Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1903-05-28
"God Bless Nv Bow"
The following beautiful ar

The following beautiful arti-
Gle is from the gifted pen of the
editor of the Atlantic Democrat,
and we transfer it to our col
ums as worthy to survive the
mutation of time:
eff all the invocations address,
e l to the Almighty by the moth
ers of the world had brought
the blessings asked the twenti-
eth century race would be a god
like one.
"It makes but little difference
where the mother first saw the
light of day, it makes but little
difference what the blood that
courses through her veins, each
nationality has its God bless
you, my boy;;' and the mother
love which prompts the express
ion is cosmopolitan.
81 wonder if any true man or
woman ever saw the mother
arms entwine themselves about
the neck of her boy, saw the
mother kiss press upon the up
turned lips, and heard the "God
bless you, my boy" without a
throb in the throat and a heart
wish that the mother prayer
might be abundantly answered.
"A few days ago the writer
was in asleeper of a Great Nor
thern train at Grand Forks,
Dakota, when q woman entered
the car, with traces of tears in a
face from which the storms of
years had been unable to drive
its old Celtic sweetness. She
was followed by a youth of about
eighteen years, evidently a stu
dent at the North Dakota Uni
versity. The writer could not
help hearing the good-byes be-
tween mother and son, orseeing
the tableau that has been enac-
ted over and over in every land
and CLINE since the world began.
Then came the "God bless YOU,
my boy,' and the boy left the
car with his handkerchief to his
eyes, while the mother sobbed
out her grief and yearning in
the corner of her section.
The train soon started and in
came a tall broad-shouldered
dos :endant of the Emerald Isle.
Like a lover he placed his arms
about his wife and spoke cheer
ing words to her of her boy.
They had evidently been visi-
ting him several days for he had
quite a store of the boys conf
dences which he told the mother
! 1 a way tomake her heart glad.
L len came the inevitable ques-
ton of finance, which, like the
poor, we have with us always,
a nd there were sums in various
branches of mental arithmetic
which consumed at least an
hours time. The conductor
b:oke into their recital as he ex-
amined the tickets, but when
he was gone, the old man said,
maggie, what do you suppose
| did when we were at the bankY'
She said she supposed it was
some business he was transac-
ting in reference to some prop
erty. "No," he said, 81 Ibid some
thing for the boy, because
thought it would please him and
because | knew it would please
you; arranged to have the bank
honor any checks he might draw
against my account and | gave
the boy a check book with my
permission to use it whenever
he needed money"
She was silent for a few mo-
ments, when the hands that had
seen toll in their day crept up tc
his face and lovingly rested
there; and there were tears in
the voice which said: "God bless
you, Mike" Mike did not say
anything in reply, but he gath
cred the mother of his boy in his
big brawny arms and held hel
close to his great big Irish
heart for a long time.
1t was q page out of life which
made one better for the read
ing; and if the boy with such &
father and such a mother, car
rying in his veins the pure
blood of royal manhood and wo
manhood, does not grow into &
useful man, there is something
wrong with the machinery O
| the world.'