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 best that we should leave home.'
I had long feared this; and I begged of them to stay and try and bear
it, at any rate till they should be older; but talking was of no use,
the boys had made up their minds, and go they would. They each took a
change of clothing in a small bundle, and prepared to leave the home
which had sheltered them from their infancy. When I saw they _would_ go,
I divided the little money I h