The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-10-02
THE REPORTERS PEN.
,r1yEs TORN FROM ms NOTEBOOK.
". who for q Long Time Wrote Justice
John's Court Writes of Scenes and Ex-
periences Known In Daily Life.

KS vet an hour from It's setting |
and the slanting rays glinted from the |
nolished shafts and flooded the broad |
avenues of the city of the dead with a
golden shower.
lie had paused just within the shadow |
Of the gate, and as approached j noticed |
that he awaited in patience upon tiny |
girl who played gleefully in the gra-cl |
and sand uat supplied the driveway. |
An aged negroes in her we-starched |
bingham dress, with Snowy cap and long |
white apron, attended each step Of the
pretty child. which laughed and played |
IS unmindful of her sad surroundings as |
the craven angel that smiled upon her |
from its silent watch above tomb.
As l drew near the father bent above |
the child and with a loving, lingering |
kiss. TUNED Snd disappeared down IN, |
winding pathway 10 the river. The chlid
gazed a moment after him and then Tor
got his absence in her play. AS ne
walked ] noticed in his hands the sweet
est bunch Of roses ! have ever seen,
though ] have reported funerals OF loved
and honorcd dead and recorded the horm
fest0Ons of joyous weddings.
OWNED it all. and paused to stroke
the golden hair that | felt mothers
hand would touch no more forever.
The nurse with a gaTulousncss porn
Of her race and f0stcrcd by age, yolun-
tcered the old. old story Of mother
called away when first the fires OF IN
finite love were kindled upon the affairs
of maternity. and of a tender fatner
struggling in loyal love TO raise the
daughter 10 be woman IKE ilother
was 4 few minutes and the fatncr
came His proud head was bent ana MS
broad shoulders dropped as he WalAcu
toward us. and ] noticed that his black
beard in a few short years had caught
IN many strands Of cherries gray Inc
lr,hy. OH bright faced, sunny-halred,
thonghtlosS. happy child, ran 10 meet
him. and i'm a voice | shall never 1orget
cried: Papa did You see my mamma
Quicker than the lightning, flashes
through omirOus skies and darkenng
heavens came the flush of pain. and
while answering her ] caught the words
he spoke unto his soul alone. Il almost
Thought | did" and then with hurried
kisses he rcpreSsed her further question:
ings
The strong man then turned to me and
in moment knew ! was no lniruuTr
unon a sorrow so deep as his. JntWuYely
my hand met his in a grasp feel to-
night He knew ! was his brother man.
Then taking his child by the hand led
her hence. reckoning TO the nurse, and
there ] left a picture | shall never for
get a great. true heart. bowed III grleI,
silently sobbng in the falling sunlight.
-
| have thought Of anticipation and
possession a great deal in my lie, but
In my tenth year | bathed my soul IN
fine solution of the subject. l was con
WINGED then. Not one of those trail con-
vinces that only lasts until the man at
the next corner has said something dit
fercnt but a deep-dOwn, absolute con-
vcti0n that has taken as entire pos
session of me as the wild cow dld OF the
Capitol Square or the reputed yellow
dog the horse-trough.
When ! was q very small boy / re-
member to have been dressed up and
taken to the courthouse one Saturday
afternoon to hear debate which had
been arranged for the edihcauOn, par
ticularly, of the residents of Mecklen-
burg county, and, incidentally, for the
rest of the known world. some parts OF
Lunenburg and Dinwiddie not then hay-
ing been fully discovered
The question was: (Which affords more
pleasure. anticipation or possession or
words 10 that effect. The possession
part was taken 10y Il tall. spare man.
whom ] was told had fitted himself for
the brilliant duties of the country school
teacher by reading a few lines each time
he came 10 the end of a corn row. tie
plOwel and repeated the lines. leaving
his book at the end of the field. This
was doubtless told to encourage me, but
really it only destroyed my taste for
blowing
The anticipation" side was espoused
by our minister. q good, eyen-tempercd,
quiet man. who had ridden twenty miles
to give us the benefit of his learning and,
incidentally. to spend a few days with
Us. / got "a triile puzzled at the division
Of the subject. when NY dear aunts Whis-
pered to me that the minister, after all,
was i'm possession of all good things,
and had treasures laid up where moth
and rust doth not corrupt but l recalled
the Tuesday mornings ! had seen him
ride away from oar home with my yell
lOW-lcggcd pullets fried into crisp shapes
and lodged between Well-dcyclOped bis
cults. and his saddle-bags further filed
with bottles of milk and the remainder
of the Sabbath cake rs if he was intent
upon -four years in the saddle and /
was satisfied that he, our minister, was
In poss ~sion of it al.
] must confess al the start ] was q
strong hacker of he school teacher.
Possession seemed a great thing 10
me. | had anticipated" The ownership
of Barlow knife; had thought of 10 and
Of al the things ! could cut until my
poor hands would really seem to ache
from the exercise. ] had gone about
Participating q gun. and IT. the mean
time pointing Il cOrn-Stalk or tobacco
stick at crows. robins and larkS until ]
could hear by day and night the seem
ing roar OF musketry. participation
was nothing 10 me; possession was
what wanted. Not TO have to thin
corn at three cents a row, for a half
dollar when the circus came. but just 10
own these tribes was what ] wanted.
Our dear old pastor. though, fixed the
question for life for me. He commenced
10y abiding to the very things ] had
thought of. lie told how that knife. if
possessed, might cut me- and how that
gun might explode and kill me. Then
he spoke i'm a suhdued voice Of his own
life. lie had anticipated a charge with
great joy. Hc got il and rode about two
hundred miles per week. eating cold
lunches and drinking mt the branch. He
anticipated the advent Of a boy into his
home I'm early life. He came, and had
been Joined since at sundry times by ten
others An hour q night for one year.
and then eleven years gave him valid
claim to pedestrianism. ile talked on in
this way for long. long time-ncarly
shutdown when h. stopped. lie nade
stirring sDcech-everybody stirred about
in their seats. and some even went out.
] sat and listened and was converted TO
the Participation" theory. Some of those
facts were indisputable. All my lie
has not served 10 change me one whit |
am with my preacher in sentiment still.
Z ... co.. ,,-ox,.fuo A., flie ide9 that even