Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1910-06-25
A MOTHERS REVERE.
The Yesterdays of Her Boy ms They
Pass Before Her.

yesterday you looked at me with
your fathers eyes. You clasped my
finger with your tiny ones, clingine
as for your life, and tiny spark Of
life was kindled in my cold heart,
Yesterday you walked alone, you
stood proudly erect, flung back your
head, with your fathers own ges-
ture, and said, "Boy."
Yesterday you wore your first lit
tie trousers and were indeed "moth-
er's big boy" You have very like
ly forgotten, but l never shall,
the huge monster of dog that
barked at us on our walk that day.
You sprang before me and faced it
valiantly. You stretched our your
tiny arms and shrieked: "Go way!
Don't you hurt my motherp'
Yesterday you came blindly to
my sitting room with swollen eyes
and blood stained lips. AS I bathed
and patched and trembled you blurt-
ed out: ''He called you a name
Let, any feller dast call my mother
name! / punched him goodl Let
him just dast say that againl He
said you was a widow!" Dear lit
tie warrior, with your fathers own
chivalry! No wonder my starved
heart feasted upon those divine
crumbs of comfort.
Yesterday / sent you to college.
I hope my misgivings showed not at
all in the face. Yesterday l went
to "the game" l sat with blanch-
ed cheeks and smiling lips through
two hours of agony. l saw my stall
wart son pounced upon, battered,
victorious. l waved my hand to
him as they carried him out on
their shoulders, and he turned from
all that shrieking throng-to me.
1t is hard to be Spartan mother,
but GLANDS offp You came
straight to me after the rub down
and said, 'FMother, you're a brickp
You didn't know that l still shook
inside.
Yesterday you left your college
days behind you. You came to me
after all the feasting and merry
making as sat quiet again after
awhile. We talked, you and I, of
what you were to make of that lar
ger life now so near at hand. My
heart was glad to hear you say you
would choose that same honorable
calling to which your fathers best
was given. And said to you then,
as 1 have ever said, snake of your
life something clean and straight
and honest, as was his" Your
mother has watched to see you
struggle against the waves of temp
tation.
But you have kept that promise.
She has seen the man grow out of
the youth not perfect, but facing
toward the right. Dear boy, your
mother is glad to tell you that.
Yesterday you told me. 1 had
seen it coming-seen it even in
spite of my cowardly denials to my
self. She is a dear girl, an ideal
mate for my manly son, and l pray
you may be happy together. Yes
terday was your wedding day
bright, beautiful, sunny. Never un-
til I die shall 1 have to do anything
again so hard as to stand through
that solemn service.
Yesterday, my crowning yester-
day, my heart sings as / write and
is happy again, truly happy, as I
never expected to feel in this
world. You came to me, tall,
straight, with a new expression of
manliness in your eyes, and said:
"Mother, he has come-my son!
Isn't it wonderful" You came to
meet me and gathered me up in
your strong arms and held me close
to the heart that had rested so Of
ten on mine. Your voice came to
me, softened with the tears of
which your manhood was not
"Little mother" it whis-
pered, "T never knew till now what
you have suffered all these years to
be alone-poor little motherp-
Helen Peck in New Idea Woman's
Magazine.