| Show DR FRANKLIN AND HIS R it was an idea of dr franklins if not a settled opinion that a mother might by a kind of instinct of natural affection recognize her children even though she llad lied lost zile the recollection of their lea features tures and oil on a visit to liis his native town of boston after an absence of many years lie deter determined mined mired lo 10 ascel ascertain tain by experiment whether his theory was correct or not on a bleak and chilly day in the tho month of january the doctor late in the afternoon knocked on ou the door of his mothers house arid and asked to speak with mrs franklin he found the old lady knitting before the parlor fire lie he introduced himself and observing that he understood she entertained travelers requested lodgings for the night slie she eyed him birn with that cold look of reprobation which most people who imagine themselves insulted by being supposed to exercise ic se an employment which they ahey deem a degree below their real occupation in life she assured liim him he had been heen misi misinformed she did not keep a tavern nor did she slie keep a house to entertain strangers it was true she added that to obige some members of the legislature she took a small number of them into her family during the session that she had lied four members of the council aud and six of the tile houe howe of representatives who then boarded with her and that all her beds were full having said this she resumed her knitting with intense application which said as forcibly as action could if you have concluded your business the sooner you leave the tiie house the bet ter fsr but on the doctors wrapping hla hia lii ill cloak about him film affecting to shiver and observing that the weather lier iier was very cold she pointed to a chair and gave him leave to warm himself tile tiie entrance of boarders prevented all further conversation coffee was soon served and lie partook with the family to the tho coffee abord according it to the tiie good old custom of the times succeeded a plate of pippins pies arid and a paper of tobacco wa wilen en the whole company formed a cheerful smoking semicircle semi circle before the fire perhaps no man ever possessed colloquial colIo quN powers in ili a more fascinating degree than dr franklin and arid never was there occasion on which he be displayed them lo 10 bener beder advantage than tile the present sen gen bentone tone one he drew the he attention of the company by the solidity of his modest remarks instructing them by the varied new arld and striking lights it in which he placed his subjects and delighted them with apt il illustrations ions lons arld and amusing e anecdotes thus employed the hours passed merrily rilY along until supper was announced mrs franklin busied with her household lio iio afna afra affair irs supposed tile the intruding stranger had left the house immediately after coffee and it was with difficulty she saw him lum seat himself ut at the table with the tire freedom of a member of the family immediately after supper he called an elderly gentlemen a member of the council ili in whom she was accustomed to confide to another room complained bitterly of the rudeness of the tile stranger told the tire manner of his introduction to her lier house observed that he seemed like an outlandish sort of a man she thought ha lie had lied something very suspicious ili in his appearance and she concluded by soliciting her friends advice as to the way in which she could most easily rid herself of his hill presence the old gentleman assured her that ar the stranger was surely a young man roan cf of good education and to all appearances a gentleman that perhaps being in agreeable company he paid 0 no o attention to the lateness of the tiie hour ile he advised her fo to call the stranger aside and repeat her inability to lodge him film she sho accordingly sent her me maid mald to him and with as much complacency as she could command she recapitulated itu the situation of other her family observed that it grew crew late and mildly intimated that he would do well to seek lodgings the doctor replied that he would by no means it I 1 incommode her family but with her leava he would smoke one more pipe with her boarders all ail and d then their retire he returned to the company filled his pipe and with the first whiff his liis conversational powders ers returned with double force ile he recounted the hardships endured by their ancestors he extolled their pieta virtue and arid devotion to reli bious freedom the subject of the days debate 1 in the house of representatives was mentioned by one of the tiie members A bill had lied been introduced duc ed to extend the prerogatives of the royal governor the doctor immediately joined in the discussion supported tile the colonial rights with new dew and forcine for cibe arguments was familiar with the names of the influential men in the house when dudley vas mas was governor recited their speeches arid and applauded their noble defense of the charter of or rights during a discourse so appropriately interesting ta 0 the deliah delighted ted company no wonder tile the clock struck eleven unperceived by them nor was it a worder that the c of mr mrs franklin became exhausted she now entered the room and addressed the doctor before the whole company with a warmth var nith glowing with a determination to be iier her own she told him that she thought herself imposed on but hat she sho li d friends who would defend her and arid insisted tas isted that he be should dimmed abely leave the house the doctor made a slight sight apology and arid deliberately auton put on his bis great coat and arid hat took polite h bave ave of tile the company and arid approached the street door at tendel attended by the mistress ss and lighted b by y the mild mn d while the doctor and his comp companions anious had bad been enjoying themselves them seares seales within a most tremendous storm of wind arid and rain had occurred without ald alid no sooner had the maid lifted the latch than a roaring northeaster forced open the door ex dinguis tinguis hing the light and arid almost filled the entry with drifted snow arid and hail As soon as the cande was WES