The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-12-11 00:00:00

204 which he received sounded in his ears like satire and mockery, and the very name of liquor im pressed him with horror. He left home and came to London, where he obtained a situation as a teacher ; but everything appeared so black to him that he expressed fear he should, in some unguarded moment, destroy himself. His friend, who was a sailor, suggested some active employment that would call into play his physical faculties, and thus give his mind a rest ing-spell, and ended by offering to procure a place before the mast in a ship. " I like your sugges tion," he said, " but dislike the sea." " Then turn soldier, and seek employment in India, where there always is plenty of fighting." "I will," he said, springing from his chair ; " when my engagement expires, I will purchase an ensign's commission. I wonder the thought never suggested itself to me, for my ancestors, as far back as I can trace them, were soldiers. Better, far better, die on the field of battle, than to fall by one's own hand." We separated. A few weeks since, in running my eye along the list of those who had distinguished themselves at the battle of Inkerman, I saw the name of Lieut.-Colonel -. A letter from my friend has since informed me that he had served in India under Lord Gough, and was promoted for his gallant conduct in three campaigns. He was present at the battles of Alma, Balaklava, and Inkerman, and at last accounts was in • good health, engaged in the siege of Sebastopol. He was still single ; " his heart was dead to love !"-- Boston Atlas. LEGEND OF THE BOUTIER Altin THE NOBLE HEAD. BY the bye, did you hear the tale Gabrielle told, as we crossed the valley, of the Routier and the Noble Head ?" "No ; how should I? My cart was in advance. What was it ?" " It sounded all the better from such merry, rosy lips. I shall maul it, I know. However, the gist of it was this : A pretty strong force of routiers having taken a town, one of them, pass ing an open door of a house, saw what he took for a sheep's head hanging up in the passage. Thought the routier, here's a supper for me !so he popped it into his bag, without much examina tion in the dusk, and proceeded to his quarters. On turning out his booty, however, you may guess his disappointment and disgust, on finding it to be the head of a man recently beheaded. " Humph !' thought he, this is not exactly what I expected. Bad as I may be; I am'not yet a cannibal. By these long and soft curls of dark brown hair, and this well-trimmed moustache, I conclude this head to have been struck off the shoulders of some young nobleman, whose friends will not with indifference see it thrown to the dogs. I may,' perchance, make money of it.' "On inquiry, he found that the head had indeed belonged to the young lord of a neigh bouring castle, and that the house he had taken it from was that of the chief executioner. "As the castle was not far off, the routier started for it ,at once, carrying the head in his bag. The castle-gates had been torn off their hinges by the king's orders, and the family banner lay trampled in the dust. A faithful old steward, with eyes red with weeping, received him without suspicion, and conducted him to the hall where the father of the young count sat dis consolate, teaching two pretty boys, his orphaned grandsons, to say their prayers. When the routier saw the old man thus engaged, his heart lnelted, and he stopped short at the threshho/d. The old count, seeing him there, laid aside his SUPPLEMENT TO THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. prayer-book and beckoned him forward, being surprised and somewhat consoled that any one should visit a house so disgraced. The routier, as he came to the castle, had thought of bowling the head out of the bag to the old man's feet—" " What a wretch !" interrupted Colette. "Of course," said Christophe; "all the routiers are wretches, who live by their sins and their swords. But this one, when he saw the old count's white locks, and the innocent 'faces of the two pretty boys, who, being dismissed from their prayers, ran off into a corner, relented, and thought he would hear what the old man had to say. The poor nobleman sat over the hearth, and seemed very low-spirited, and the hail, be ginning to patter against the painted windows, he said, in a dejected voice, No doubt you have been driven into this house of misfortune because you could find shelter nowhere else.' Not so,' returned the routier, lam not one of those who run away from sorrow and trouble as though it were the plague or the gallows. Weep on, my brave old sir, if it relieves you ; I will answer for it, he whom you lament deserved your tears.' Oh, indeed he did,' replied the sorrowing father, his enemies, who were devoured with envy of him, accused him of sorcery, and were resolved beforehand that he should die. I deplore not only his death, but the manner of it ; his poor mangled remains have been deprived of t heir most noble member, which will be denied the rites of holy burial. Alas! it will be exposed on the gates of the town, where ravens will come and . . . .' Here his tears prevented him from proceeding. " Surely, sir,' said the routier, now that the deed is done, the best way will be to think as little as possible about it. But I fear if a stranger like myself were to come to you with a bag of this sort, and