The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1907-01-12

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been bad mother! You ought to beat
me. i have no more sense than a chick
en-, and you also soon will hate me-
Poor child He is too good to do that
no matter what | have done of bad to
him. Just think, man has but this
minute gone out of here-and /"
But at this moment she saw the man
behind her husband and by the side of
young Ben-the man she was going to
speak OF. Yet, not discouraged, she be-
gan again.
"Eh! What! No matter-excuse me
the gentleman who-the mani
HE has come" said Ben, the father.
because he happened to see some of
the work done by a young man and
was wanting to get some one to do the
same kind of work. 1t seems that there
are very few who have learned how to
do the work such as his house calls
for and he has offered board, lodging
and good salary
How do you know that"
Here is the gentleman himself who
is making the offer to our Ben," said
he.
To our Ben? O.! My poor old man
l fear did bad thing when l inter
fered so with your plans for the boy"
said she, tearfully.
'YeS, had / let you interfere, but YOU
never knew our plans, our tricks, our
secrets, as you called them. When YOU
thought our boy was dabbling in plas-
ter he was at far different work. learn
ing to read and write So when he was
taken on at the book store his employer
was so pleased to find him able to do
almost all the work there as we'll as
he himself that he gave him every
chance to learn how to bind books, as
he said, in The highest style and to get
up his New Year Book, and so It was
our Bcn's work this gentleman hap
Pcncd TO see
And mother. you are not angry be-
cause / learned to brush something else
besides my clothes and shoes, as father
once told you, but you never suspected"
said her son.
Il ought to be a proud and happy
mother and l must confess have been
in the wrong and you owe all, thanks to
your father who has seen and done bet
ter for you than ever l would have"
"Yes, I owe all that to father" replied
he. Then, seeing that she was feeling
sadly, he added, But, dear mother, !
owe you more love than 1 can ever re-
pay. yet will try hard to do so"
Il know now that you will do that,
as you always have DONE" said she.
And so now we will have a treaty
of peace" said the father.
"Goodp exclaimed the gentleman,
who had stood by listening to this short
conversation, "and so l will take this
young man to Philadelphia where he
will have chance to make some money
and what is far better, of making &C
quaintance with the leading men of our
nation who will be able to appreciate
his talents"
What Garry my boy away from
me, away off where l may never see
him again. cried she, putting her arms
about her son.
But motherl How can you act so.
Remember there is no joy without its
sorrowsr
Il thank you then. don't want any
such JOY" said she.
There, there nowl' said Ben, the
father, who knew by this time how to
pacify his nervous, often childish wife.
lust listen to me-" we ought to love
our children for their own good, not
for ourselves. See, here is this gentle
man of learning, who wants our son to
go with rim and who thinks so we'll of
his ability to do the work he requires.
How often we have talked of winter
nights by our fireplace, of stories we
heard how poor young men have come
to high fortunes by their talents being
found out by chance. Some few here
know what our boy can do, but if he
stays here he can never amount to much.
He is nobody but a poor black mans
son-only old Ben Banneker's boy Ben.
Let him go abroad among strangers.
This gentleman is sure that he will sur.
prise people at Philadelphia. He will
get name in the papers. There our
people here will claim him as a native
of our state and when after a few years
he returns you viii be proud of him"
"And, dear mother, do not be afraid
that viii stay too long from you. It
is not 50 far of. I will come to see
you, and ! win write to you very soon.
w..