Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1890-03-21

| education and advantages and O comfort
| oblo starting in the world, and must get "A
little something ahead, SO that If | am taken
away these helpless ones will not be turned
out on the cold charities of the world" Yes,
your father has been n good friend to you
He has never told any one, and he never will
tell any one, Of the sacrifices he has made for
you And hs Is ready to keep right on until
unto tApt hand that has been toiling for you
all these years shall come the very numbness
Of death. You cannot afford to break his
heart But you are doing it, Yes, you are
You have driven the dagger clear in up to
the hilt.
And your mother--I warrant she has never
told you much about the nights when you
wero down with scarlet fever, or diphthera
and she slept not a wink, or, falling into
| drowsness, your first cry awakened her, and
brought the words, "What is it, my dearW
! Oh, If the old rocking chair could speak |
| Oh, If the cradle could only tell its story OF
| years. And when you got better. and were
| lrotiul and hard to please, as is usual in con-
valcscence, she kept her patience SO well, and
was as kind us you were unreasonable and
cross Oh, mdnights of motherly watching
how can you keep siencel Speak out and
tell that wandering young man the story
that he SO much needs to hear
WHAT HAS BECOME OF THE OLD GRADER
BY the bye, wonder what has become of
| our old cradle in which all of us children
were rocked l must ask my sister when
see her next time. We were large family,
| and that old cradle was going a good many
| years. ! remember just how 1t looked 1t
was old fashioned aud had no tapestry. It's
| two sides and canopy all Of plain wood, but
| there was great deal of sound sleeping in that
4
by it as it moved to and fro by day and night.
Most wildly | remember that the rockers.
which came out from under the cradle, were
on the top and side very smooth 50 smooth
| that they actually gllstencd They must have
been worn smooth by a foot that long ago
ceased its journey. How tired the foot that
pressed 1t must sometimes have got! But il
did not stop for that. II went right on and
rocked for Phehe the first, and fer De Witt
tho last. And 1t was cradle like that, or
perhaps Of modern make and richly uphol-
stored, IN which your mother rocked you
Can it be that for all that care and
devotion you are paying her back with harsh
words Or negects or wicked htel Then |
must tell you that you are the foolish son
who is the heavncs> of his mother" Better
go home and kiss her and ask her forriye.
neis. Kiss her on the lips that have SO often
prayed for you. Kiss her on the forehead
that so often ached for You. Mss her on the
eyes chat have SO often wept over YOU Bet
ter 20 right away for she will be dead before
long And how VIII Sou feol then after You
redil2e II Is your WayWar,iness that killed
H'r| HomuluS made no law against patri
clle, or tine staying OF father; matricide or
the Staying OF a mother, because he consid-
cred such crimes impossible. and for six hun
1 ~ lI-f ts.
IN Rome. But then came Luciu, Ostus aud
S.oN MS l"'her' proving the CRIME possible.
NOW DO you not think that the child who by
wrong behavior sends his father to a prcrna-
ture grave is patriotic. or who by mi,cou.
iuct h3stens a mother into the tomb i . no+.
'iclde'
Inc henVine's of parents over sons de-
PraYity Is all the greater because it means
sPi'tHai disaster and overthrow. That the
M''aO iu'lg a"ou' II. IN the pension regula-
"oll' soidlei receives Tor loss Of both hands
" zee. S'~. for loss OF one hand and one
I.3. gov r@r loss OF u haha or foot $50.
iCi 10sH vi "''" eyes So But VINO can
p"'"'o 'le value OF whole man ruined
"''J' 'hini UNI sPulf HOW can parents
",i0 ""l1'HeS9 "D'u' your future des-
ny y" l'uA@ man gone aNtrayt Can
~. a 'If''9''' IL res rs you ana they are living
ono ou' at 'ne Sumo place. Can holiness
'', "i@a'i' ioi' enter inc same gatef W here
- '"o H'C'- prayer lNat was Taught you at
l',' l"D'"t' NH''' Is ne goa they loved
anu "oranlpeo Your Cod! 1t IS your soul
ABOUT which they are most anxious, your
1'uI 'uaI shalI hVe after the earth itself shall
'' hHuieo wiz" lalheN' ana the flames, dying
"o%n VIII leaVe thn planet only hive coal,
anu 'I- iNe 'oal s"aii nave become ashes and