tell you your son's head was in it, you would faint with terror, or else cause him to be chased from your castle.' Oh no, indeed !' said the old lord,' I should esteem him my greatest benefactor, who had brought me the most valuable gift on earth.' Prepare yourself for a shock, then,' said the routier, untying his bag, and taking out the head very gently ; 'for here it is.' "The old count started up, and gazed on the routier for a moment with an air that was quite grand. Then, casting his eyes on the head, he burst into a passion of tears, exclaiming, 0 give it me ! give it me ! Heaven be praised ! Our heads will now be laid together in the same tomb !' " The routier, much moved, gave it him re pectfully in silence, and quitted the castle with out asking for any reward. But the steward soon came running after him with a heavy bag of money, in return for his sack with the head." "Is that all?" cried Colette, " I should not think there were many routiers like that." " There are good and bad of all sorts," said Christophe. "You should have heard Gabrielle tell the story."—Home Companion. CHARITY. NORTH : But there are people who will petition for the forfeited life of a felon, a forger, and an incendiary, who will be shy of subscribing a pound for the relief of the blind, aged widow, who, industrious as long as she saw Heaven's light, is now a palsied but uncomplaining pauper. TICKLER : Nothing seems much clearer to me, sir, than the natural direction of charity. Would we all but relieve, according to the measure of our means, those objects immediately within the range of our personal knowledge, how much of the worst evil of poverty might be alleviated ! Very poor people, who are known to us to have been honest, decent, and industrious, when in- [DECEMBER 111 dustry was in their power, have a et founded on. that our knowledge, and and neighbourhood, which have in something sacred and endearing to i heart. One cannot surely always pass walks for health, restoration, or lone wayside beggar, without occasio. him an alms. Old, careworn, pale, and emaciated creatures, who pass us lookinc , beseechingly at us, or even eyes from the ground—cannot often with, without exciting an interest in us silent and unobtrusive sufferings or A hovel, here and there, round and own .comfortable dwelling, attracts co some peculiar appearance of penury- -31 in, now and then, upon its inmates, their cold gloom with some small These are duties all men owe to disi are easily discharged, and even such cies as these are twice blessed. SHEPHERD : Oh, sir, you speak pe el ' you when you're wutty—l admire you're wise—l love and venerate you good—and what greater goodness eau a world like this than charity ? TICKLER : But then, my worthy one man to interfere with another 's always delicate—nay, dangerous ; fo t o . the benevolent stranger, who comes solicit my aid to some poor family, sities he wishes to relieve, know either or the claims that already lie upon ul I am doing my best to discharge? for a guinea—a small sum, as he hour after I have given two to the 4 father of a large family, to save his b e ' clothes being sold at the Cross. h Oa] SHEPHERD : But you m aunna 1 01 him—unless he's impident, and d 1 your donation. That's hard to thole. bid TICKLER: Yet, am I to apologise t ° o f de h informed, or misinformed, as he is s b° g s° o mine—for not drawing my purse-stet 0 solicitation ? Am I to explain how comply—to tell him that, in fact, 131}1 1 , 0 11 moment poor ? He is not entitled 0 0 ., a colloquy with me. Yet, if I simply baby I must refuse your petition," he Pr ° la oie' demns me as a heartless hunks —a° o f s miser—and among his friends, does from hints on my selfish character. fi t, SHEPHERD : There's, for the w aist ' a willing to believe, a spice o' g oodues s .s po greater number even o' the gadde rs subscription papers. pot eo TICKLER : But a spice, James, is d. 1 Their motives are of too mixed a kipui, et' idleness, mere desire to escape ° I) even, and a habit of busy-bodyls l9 e ' o , ptro to grow on persons who have no v p 'do 5$ of affection binding them to lo w " pair the beatity of beneficence. 4, vet j 0 SHEPHERD : They do tha t o populous city like E'mbro', eh 15. ' niu _ ri p often be done by charitable selves into associations—fiudin out ,41 people O v ' t puir, gettin siller subscribed for thera,;i a tet, in their ain houses, especially in the a ir o ' sir, geein . them a cart o' coals, or fi o r d $ o kets, or some worsted stockiug y , to th e hangin on the edge o' want ; for a sma' thing is often a great li e r me A o i and 3 a es pl break their fast that day, set afore a hungry family, wba 0 1 1 warmso° ibeit.,. stamacks, puir sowls, but 60'ti hearts, banishin despair, as by a pi last spark on the ashy hearth. ei• had,bill C awaukenin Hope, that bad expired a TICKLER : Give me your Cerullo your health—God bless you. ilial, tra t on the the the fore %\ lt fi \\4 111 DE CE c l a im Id themst€ o n eel the 13 tss I 'a. deli? , tls iona 111: l e, cirr i, . - i gre as "osi 1 us ; a• ''' eej nd fault , OUr A .....811P" Nye' ites, 'ses, beoe chic tistreder ' eksnt ss; i ten I ' ti qeu keel. P" a • yotr I ,e Pe] vi berl : e atr e; „ e t !a% frie°,•, 'act c IJAP a .' f s or 130 f t biy to o e , es boo; k t i od er flO eS - K I, ije fp, ktre L a t 4 l e be bed and °4ld dry :°rs )e ons 0 to b►fie h T o qe i bo at . at tr io?, tb in et, it ",,t t' ,411io