Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-06-09

Only as yet he found no seeds of eyi
to check, nor even any Of those out
bursts of temper that he had often OBJ
served in his eldest SON
Ii one doubts that children suffer
even more keenly than grown people
let them read from time to time in the
newspapers OF some poor maddened
child who, in the unbearable agony OF
spirit that possesses him at some need.
lessly harsh reproof, Or barbarous pun
lshment, wanderS out his numbed help.
less brain in Whirl and unable to look
beyond as grown person would, takes
the irreyocable step that pIunges it into
Eternity. For the harsh, cruel words
that would take no effect on man or
woman are literally accepted by child,
and may prove the turning point Of his
life Gf it do not drive him to despair J,
hardening firmneSS to obStinacy, gentle
ness TO coWardice, weakness to vice
above all let us remember how quickly
III these early years let us assure to
them such happiness as we can.
10 such Il fate as one Of these Mr.
Eyre had unconsciousIy done his best
to drive the boy whom he took pride
10 himself that he had never punished
True, he had never beaten him, nor
even been unduly harsh, save when the
Child diverted his motherss attention
from himself; but when that mother
died, the mother whom the boy Wor-
SHIPPED, and who had been the religion
Of his young lifc the father had not a
thought to give the fivc-year-old boy
whose heart was silently breaking in
the loneliness of his nursery, and in
whose mind was loWly growing IL re
pressed, bitter sense Of ill-usage that
might wrap his character to all eteI.-
nifty.
DOEne knew that his lost younger
brother Dody had been his mothers
favorite child; but this could not affect
his silent, intense love for her, and full
well he knew that she had loved him
toe. II she had petted his brother more
than be, it was because the two were 50
utterly unlike III dispoSition--DOune all
strength, Dody all sweetness
passionate, proud, unforgiving very
rarely showing a sign Of affection for
even his mother, in all essentials the
opposite Of Dody, who seemed made
expressly to win love. An impression
once made upon the boy seemed indeli-
bic, and his fathers harSlneSS has grad
ually alienatcd the child's heart from
him so entirely that it seemed impossible
that there could be any cordial un-
dcrstanding between them in the flu
ture.
Iyt1f I,C In fIr1 ~,
life, that saved him from some rash
deed of despair, was the baby sister
that his mother had left i'll the nursery
when She went away, and Dody had 50
gladly and quickly followed her
1t was Il girl and it had been named
after his mother, and might grow up
like her; and hour after hour the boy
would sit by the little frail babe, whose
every hour threatened to be its last,
50 that when the boy was taken away
to school he kissed the tiny face with Il
bitter, black despair in his young heart,
thinking that he would see her, too, no
more
Mr.. Eyre was entirely ignorant of the
aIitagoniSm to him in his young sons
mind, he had never given him half Il
dozen consecutive thoughts i'll his life,
and, having sent him to school before
his departure for abroad, had not even
remembered him till the night of his re-
turn home The boy was well enough,
no doubt ~ as to his holidays, no doubt
the lawyers had provided about that,
or SO Mr.. Eyre thought, till one day lit
tie Madcap began talking about her
brother she having to all appearance
entirely forgotten him until ;tn accident
brought him to her mind.
Mr.. Eyre was holding the younger
Madcap UP to the portrait of the older
one, which had been painted in the hey
day of her youth and love; but the child,
after grayely looking at it, shook her
head and said;
Il don't remember herr"
THAT is your mother" said Mr.. Eyre.
No! that's Il young CELL said little
Madcap, still disbcGeving; but Doony
cones here every day, and talks and
talks, and talks to her, and sometimes
he falls sound asleep, and Joey and
me can't wake him up. Props he
doesn't like to leave her up there all by
her lone self"
The wistful ignorant face smote
Mr.. Eyre with the first pang for his son
that he had never known, but there
was jealousy in his voice as he said:
You love your brother Doune"
She nodded her bright head emphatic
ally.
"Nhcns Kismus?' she said. '.Doony
come home KiSmus and Dad shall
make us Il Kismus- trce-
1t was now early in December, so that
in n fortnight, or Whereabouts. the boy
would be here: but perhaps he did not
realize how profound Il change Doune
might work in his everyday life, till
one morning when little Madcap ran
into his bedroom, in her hand an I'M
opened letter.
1t was addressed to her own sweet,
small self, and she kissed it lavishly be-
fore she laborously undid the envelope
and permitted Dad to read it to her.
Darling Madcap" ran this letter
from the eight-year-old boy. laboriously
written down to the comprehension of
three years, l shall be home very soon.
You get Joey to put fourteen apples in
a row, and you eat one every day, and
when you come to the very last one you
will see me. l hear father has come
home, but don't you be afraid of him,
he won't beat YOU. and soon you'll have
me to take care of you. Tell Joey to be
sure and dust mothers picture every