The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1891-03-26

reached the one great tragedy of his
life-a tragedy which had for its herald
small boy, who, eager with impor-
lance, whispered hoarsely, yet distinctly
enough to reach even Mrs. Scott
Payne's ears:
''Tony, your mothers burst blood
vessel, or something. Anyway, the
blood's pouring out of her mouth, and
the doctor says she may die any min
ute'
The path by which divine love leads us
is often a misty one to our mortal eyes,
but from that moment a wounded hand
seemed to point the way from that
childless mother to that almost moth
erless child, and by and by, when
Joy and peace had come as the fruition
Of obedience, it gave Helen Scott Payne
unspeakable comfort to remember how
the first.
Il will take him." she said, as the
organist, the other choir boy and the
messenger bent over the limp little fig
ure which had fallen as though slain
before that cruel message. "My car
riage is waiting and will take him
home. Mr.. Whiting has told me all
about him. I know where he lives.'
Thus, as one chapter of Anthony
Kramer's life was finished, another one
began, and the poor young mother,
waiting to feast her dying eyes for the
last time on her only child, saw at the
same time the illumined face of her
child's new mother, and, perhaps, be-
cause the eyes of the dying are so much
sharper than ours, which still lock
earthward, she seemed to read, as if by
intuition, the thought and purpose
which illumined it.
''Oh, mother, mother, you cahnot
leave me! l cannot let you go!'' walled
poor little Anthony, throwing himself
down beside her; but though the perve-
less arm instantly encircled him, It was
to this embodiment of new hope the
itself.
Twill you care for him?" she said.
will you watch over him when am
gone? He is good boy now-he has
brought nothing but gladness to my
heart. Will you help him to become a
good man? I know who you are, but
death makes me bold, and do not be-
lieve you would come to me as you have
if you meant to refuse me-
The doctor standing at the foot of the
bed shook his head fearfully. Her re-
quest seemed so wild, and he was afraid
of the issue; but down on her knees at
the poor bedside, in the shabbiest room
of the shabby west end boarding house,
fell Helen Scott-Payne, and without
either fear or faltering made reply:
Il did not come here of myself
think our dear Lord has been leading
me all through this day, and now He is
saying to me, as He said to His own
mother: woman, behold thy son.
''Do you think would even dare to
disobey Him? 1 will do for your bow
exactly what I would do for my own,
and oh, when you meet my boy in Par
adise, know he will be glad to hear
that his mother is no longer desolate."
II will surely tell him." the poor
weak voice whispered, and then, softly
pressing the little tear-stained cheek
beside her, the mother said: "And
Anthony, you will be to her all that you
would have been to me-more if posi-
BILE. Death has lost it's terror since |
leave you in her care"
All that day and throughout the next,
Mrs. Scott-Payne watched that feeble
spark of life with unremitting tender
ness, and when, early on Easter morn
ing, it went finally out, with hands as
gentle and reverent as sisters, she
composed the tired body to
Lie with feet toward the dawn
Till there breaks the last and brightest Easter
morn"
Then taking her boy-really hers now
into her loving, yearning arms, she
hushed his sobs with her kisses, and
whispered over and over the blessed
promises which were being said and
sung in the little church from which
they were both that day absent. fear
that just at first, in the terrible sharp
ness of child's overwhelming grief,
poor Anthony paid but small heed to
any of them, but by and by some of
their peace and comfort stole into the
sore young heart, and underlying the
greater truths, which he could grasp
but dimly, was the assurance that
where Johnny had gone his mother had
followed, and a lively hope that, wher-
ever Johnny's mother might go in the
future, he would always be with her.
1t is generally q child's way-often,
alas! the way of those who are no long
er children-to take comfort in the less,
rather than the greater, but to the
credit of this particular child's belief it
must be said that, in the years which
have gone by since that Easter morn
ing, his loving faith in his adopted
mother has never in the slightest de-
gree been violated. Those who were
the earliest friends of whom have told
you are still devotedly his friends, and
are given to stoutly asserting that be-
fore many years Anthony Kramer will
literally reward all those who have be-
friended him; but when Mrs. Scott
Payne overhears any such predictions,
she only says: "Love has been its own
reward to me- Il want no other."-Hes-
ter V. Brown, IN Boston Sunday Herald