The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-07-13

Not long ago good-loolsing man. in
middle life, came to our door asking
for the minister When informed
that he was out OF town, he seemed
disappointed and anxious. On being
questioned as to his business, he re.
Piled, II have lost my mother, and,
as this place used to be her home, and
NV father lies here, we have come TO
lay her beside him." Our heart rose
in sympathy, and we said. you have
met with a great loss" We'll, yes,
replied the strong man with hesitancy,
"a mother is great loss in general,
but our mother has outlived her USE
fulness; she was in her second child
hood, and her mind was growing as
weak as her body, so that she was no
comfort to herself, and was burden
to everybody. There were seven OF
us sons and daughters, and as we
could not find anybody who was Will
ing to board her. we agreed to keep
her among us a year about. But l
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 goo'
mother in her day, and toiled very
hard to bring us all up
without looking at the face OF the
heartless man, we directed him to the
house of neighboring pastor, and re-
turned to our nursery. We gaZed on
the little faces which smiled or grew
sad in imitation Of ours-those little
ones to whose ear no word IN our
language is half SO sweet as Mother
and we wondered If that day would
ever come when they would say OF
us, "She has outlived her usefulness
she is no comfort to herself and a
burden to everybody else;' and we
hoped that before such day would
dawn we might be taken to our rest.
God forbid that we should outlive the
love OF our children. Rather let us die
while our hearts are part OF theif
own, that our graves may be watered
with their tears, and our love linked
with their hopes in heaven.
When the bell tolled for the mo-
Tiers funeral, we went to the sanctu-
airy to pay our only token OF respect
for the aged stranger, for we felt that
we could give her memory a tear
even though her own children mad
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
burden to everybody else" The cruel.
heartless words rang in our ears as
we saw the coffin borne UP the aisle
The bell tolled long and loud. until its
tongue chronicled the years of the toll
worn mother. Observation-Disclosures
How clearly and almost merrily each
stroke told of her once peaceful slum-
NC al M II
seat at nightfall on her weary faith
| er's knee. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
rang out the tale of her sports upon
the greensward in the meadow, and
| BY the brook MISUNDERSTANDING
fourteen, spoke more gravely of
school days, and the little household
| Joys and cares. Sixteen-seventeen-
eighteen sounded out and the enrap-
tured visions of maidenhood, and the
dream of early love. Nineteen brought
before us the happy bride. Twenty
spoke of the young mother whose
heart was full to bursting with the
new strong love which God had awak-
ened in her bosom. And then stroke
after stroke told Of early womanhood
of the love and cares, and hopes
and fears and tolls through which
she had passed during these long
years, until fifty rang out harsh and
loud. From that to sixty. each stroke
told of the warm-hearted mother anu
grandmother, living over again her
joys and sorrows in those, of her chill
dren and children's children Every
family of all the group wanted grand
mother then, and the only strife was
who should secure the prize. But
bark! the bell tolls on. Seventy, sew
enty-one- two hree-four. She begins
to grow feeble, requires some care,
is not always perfectly patient and
satisfied; she goes from one child's
home to another, so that no one place