St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-04-02

lives q dared to call them worthless, as
il l were the one TO judge there were
that had been heightened by Richards
| skill. How many there were i'll the
| world 10 whom death would be a wei
come guest, and yet he passed them
by to strike my king of men In
bis glorious, manly prime. Far
away | heard clock ring out
the early morning hours. l heard
still farther away the hOmely sound OF
1.-THE cocks shrill clarion" and thought
of him whose shameful trial had been
punctured by that sound. In fancy L
saw the grand, benignant face turned in
mute reproach upon that heart.wrung
disciple; | saw the first faint glow OF
! the coming dawn In the Eastern sky,
and, mellOwed by distance, | heard
from the woods beyond the town the
sweet notes of blue birds song, full
OF the promise of the spring. Then L
fell asleep and saw, as in vision. a
wide, full river whose banks were Of
pure white sand. Across the shining
waters the spires and comes of stately
city rose, white end delicate as one sees
along the margin OF cloud land,
bathed in soft, rosy, radiant light
that filled the sky and spread like
cleaning wings OH either side. A shin
/ ing wall. pierced by a star-crowned
door, encircled it. IL swung slowly
open as | looked, revealing a shining
| pathway across the CLASSY waters, and
| ending at my feet. A man In shining
vesture came through the door down to
the waters edge, and stood lOoki ng
| across with Outstretched hands TO me. |
was irresistibly drawn towards that
glorifed figure with longing that
would not be stayed. Looking down, l
perceived that the shining pathway was
OF pure gold, and timidly ventured to
step out upon it. AS | walked heard
a faint sweet sound of singing. and
listening, the words of an old hymn that
my mother used to sing in the far away
days of childhood.
"A charge to keep have,
A God to glorify."
A meaning | had never suspected was
revealed in the words. but still | pressed
on in the shining way. Now | could
see the face of the silent watcher on the
other shore. and it was Richard, my
Richard, waiting with Outstretched
hands for me. AS l drew ntarer and
could see every line of the dear face i'll
the light that ShOne from the open door,
| read the same old story of his mighty
steadfast love for me in the true gray
eyes, as, alas, it had often been Oil eartn
with sorrow at my willfulness.
Eagerly FASTENED my steps, when
from the shore had left l heard my
children calling me, in tones that sud
denly revealed to my mothers heart
how doubly berett they would he with
out their fathers tender care, or the
broOding shelter of my weak mother
love. | paused, hesitating for moment.
They are young," | thought; "they
will soon forget; they have already for
gotten their father; some stronger
woman will care for them: they have
all their lives, and their infinite pos
sibilities still before them, and what
have 1? There is my husband, and, oh,
l love him so. How can | give up the
certain bliss of being once more with
him. and face my life alone? l turned
again towards the dear presence, and
heard the soft voice, whose every
chord was like sweet careSs,
say Lucy" in the old tender. re-
prOachful way that had always
checked my wild waywardness, but
the shining path was gone, only the
crystal water rolled between us as we
yet turn back?
"Be patient, my darling" heard the
loved voice saying. "Finish the work
the Father has given you to do, then we
will be together again. Go back to our
children now: they need you. No one
else can do for them or be to tn EN- what
you can"
But could not The space between
the shining pathway and the white
sands on which he stood was so narrow
| could almost touch the ont-redching
hands. The thought of the utter empti-
ness Of life without him came over me
Il I, Of nj, IL 70
beliion swept me onward. L Sprang
forward. The cold water closed
over me, the sweet music rang
out again in the words of my
III others hymn, and l awoke to the
sound of the Easter bells that rung III
the glad resurrection morn, but with
that promised peace in my heart, that
tine Master alone can give, 1.-THE peace
that passeth understanding" That
Easter morning sun rose years ago. L
came back to life and my children with
| resolve to do and bear all that was
| meet for me, sure that no smallest les
son would be sent from the Fathers
hand unneeded. In all the long years
since that time | have not been left
| alone. When | said in my selishness
that Richards hildren were forgetting
home, l was wrong. as iRall else that /
said in that dark hour, for his
presence ami influence has helped
me every day. To say Father would
have wished it," or father would not
have liked you TO do that" has always
been the bond that checked or held their
widest wildS, and often they talked of
him aud of his pleasure i'll their we'll
doing. and so he has been my help just
| as if he had still dwelt among us in the
old familiar way. And l; oh, have
| had an eX ceedingly great reward for
the conquest Of self. Tonight, when
my tall son brought me his usual Easter
gift of primroses, with his children
about him. Belle put her fair-haired
| little son, another Richard, in my arms
| and said:
1--WE always feel, Dick and |, mother,
| that if we can be to our children what
you have been to US. we will ask no
| more"
"And your father?" l ask. Il am jeal-
| Gus for him still. you see.
"Oh. father; there never was but one
man like father" she said. "Tbese are
! his. you know" showing her basket of
| Easter gifts for poor children.
Again l hear the bells ring in the
| Easter morn, as l have heard them so
many times, and remember as If had just
| left its presence the beauty and comfort
of that old-time Easter vision.