Before he slept, his mother came to see that he was safely in bed, and to tuck him in for the night. She knew that this had been a very bitter day for him, and although she feared he had deserved his punishment, she grieved for him, and suffered with him from the bottom of her heart.
It was with more than the customary tenderness that she tucked the bed-clothing around him, and kissed him good-night.
“Good-night, Mother!” he said, looking up through the dim light of the room into her face; “good-night!”
He did not let go of her hand; and when he tried to say something more, he broke down and burst into tears.
So she knelt down by the side of the bed, and smoothing his hair back from his forehead, talked gently to him for a long time. After more good-night kisses she left him, and went back to her never-ending work.
This, for Joe, was the hardest part of leaving home; for he was very fond of his mother, and knew that his going would almost break her heart. Still, now that he had resolved to go, he would not change his mind, even for his mother’s sake.
It was long before Joe fell asleep, and even then he was beset by unpleasant dreams, so that his rest availed him but little.
Before daybreak he arose, dressed himself, gathered into a bundle a few articles of clothing, a few of his choicest treasures, and a little money that he had earned and saved, and then on tiptoe left his room.
At the end of the hall a door was opened, and a little white-robed figure glided out and into his arms. It was Jennie.
“O Joe!” she whispered, “are you really going?”