The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1891-11-14
when the Day In Gone.


How quiet the house is at night The
every day are asleep, and the people who
it. Every house has these two classes OF
tenants. DO we love- best those with whom
we can talk and laugh and sing, or the
dear silent ones who come so noiselessly TO
our side and whisper to us in faint, sweet,
far away whispers that have no sound, so
that we only hear their very stiffness.
am not tired, but my pen is weary. II
falls from my fingers and raise my head.
start to leave toe table ana my eyes fall
upon little book lying on the floor. 1t is
little First Reader" He left it there
this afternoon. | remember just how
was impatient because he could not read
the simple little lesson, such an easy les
son, and told him il was a waste of time
to teach him, and pushed him away from
me. | remember now. | see the flush
come into the little tired face, the brave,
cheerful look in his eyes, his mothers
brave, patient cheerfulness. struggling
with his disappointment and pain. see
him lie down on the floor and the little
face bend over the troublesome lesson,
such a simple, easy lesaon, any baby might
read it. Then, after little strue gle alone
it has to be given up, and the baffied little
soldier, with one more appealing look
toward me for endorsements, slghs and
goes away from the lesson he cannot read
to the play that comforts him And there
lies the little book just as he left 1T. All,
me, could kneel down and kiss 1t now, as
though it were living and loving.
Why, what's my time worth to me to-
dayp What was there in the bosk |
wanted to read, one. half so precious to me-
as one cooing word from the prattiing lips
that quivered when lurned away. hate
the book | read? | will never look ut it
again.
Were it the last book in the world, |
think would burn it. Ali its gracious
words are lies. i say to you, though all
men praise the boo, and, though an hour
ago thought it excellent, say 10 vou
what can learn from books that baby
lips can not teach me? DO you know /
want TO 20 to the door of his room and
listen; the house is. 50 still; may be he is
not breathing. Why, ii between my book
and my boy | choose my book, why should
not God leave me with my books? My
hateful books.
But was not harsh. was only little
|
easy, 80 simple. All me, there were two
were two easy, simple lessons. Mine was
one to learn. Just line. Just throb of
patience, Of gentleness, of love. that would
have made my own heart glow and laugh
and sing. The letters were so large and
plain, the words SO easy and the sentences
| so short. And |? Oh, pity me, missed
every word. | did not read one line
Alright. See, here is my copy now; all
| blurred and blisteie with tears and heart
ache, all nlarred and mIsspelled and blot
ted. am ashamed to show it to the
Master. And yet know he will be patient
| with me, know how loving and gentle he
will be. Why, how patiently and loving
all these years he has been teaching me
this simple lesson failed to learn to day.
But when my little pupil stumbled on a
| single words my time, then, so much
more precious than the Masters that |
cannot teach the little lessons more than
once?
Ah friends, we do not waste time when
| we piait scourges for ourselves. These
hurrying days, these busy, anxious,
| shrewd ambitious times of ours are wasted
when they take our hearts away from pa
tlent gentieness, and give Us fame for love
and gold for kisses. Some day, then,
when our hungry souls viii, seek for bread,
our selfish good will give US stone. Life
is not deep, profound, perpexing prob
lem. Ii is simple, easy lesson, such as
| any child may read. You can not find its
solution in the pcnderons tonnes of the old
fathers, the philosophers. the inyestiga.
tors, the theorists. 1t is not on your book
shelves. But in the warmest corner of the
most unlettered heart it glows in letters
that the bindest may read; sweet. plain,
simple, easy, loving lesson. And when
you have learned it, brother of mine. the
world will be better and happier.-R. J.
Burdette