The Press., 1891-03-26
W. c. T. U. DEPARTMENT.
AN EASTER BLOOM.


 Ernst used often to sit through the dreary winter days watching her with his grave blue eyes, and wondering. Many things were strange and perplexing in this new land, America, to make him wonder.
 He wondered why they lived in the tenement, seldom seeing the dear blue skies as in Germany, and never the soft rolling meadows, the waving trees, or the rose gardens l; he wondered why the dear Vater had grown so gruff and dread full, speaking strange words, and acting more strangely, and making tears course down the Mutter's sad face he wondered why the gentle Mutter herself lay always on her couch by the window, growing winter and thinner every day, with never the old glad light in her eyes, or the old soft ring to her happy voice. And so he watched her, wondering, day by day, a quaint, pitiful little figure, as quiet and solemn with his blue eyes and earnest little face, as some small old man with the weight of many years upon his shoulders.
 s'I hope when I may go with her to the farm-lands in the spring time, that she may be again merry-hearted as once," he said to the group of boys in the dingy hall one day, as he stopped with them, wondering again if he could not somehow find from them a way to make his dear ones happy.
 ''Ernst, you're fool, ]" said the long boy they called Ike, s'you're mother'n never see no spring -time She's a-dyin', and they'll put her in hole in the ground like they did Granny Osbourne. Then what ever'll become of you and your drunken fathers more'n know"
 Ernst did not even hear him as he fin ished, for with swift, frightened feet he had flown to the side of the little Mutter, and holding her tightly with his baby arms was sobbing, '"Ach, Mutter, tell me it was a cruel joke they had. They shall not take you Never. never shall they take you while am here to help you, dearest Nut ter."
 Tenderly the thin white hand of the gentle mother smoothed his curly hair, and wiped the tears from his streaming eyes tenderly as only a mother can, she told him of the great change which must surely come in his life, of her own illness now past cure, of the good Father in Heaven to whom she would soon go, where there would beno more hunger, cold and unhappi. ness and as the little boys eyes shone through their tears, she prayed with him, that he might be kept from mptations, grow pure and strong and upright, and live for her also, good and useful life.
 In the weeks that followed, never a day passed by that the white figure on the couch and the curly headed boy did not talk long and lovingly. Ernst had his wonderings answered then, and sad an- swers indeed they were, telling of the drink temptation laid for the poor father, just when he was out of work, discouraged and grief stricken, and of all the evils following in its trail. Over and over again was Ernst warned against the same awful dan ger, as together they planned some way to save the poor father from his ruin.
 There came a day when the tired mother could talk but feebly, and her weak arms scarcely reach about his neck. "My baby boy, my baby boy God forgive me that l fear to trust you in His keeping when l go," she said, all her feeble strength con. centrated in the wild longing of the caress that drew him to her |; and then there came to Ernst again those dreadful words of the American boy. "Theyll put her in a hole in the ground as they did Granny Os- borne"
 ''Shall see the angels take you, dear est Mutter?" he asked. No one shall cov- CT your face, my loved one, with the frozen earth tell me no," he pleaded, all his heart in his tear-wet eyes, and the quiver of his eager voice.
 sMy baby boy, my baby boy" she only moaned, and then, Ernst" she said, "Ernst, beloved one, go to the little old trunk in the corner, the little old trunk from Germany, and find there in the top 8 brown box for mother" Wonderinely the little boy obeyed, and then from the box the mother took rough, brown object he had never seen before, saying, "Lieb. chen, it is true, they will put this my body in the ground-hush, hush, my Ernst, be my brave boy and weep not now it gives me pain, dear Ernst, and then as the child choked down his sobs, continued "God will take my spirit, Ernst, to heaven, there to keep guard over the loved ones of earth. When they put me in the ground, deal Ernst, and you come back to the empty couch and the poor Water, do you take this which I give yon, and bury it also in the earth, and watch and see. It must also die, and it, like the mother you love, shall live again.
 That night when the patient spirit pass ed from earth, father and son sat together the strong man half mad with his wild grief and helpless longing. Remember, Ernst, remember the father, to save him NN1OA9 -AQA A0CP you UOIAs W0I0 ku0 uyAuS mothers last words.
 Never hadthe sky looked SO black, ol the ground 80 hard and pitiless as tha next day when the rough pine box lay GOV cred from sight, and Ernst and, his fathei knew that never again on earth could they see the dear face or hear the gentle ,voic. |of the Mutter. And the bleak room in tn, tenement without her tender eyes,--it wa, like midnight. If only he could, smooth her pillow, or hand her a cup of coo water, thought poor Ernst, and then h. remembered the odd little ball she hat told him to bury. Blinded by. tears, ye tglad that he could obey her in this at least he dug from the alley dirt to fill a smal box, powdered it fine, and not far from tn cracked stove and its feeble. heat, placed on a rude bench, bnrying the rough object and pouring water on it, as the Mute
 had directed.
 In the twilight time, the Water, wh
 had sat with buried face, and silent for a
 hour, took from the corner a bottle, an
 raised it to his lips. Here again chanc Ito, help the blessed mother. Ernst wit
 beating heart sped to his fathers side
 May, dear one, not tonight" :" he pleaded
 ssfor the loving Mutter's sake, touch it nc
 tonight.
 Something in the honest eyes of th
 lonely little lad went to the fathers hear and though he replied no word, the bottl
 was put aside, and taking little Ernst
 his arms, he sat for long hours, talking with now tears, now smiles, over the happ