Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1891-03-21

home home ut last. Mother will go TO
her little garden and get tho sweetest
flowers. and twist them into chaplet
for the silent heart of the wavward boy.
and push back from the bloated brow
the locks that were once her pride. And
the air will DO rent with the agony. The
great dramatist says: Elbow sharper
than serpent's tooth it is to have u
thankless child"
had d friend ut the west-a rare
friend. He WIS one OF Tie first to well
come me to my new home. To fine per-
sonal appearance he added n generosity,
frankness and ardor of nature that
made me love him like brother. But
I saw evil people gathering around him.
They came up from the saloons, from
the gambling hells. They Piled him
with Thousand arts. They sliced up
on his social nature and he could not
stand the charm. They drove him on
the rocks like ship full winged. shiv-
ering on the breakers. ] used 10 adj
monish him. would say, Nov wish
you would quit these bad habits, and
become a Christian" TO-" he would
reply. II would like TO; ] would like to;
but have gone so far I don't think
there is any way back" In his repent
ance, he would go home and take hi
little girl OF Syears, and embrace her
convulsively, and cover her with adorn-
ments. and strew around her pictures
and toys, and everything that could
make her happy: and then. as though
bounded by an evil spirit, he would go out
to the enliaming cup and the house of
shame, like fool to the correction OF
the stocks. | was summoned to his
death bed. / hastened. | entered the
room. found him to my surprise, "
ing in full every day dress on the top of
the couch. I put out my hand. He
grasped it excitedly, and said, ''Sit
down Mr.. Talmage, right there" |
sat down. He said, Last night saw
my mother, who has been dead twenty
years, and she sat just where YOU sit
now. 1t was no dream. | was wide
awake. There was no delusion in the
matter. / saw her just as plainly as
see you. Wife. wish you would take
these strings off OF me. There are
strings strung all around my body. I
wish you would take them off Of me-"
| saw it was delirum. 20 replied his
wife, my dear there is nothing there,
there is nothing there" He went on
and said, Just where you sit, Mr..
Talmage. my mother sat. She said 20
me. Henry, do wish you would do
better l got out Of bed, put my arms
around her and said. Mother. want
to do better. | have been trying to do
better Won't YOU help me to do bet
ter? You Used to help me- No mistake
about it, no delusion. saw her-the
cap and the apron and the spectacles,
just as she used TO look twenty years
ago, but ] do wish you would take these
strings away. They annoy me 50. l
can hardly talk. Won't you take them
away?
l knelt down and prayed, conscious of
the fact that he did not realize what ]
was saying. | got up. J said: Good
by: hope you will he better soon. "He
said: "Goodby, goodby." That night
his soul went to the God who gave it.
Arrangements were made for the obse-
quiec. Some said: Don't bring him in
the church; he was too dissolute." TO-"
/ said, ''bring him. He was good
friend OF mine while he was alive, and |
shall stand by him now that he is dead.
Bring him to the church."
AS sat in the pulpit and saw his body
coming up through the aisle, felt as If
l could weep tears OF blood. told the
people that day. This man had his
virtues and good many of them. But
il there is any man in this audience who
is without sin, let him cast the first
stone at this coffin lid" On one side of
the pulpit sat the little child, rosy, sweet
faced, as beautiful as any little child
that sat at our table this morning, not
knowing the full sorrows OF an orphan
child. Oh, her cOuntenahce haunts me
to-day, like some sweet face looking uD-
on us through horrid dream. On the
other side of the pulpit were the men
who had destroyed him. There they
sat, hard-visages, some OF them pale
from exhausting disease, some OF them
flushed until it seemed as If the fires OF
iniquity famed through the cheek and
cracked the lips. They were the men
who had done the work. They we're
the men who had bound him hand and
foot. They had kindled the fires. They
had poured the worm-wOOd and gall
into the orphan cup. Did they
weep? Did they sigh-repentingly? No.
Did they say, "What pity that such a
brave man should be s. ,in?" No, no;
not one bloated hand WIS lifted to wipe
q tear from bloated cheek. They sat
and looked at the coffin like vultures
gazing at the carcass of lamb whose
heart they had ripped tut! 1 cried in
their ears as plainly as could, ''There
is God and Judgment day. Did
they tremble? o no, no. They went
back from the house of God. and that
night, though their victim lay in Oak
wood cemetery, / am told that they
and they drank and they
and there was not one less
customer in all TIE houses of iniquity.
This destroyed man was Sampson in
physical strength, but Delilah sheared
him, and the Phllistines of evil COM
partnership dug his eyes out and threw