The old Abe eagle. (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 189?-189?, 1894-12-20

Kissed her again and the sadness
Faded out Of the lives of the children.
Forgot were the cold and the hunger
In the heart glow Of love for the moment,
And the music of innocent prattle
Drove away the lank wolf from the
threshold.
But the lights Ger the way fared yet
brighter,
And shout family heard foated to
them.
They begged that their mother would
take them
TO look thro' the window moment
And see what was happiness like to.
How could she deny them such asking?
So wrapping them in their scant garments
She took in her arms the two babies
And silently crossed DER the roadway
And stood in the light of the easement,
Stealing JOY for the hearts of her children,
The glow from within soon betrayed
them.
The youngest looked out thro' the WIN
dow,
Then screaming chung hard to his sister.
Quickly she looked where he pointed
And saw as a flash three white f,ces
Turn to the darkness and vanish.
But the flash was enough to reveal them
To more than the eyes of the youngest:
The father and mother had seen them.
The vision smote into their heHrt-depths
And broke up their fountains OF feeling.
With tears gushing over her eyelids,
"Oh, Jesus" she cried, "hoW ace blindlg
Forget thee IN doing thee honor!
HOp little on this thy dear bir:h-night
We feel in our hearts Of thy tedching'
Come, wife," said her husband, arising,
And straight they rushed into the dark
ness
Where the three were seen staggering
homeward
Pierced with the frost-laden night air,
With sobs from the little ones breaking
AS they clung in their fright to their
mother.
Then CLEAN from the hallway upon
Fell bright as the parents ran wildly
And called them to etop. Then the mo-
ther
Sank down on her knees in the roadway.
"Forgive us" she cried, but twas Hea-
ven
To these my poor babes for ono moment
To look ou the scenes at your hearth-side.
1t was wrong, but | beg you will pardon;
For | shall be gone ere the Christ night
Again this drear world shall curtain.
The call have heard, and | know that
The snows will lie lightly above mo
When Times clock shall next strike the
Twelve month.
Oh, how sweet shall regt then!
But these my innocent children,
Too young yot to know, not to suffer-"
Before she could conquer her feeling,
The daughter had answered her mother
With warmth giving wraps, and the chill
dren
We're borne thro' the doors to the
hearth stone.
And their eyes grew wider with wonder
At the strangers and strange things
around them.
Protesting and sobbing, the widow
Was borne by strong arms to the fire side
And placed in the fathers great arm
chair.
The babes were borne off to the ward
robe
And dressed in the warmest ofgarmonte
Selected from those OF the youngest.
Soon for the three was feast epread
such us the little ones never
| Had tasted; tho mother III long time.
And when with the food more Of color
Had mantod their cheeks, and brighter
The lights III their eyes had arisen.
A chapter was read aud the iather
Poured tervently forth to the GiHer
The thanks from his heart overtlowing
For the lesson they'd learned, but Sc
slowly.
Nor would they suffer the widow
And babes to return to their dwelling
So cherries that night, nor the morrow
Bat with feasting and Joy entertained
them.
so passed the winter. and spring came
Came TO the children as happy
And playful as lambs in the meadows.
But with it the mother grew weuker.
Aud when from the brookside in May
time
They brought to her fragrant wild flow
ora,
She kissed tho brown hands that hat
plucked thom.
And, soothed 10y their sweet exhalation
Whispered Farewell and a blessing
And her soul iloatod out from is prison
They buried her where she had wishec
them,
by tho graves OF her soA and her bus
bald,
And carved on shaft Of pale marble
The names OF the thIoe silent slccpere
Soon was forgotten the sorrow
The little oues fclt in her going.
And her memory WAS but the fragranc,
That long withered flower leaves be
hind it
In the book tween whose pages VI
pressed 1t.
They strewed tho three graves ever,
May time
With the flowers that had sottene'
deaths pathway
They slowly learned more of their child
hood
Aud the home they had left DER th
roadway.
With the story Of that night in December
And the lesson II bore. aud the blessing
As womauhood blJsaomed within them