The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-03-14
OltliVGd Her Usefulness.


from the pen of the late Mrs. j
D. Chaplin, has often been print
ed elsewhere, both in this country
and in England. 1t was clipped
from a newspaper by a member
of Mr.. Amos Savilles family
about seventeen years AGO; and
last week, Mr.. Saville handed il
to us, requesting that we give il
TO the readers of the NEWS. Its
ueedful lessons appeal to the
young with peculiar force, and
we, therefore, give it a place in
our columns. EDITOR.
Not long since a man in middle
life came to our door, asking for
"the minister" When informed
that he was out of town he seem
ed disappointed and anxious. On
being questioned as TO his busi-
ness he replied, 81 have lost my
mother; and as this place used to
be her home, and as my father
lies here, we have come to lay her
beside him"
My heart rose in sympathy, and
| said, "You have met with
great loss.
"Well, yes" he replied, with
hesitancy, "a mother is a great
loss in general, but our mother
had outlived her usefulness. She
was in her second childhood, and
her mind had grown as weak as
her body, so that she was no COM
fort to herself and was a burden
to everybody. There were seven
of us, sons and daughters;and we
agreed to keep her among us a
year about. But have had more
than my share of her, for she was
too feeble to be moved when my
time was out and that was more
than three months before her
death. But then she was a good
mother in her day, ,and toiled very
hard to bring us up"
Without looking at the face of
the heartless man | directed him
to the house of a neighboring pas
tor, and returned to my nursery.
[ gazed on the merry little faces
which smiled or grew sad in imi-
tation of mine those little ones
TO whose ear no word in our Ian
guage is half so sweet as "moth-
er"-and l wondered if that day
could ever come when they would
say of us, "She has outlived her
usefulness; she is no comfort to
herself, and a burden to every
body else!" And 1 hoped that
before such day should dawn [
might be taken to my rest. God
forbid that l should outlive the
love Of my children! Rather let
me die while my heart is a part
of theirs, that my grave may be
watered by their tears, and my
love linked with their hopes of
heaven.
When the bell tolled for the
mothers burial, | went to the
sanctuary to pay my only token
of respect to the aged stranger;
for / felt that l could give her
memory a tear, even though her
own children had none to shed.
"She was a good mother in her
day, and toiled hard to bring us
all up-she was no comfort to
herself, and a burden to every
body else" These cruel, heart
less words rung in my ears as
saw the coffin borne up the aisle.
The bell tolled long and loud, until
its iron tongue had chronicled the
years Of the toil-worn mother.
One,-two,-th four, five.
How clearly aud almost merrily
each stroke told of her once
peaceful slumber in her mothers
bosom, and her seat at nightfall
on her weary fathers knee.
Six, eight, nine, ten,
rang out the tale of her sports
upon the green sward, in the
meadow, and beside the brook.
Eleven, tt twelve, thirteen, -four
teen, spoke gravely of school
days and little household joys and
cares. Sixteen, seventeen, --
eighteen, sounded out the en-
raptured visions of maidenhood
and the dream Of early love.
Nineteen-brought before us the
bo1,i,U brida Tmar+,y c,,o1yo of