re lighted the tiie doctor cast a woral 10 look ok at the d door and thus addressed ills his mother my aly dear madam can you turn me out in this storm I 1 am a stranger in this town and will perish in the street you look like a charitable charn chari tabe lady I 1 should not think you could turn a dog from your house this cold and stormy night dont talk of charity replied his ills mother Is charity charily begins at home it i is s your own fault not mine that you haye have tarried so long to be pida alda with wilh you sir I 1 do not like either your looks or youir your conduct and fear you have some bad design in thus intruding yourself into my family the warmth of th s parley had lied drawn the company from the parlor and by their united interference the stranger alvs permitted to lodge in the house and as no bed could be had lieson rented to rest in lle ile the lie chair before the fire though the boarders appeared to confide in the strangers honesty it was not so with mrs airs franklin with suspicious caution she sila collected her silver spoons pepper box and porringer from her closet and arid after securing her parlor door by sticking a fork over the tile latch carried the tile valuables to her chamber charging the negro mail man to sleep with his clothes on to take the great cleaver to bed with him and to waken and seize the vagrant at the first finst noise lie should shoud make in attempting to plunder mrs franklin rose before the sun roused her domestics domestico arid and wasl quite agreeably surprised to find her terrific guest quietly sleeping in ili the chair she awoke him with a cheerful good morning inquired how flow he rested and alid invited him to partake of her breakfast which was always served previous to hat that of or her boarders hoar boar ders 11 and pray sir said mrs franklin 11 as you appear to be astringer as in boston to what distant country do belong I 1 belong madam to tha colony of pennsylvania and arid reside in philadelphia at the mention nien tion lion of philadelphia the docter declared he for the first time perceived something like ue emotion in ili lier her philadelphia said she whilo the earnest anxiety of a mother suffused her eye 11 why by if you vou live in philadelphia perhaps you know my ben who rn madam adam va ben franklin my dear ben den oh how I 1 would give the world to see him ile he is the dearest son that ever blessed a mother I 1 what is ben franklin the printer your son why lie he is my most intimate hiti mate friend ile he and I 1 work together and lodge in the same room I 1 oil oh heaven forgive me exclaimed the lady raising her tearful eyes 11 and arid have I 1 suffered a friend or odny orny my own ben to sleep upon this chair while I 1 m ma self rested upon a soft bed mrs franklin then told her lie lle unknown guest gnet that though he had bad been absent from her ever since he helas was a child sho site et uld net fail to know him among a thousand strange faces for there was a natural feeling in file fhe breast of every mother which she knew would enable her without the possibility of a mistake to recognize her son ili in any disguise he might assume franklin doubted and took leave to dispute his mothers proposition on the power of natural feeling lie ile said he had bad tried tl if ii 14 11 natural feeling ly in his bis own mother and found it deficient in the power she ascribed to it 11 and did your mother inquired she 11 not know you or if she did not seem to know you was there not in her kindness to you an eil efi evidence dence that she siw something in in your appearance which was dear to her so that she could not resist treating you with particular tenderness and affection Is no indeed replied franklin 11 she neither knew me nor did she treat me with the least symptom of kindness she would have turned me out of doors but for the interposition of strangers she could hardly be te persuaded to allow me roe to sit at her table I 1 knew I 1 was in my mothers house and had lied a claim upon her hospitality and therefore you may suppose when sh she peremptorily commanded me to leave the house I 1 1 was in no hurry to obey I 1 surely interrupted his mother 11 she could not have treated you so without some somo canse canso 11 1 I gave her none replied the doctor 11 she would tell you herself I 1 had lied always been a dutiful sni smi that she upon me and arid that when I 1 came to her house as a stranger my behaviour was scrupulously correct and respectful it was a stormy night arid and I 1 had been absent so lonz long that I 1 had bad become a stranger in the place I 1 fold told my mother this and yet so little was she encee by that natural feeling 11 of which you speak that she absolutely refused me a bed and would hardly suffer what she called my presumption in taking a seat at the table but this was not the worst for no sooner was the ended than my good mother told me with an air air of solemn earnestness that I 1 must leave her house franklin then proceeded to describe the scene at the front door the snow drift that came so opportunely into the entry his appeal to her 11 natural feeling of mother her ber unnatural and unfeeling rejection of his ilia prayer and finally her very re reluctant rit compliance with the solicits eions of other persons in his behalf that ile he was permitted to sleep on a chair every word vord ili in this touching recital went home to he tile heart komrs of mrs franklin who could not fail to perceive that it was a true narrative of the events of the prece proceeding eding night in her own house and arid while she endeavored to escape from the self reproach that she had acted the part of an unfeeling mother she could not easily resist the llie conviction that the stranger who wilo became more and more interest hig to her as he proceeded in his ills discourse was indeed iier her own son but nut when she observed the tender expressiveness of his eyes as lie he feelingly recapitulated the circumstances under which she attempted to turn urn him into the street her maternal conviction luver lover overcame came all remaining doubt and she threw throw herself into ills his arms excia exclaiming ing inie inbe it must be it must be my dea deal dear ben I 1 |
