hymn to the air of “Complaint,” and read
more frequently in the book of Job and the Lamentations
of Jeremiah than any other portion of the Bible.
The poor lonely woman seemed to feel a mother’s
tenderness for me, which manifested itself in many
little acts of kindness, when unobserved by her husband,
who took good care that no undue indulgence should
be shown to any one under his roof. I soon learned
to regard the old lady with all the affection of which
I was capable; and it was her kindness alone which
rendered my position endurable. I sought in many
ways to lighten her labors, for, even in the busiest
seasons, no help was allowed her to perform all the
household work; and I soon found many ways of making
myself useful.
One rainy afternoon, while busied about the house,
Mrs. Judson surprised me by saying suddenly:
“I suppose you don’t know what makes me
take so to you, Walter; but I’ll tell you, you
remind me of my youngest boy, Reuben.”
I looked at the old lady with wonder, saying, “I
did not know you had any children, Mrs. Judson.”
“True” said she, “I forgot you did
not know; but no further than your mother lives from
here she must remember that I once had two boys who
were very dear to me, but perhaps she never told you
about it. It ill becomes me to speak of his
faults, but I must say my poor boys had a hard life
of it with their father. He had no patience with
them when mere children, and matters grew worse as
they became older. Do what they would, they could
never please him, and he often beat them cruelly.
But one way and another they got along till Charley
was sixteen and Reuben fourteen years of age.
Their father one day left them ploughing in the field
while he went to the village; the ground was rough
and stoney, and by some accident the ploughshare was
broken. When their father came home and found
what had happened, he seized the horse-whip and gave
both the boys a terrible flogging. Neither of
the boys had ever before given their father a word;
but, when he stopped beating them, Charley stood up
and said: ’You have beaten us, father,
a great many times and for very little cause; but this
is the last time.’ That was all he said.
His father told him to shut up his mouth and go about
his work. After dinner he went back to the village,
and some business detained him till late in the evening.
I remember as if it were but yesterday how my two
boys looked that night when they came home to supper.
After supper they rose from the table, and Charley
said: ’Mother, we are very sorry to leave
you, but we must go. I don’t know what
we have done that father should treat us so; he seems
almost to hate the sight of us, and it is better that
we should go before his harshness provokes us to some
act of rebellion. I am older than Reuben, and
will do my best to care for him, and we will never
forget you, mother; but I believe it to be for the
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