The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1890-10-16
"a LIGHT IN THE WINDOW"
The Beautiful Story on which the Well
Known Song Was Founded.

rio DcNuthul SC0ry on w nlCN THO NtOAA-
Known Song Was Founded.
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Few are probably the persons who
have not one time or other heard the
Sunday -school song, "a Light in the
Window" Unless am mistaken it is
founded upon story told upon the
little Island Of 'Sylt, but which might
easily have its exact counterpart on al
most any seashore where u mothers
heart beats with yearning love for her
sailor son and keeps its fond promise
from night to night.
Among the simple fisher folks on tho
island lived a 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 sea as his
father before had loved it, and nothing
gave him so much pleasure as to watch
the incoming tide tumble it's curling
waves over the sands. No sooner was
he strong enough to WELD an oar or
steer boat than he joined the men in
their fishing expeditions.
The mother. with all her fears and
the fate of Il long line of sailors in her
mind, yet would not have had it other
wise, 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. What
ever the dangers. they must be faced
for the sake of family pride. Had not
the boys grandfather been captain
when he went away the last timep 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 it by tame and cow
ardly safety on shore. Sc the boy
grew up. tall of his age. straight as a
mast nimbe as the heetest and hand
lest boat, blue-eyed, fair-baired, true
hearted. a real son of the sea. The
fishermen taught him the tricks of his
craft until he knew how to sail boat,
splice q rope. or do many little things
which q sailor must know. Whenever
Il ship was in the ot1ing he was soon
aboard, learning the rigging and how
work was performed upon her. He
was great favorite among the long
shore folk and with the sailors, and
when at last his 18th year 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 all the JOY
Gus eagerness of a boy. But with her
last blessing the widowed mother prom
ised that every night a light should
burn in the seaward window of her cot
tage to light him homeward and to
show him that she still lived. awaiting
his return. a..a
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 the pleas
ant news to the waiting mother, who
nightly trimmed the candle. lit it. and
set it in the window to make a bright
path up the sands. Again six months
elapsed, and other sailors arrived
from far-otf 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 nc
news of the ship, and the neighbors
whispered apart and shook their heads
whenever they 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
shrough 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 silycred with age; her
formed was bowed, yet no one dared
to cut the cables of her hope. Tender
words cheered her and tender hands
smoothed the way for her as she pa
tiently waited for the homecoming OF
her fair-haired boy. and every night
the glow of her candle streamed out tc
seward and told the story of the low
ing heart waiting at home.
How many years did she watch and
wait? I do not know. But one day
at eventide. there was no cleaning
patch of light across the sands. The
window remained dark. and the accus
toned beacon failed the fisher folk, ant
when they wondered and went to tn
cottage they found that the mother
soul had gone out to seek her son.
Louisville Times.