Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1907-11-08

and waits in the doorway. fos VIII
enter the hallway again and stand IN
the threshold Of the par or, with 'ts
lowered curtains, where neither you
nor your chums nor the cat nor the
dog we're allowed to trespass. But
VOC will take peep in just a. YOU
did in former days. You will Q
the same familiar pictures on the
W, IL, aud the same big stand with the
family Bible in the center OF the
room. o back into the kitchen ana
the dining room you will wander.
Sister and the hired girl are cooking
dinner; hurrying to and fro, spread
ing the delicious viands on the
table. Yes, and there's someone else
helpipp-someone with her sleeves
rolled to her dainty elbows and with
sisters best apron on-dsrtiHg here
and there as fsmiliarly and cheerfully
as if she had always lived there.
It's Mary, of course it's Mary. It's
iust as natural for her to be there
with her sleeves rolled up and sisters
apron on, as it is for you to be over
at her house with your sleeves rolled
up and one OF her aprons on.
"And then you remember that din
ner, the afternoon ride to church
with the family, and the long, de-
lightful, silent trip home. And
your memory will follow the vista OF
happy, eventful years, of other rides
and walks and jaunts under the gilt
tering. summer stars, down wooded
hillsides, where the peaceful breezes,
sighing through the rustling leaves,
whispered their tender secret to the
kstydids; strolling along the winding
paths where every nook and turn is
full Of Natures darlings; where
Natures peace flows into you like
sunshine into trees; lettering where
the chattering brook sparkles and leap
over the pebbles; on up through life's
pathway Of years, pathway strewn
not altogether with roses, but bor-
dered here and there with the tn orn
of trial aud hsrdhips. checkered with
long years Of struggle. and the long
day of sorrow. There will come days
when the home that has been a para.
disc OF happiness and JOY will be
lonely and still. The music of child
laughter and child prattle will be
husbed. In a closed, quiet room
mournful spirit will brood over an
empty crib. and Won will knesl with
bleeding hearts beside little white
casket. There will be prints of baby
fingers on the pane. box of toys IN.
der the window seat, basket of un.
used clothes in the corner. Hand in
hand, heart to heart, you will live
the hour of sorrow as you have lived
the hours Of joy. Through the blind
ing tears you will get a glimpse of
that eternal paradise, and as that in
FAINT spirit 10 waited upward to the
bosom Of the Heavenly Father, you
will catch sweet breath from the
fields of ever: blooming flowers. De.
spite the burning pang Of sorrow,
you will emerge from the shadow of
that dark cloud with renewed do.
termination and purpose. Life to
you will have deeper, sweetsr
meaning. Though the song OF the
lark may never be as sweet, and the
quiet old woods may never whisper
their delightful secrets as in other
days, your star of hope will be
brighter and the great mountain tops
of the future, with their sun glimmer.
ing peaks rising high to the blue of
eternity, which were only vague and
bazy stretches of lsndsca pc, will ap-
pear in clear outline before you, gor-
geous and beautiful.
In conclusion | can do no better
than repeat the words of philoso-
pier far older and wiser than | (:
Nothing touches the soul but leaves
its impress, and thus, little by little,
we are fashioned into the image of all |
we have seen and heard, known and |
meditsted; and if we learn to live
with all that is fairest and purest and
best, the love of it all will in the end
become our very life. ~