The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1895-07-05
THE LONDONDERRY SITTER.
A Lost wanderer.

A cold Christmas night in farm
house. Father comes in from the barn,
knocks the snow from his shoes and sits
down by the fire. The mother sits at the
stand knitting, She says to him, "Do
you remember it is the anniversary to.
pight?" The father is angered. He nov
er wants any allusion to the fact that
one had gone away, and the mere sug-
gestion that it was the anniversary of
that sad event made him quite rough,
although the tears ran down his cheeks,
The old house dog that had played with
the wanderer when she was child comes
up and puts his head on the old mans
knee, but he roughly repulses the dog.
He wants nothing to remind him of the
anniversary day.
A cold winter night in city church.
1t is Christmas night They have been
decorating the sanctuary. A lost wan
derer of the street, with thin shawl
about her, attracted by the warmth and
light, comes in and sits near the door.
The minister of religion Is preaching Of
him who was wounded for our trans.
gressions and bruised for our iniquities,
aud the poor soul by the door said
why, that must mean me! Mercy for
the chief Of sinners; bruised for our in
EQUITIES; wounded for our transgres-
Sions.
The Music that night in the sanctuary
brought back the old hymn which she
used to sing when, with father and
mother, She worshiped God in the viii
lage church. The service over, the min
lister went down the aisle. She said to
him; "Were those words for me?
Wounded for our transgressions. Was
that for mei' The mai of God under
stood her not. He knew not how to COM
fort slipwrecked soul, and he passed
on, and he passed out. The poor wander
er followed into the street.
Return of the Lost.
"What Are you doing here, Meg?"
said the police. What ara you doing
here tonight?' "Oh, she replied, II
was in TO warm myself" And then the
rafting cough came, aud she held to the
railing until the paroxysm was over;
She passed ON down the street, falling
from exhaustion, recovering herself
again, until after awhile she reached the
outskirts of the city, and passed ON into
the country road 1t seemed so familiar.
She kept on the road, and she saw in the
distance light in the window. All,
that light had been cleaning there ev-
cry night since she went away. On that
country road she passed until she came
to the garden gate. She opened it and
passed up the path where she played in
childhood She came to the steps and
looked in at the fire ON the hearth. Then
she put her fingers to the latch. Oh, if
that door had been locked she would
have persisted on the threshold, for she
was near to death But that door had
not been locked since the time she went
away. She pushed open the door. She
went in and lay down on the hearth by
the fire The old house dog growled as
he saw her enter, but there was some
thing in the voice he recognized, and he
frisked about her until he almost pushed
her down in his joy.
In the morning the mother came
down, and she saw bundle of rags on
the hearth, but when the face was up
lifted, she knew it, and it was no more
old Meg of the street. Throwing her
arms around the returned prodigal, she
cried, ooh, MaggieH The child threw
her arms around her mothers neck and
said, ooh, mother" And while they
were embraced a rugged form lowered
verify all gone out of his face, he stoop
ed and took her up tenderly and E.rried
her to mothers room and.laid her down
on mothers bed, for she was dying.
Then the lost one, looking up into her
mother face, said: Wounded for our
transgressions, and bruised for cur in
iquitiesr Mother, do you think that
means me?" ooh, yes, my darling"
said the mother. IF mother is SO glad
20 get you back, don't you think God is
glad to get you back?'
And there she lay dying, and all their
dreams and all their prayers were filled
with the words, Wounded for our trans
gressions, and bruised for our iniqui-
ties, '" until, just before the moment OF
her departure, her face lighted up, show
ing the pardon of God had dropped upon
her soul. And there she slept away Oh
the bosom of a pardoning Jesus. So the
Lord TOOK back one whom the world re-
jected.