Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1892-03-10
When the Day is Gone.
Robert J. Burdette.

asleep, and the people who fell asleep
in it long ago come back into 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 still
naeess? aes?
1 am not tired tired, but ay Pm is
weary. 1t falls from my fingers, and
l raise my head. | start to leave
the table, and my eyes fall upon a
little book lying on the floor. 1t is
little "First Reader" He left it
there this afternoon. remember
just how l was impatient because he
could not read the simple little les
son, such an easy lesson, and / told
him it was waste of my time to
teach him, and pushed him away
from me. 1 remember now. I see
the flush come into the little tired
face, the brave, cheerful look in his
eyes-his mothers brave, patient,
Notwithstanding with his
disappointment and pain. I see him
lie down on the floor, and the little
face bent over the troublesome les
son, such a simple, easy lesson, any
baby might read it. Then, after a
little struggle alone, it has to be
given up, and the bafied little sol
der, with one more appealing look
to me for re-enforcements, sighs 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 it. All, me, / could kneel
down and kiss it now, as though it
were living and loving.
Why, what was my time worth to
me to-day? What was there in the
book I wanted to read one-half so
precious to me as one cooling word
from the prattling lips that quivered
when I turned away? l hate the
book 1 read. ] will never look at it
again. Were it the last book in the
world, ] think l would burn it. All
its gracious words are lies. say to
you, though all men praise the book,
and though an hour ago I thought it
excellent, say to you there is poi
son in its hateful pages. Why, what
can l learn from books that baby lips
cannot teach me-? Do you know /
want to go to tie door OF his room
and listen? The house is so still,
maybe he is not breathing. Why, if
between my book and my boy l
choose my book, why should not God
leave me with my books ? My hate
full books.
But l was not harsh ; l was only a
little impatient, because his lesson
was so easy, so simple. All, me,
there were two Of us trying to read
this afternoon. There were two
easy, simple lessons. Mine was such
very simple, easy, pleasant 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 1? 0 pity me, l missed every
word. I did not read one line Alright.
See, here is my copy now, all blurred
and blistered with tears and heart
ache, all marred, and misspelled, and
blotted. I am ashamed to show 1t
to the Master, and yet l know that
he will be patient with me; l know
how loving and gentle be will be.
Why, how patiently and loving all
these years he has been teaching me
this simple lesson l failed to learn
to-day. But when my little pupil
stumbled or single words my
time, then, SO much more precious
than the Masters that cannot teach
the little lesson more than once?
All, friends, we do not waste time
when we plat scourges for ourselves.
These hurrying days, these busy,
anxious, shrewd, ambitious times OF
ours are wasted when they take our
hearts away from patient gentleness
and give us fame and gold for kisses.
Some day, then, when our hungry
souls will seek for bread, our selfish
god will give us stone. Life is not
a deep, profound, perplexing prob
lem; it is simple, easy lesson, such
as any child may read. You cannot
find its solution in the ponderous
tones Of the old fathers, the philoso-
piers, the investigators, the theorists.
1t is not on your book-shelyes; bu:
in the warmest corner of the most
unlettered heart it glows in letters
that the blindest may read-a sweet,
plain, simple, easy, loving lesson
and when you have learned it, bro
ther of mine, the world will be bet
ter and happier.
A resolution has been favorably
u Tv1 Cx-x G.