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 boys grand
father 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 it by
tame and cowardly safety on shore. So
the boy grew up, tall Of his age, straight
as a mast, nimble as the fleetest and
handiest boat, blue-eyed, fair-haired, true
hearted, real son Of the sea. The fish
ermen taught him the tricks Of his craft
until he knew how to sail boat, splice a
rope, or do many little things which a
sailor must know. Whenever a ship
was in the offing he was seen aboard,
learning the rigging and how work was
performed upon her. He was o great
favorite with the 'longshore folk and with
the sailors, and when at last his 18th year
came around and he obtained the con-
sent of his mother to go to sea, he easily
found a good ship and captain. Then
there was parting, and tears shed by the
mother while he 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 light should burn in
the seward 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 dropped into the village and
told how she had been spoken and all
was well, and the neighbors came to the
cottage and told pleasant news to the
waiting mother, who nightly trimmed the
candle, lit 1t and set it in the window to
make a bright path upon the sands.
Again six months elapsed and sailors
arrived from far-of 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 peo-
pie shook their heads and carried no tales
to the widow, whose candle burned
brightly every night and cast long stream
ers 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 any one spoke Of
the widows son, but no one was cruel
enough to cut the slender threads which
held the anchor Of her hope. And thus
the light continued to glow out toward
the sea at every cleaning, and burned
steadily through over night.
Years came and went. The children
who had played with the sailor lad who
grown to be men and women, her own
hair was silvered with age, her form was
bowed, yet no one dared to cut the cables
OF her hope. Tender words cheered her
and tender hands smoothed her 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 a loving
heart waiting at home.
How many years did she watch and
wait? l do not know. But one day at
eventide there was no cleaning path Of
light across the sands. The window re-
NAMED dark and the accustomed bea-
con failed the fisher folk, and when they
wondered and went to the cottage they
found that the mothers soul had gone