The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1839-09-10
From the .Nsa0 York WMg.
THE MISER WHO HAD A HEART

JMiser-wretched herm. in his gloomy den,
wrapped up in tire solitude of his heart wlther-
ing, soul destroying avarice. Such beings are,
among the human lamily,what toads and lizards
and adders are among the reptile race. Super
| Tor beings and superior minds cannot look upon
them otherwise than with loathng and disgust.
| We never could exactly understand the pro
| priety OF giving these old curmudgeons decent
| fuuera when they die, much less of extending
to their memories the Immortality of newspa-
Der puff, unless, like the quack doctors,hey pay
literally in advance. There probably never
| listed one of this numerous tribe who did not Sc
cretly exult in anticipation Of what the papers
would say Of his weathjand possessions after his
| decease. Now the newspaper world should cut
| these old fellows altogeher-they never take n
! paper-they never patrOniSe eXcep! by borrow
| ing-and their deaths, whether fair or foul
whether they die in II den or Il palace, should
never be heralded. course of this sort, by
| giving them less prospective notoriety, would
tend to make them better citizens and better
! men.
| The papers give nm account of an iDdividua |
| in Massachusetts, who lived TO good old age,
and shut himself up for the last ten years from
his neghbors and relatives, Under The deu sion
that they were seeking to fleece him OF his pro-
| perry. His charities never warmed the hearts
| of the poor a relative, who yet survives, and
| is in destitute circumstances once went 10 him
! when pressed by want for few quarts of meal I;
! He could NOT afford to marry. He made a
! will, but before his death destroyed it by srik
ing out the names of the devisees, whom he
could not bear to think were to have his proper
| ty. He several times within a few years said
that it was his intention 10 have his money put
into his coffin and buried with him. He loved
money--he worshipped it-and his greatest
grief was that he must part with it at death -
! Yet he would have been indignant had he been
called while living miser. Feeding on the
coarsest fare he called accomplishing without
! fire, while his wood rotting in piles, was
with him trugslty--and using shingle for the
double purpose of n fire shovel and bellows,
was, in his view, in saving of expense.
The name of this confirmed old miscr was
| liaIlet, and he lived and died at Yarmouth
And his was ceitan'y the most extraordinary
case of avarice, which now call to mind,
| with The exception of that Of FOld Serton, the
| founder of the hospital that bears his name in
the city ofAherdeen. He was one of the great
est msers and most wrctched men that ever liv
ed He was very fond Of reading, but would
never go to the expense Of light: and instead
of fuel for his fire, he used TO keep himself warm
by Juggling a bag of stones about his room upon
his back. He AT last denied himself the ncces.
sary food if procured at his own expense, and
finally died Of sutlet at the house of
friend !
--- But enough of these sombre musings.
Let us turn over lcaf-and if there is any
have it. The best thing We can say of ono of
these beings, is to tell story we recently over
heard, in of our Ramblcs about Town, OIL
HE MlsEn THAT HAD A HEART.
Uncle, said a sweet looking little CIR! the 9th
er day to bluff old skinhin,, up town, who
owns something like square of houses, and
has Il coo! hundred thousand in the funds, pray
tell me, what is IL n,iSer.
~ niseT, c' why, what put such a silly
question as that into your head, child =
so, nothing in particular, unrIc--only ! heard
Mr. Goodhue say, as he went out the other day,
when you refused to help build the new church,
that he was afraid you were getting to he mis-.
er--that's ALL uncle
Poh, poh--go along to your lessons Rosa
The old man touched--he loved the
blooming little niece, and notw itIIs,anding her
perness the thought Of her dependence upon
hm,aud of the poverty of her widowed mother,
struck chord that for once vibrated to his heart
He was confused, and his counteuance exhibited
tokens Of the scarlet fever. He hustled about
after his Lat and cane and hurried off down
town an hour earlier than usual.
'Why Rosa, my child, what have you been
saying TO your uncle ?--lle's offended with
something or other you have said or done
NO. no, mother-l only asked him what
yNiSer was-and he told me to go along to my
lessons that's ALL
The timid and heart stricken mother sobbcd
outrish u, what she thought the fatal imprn,
dence OF her CHILD. She knew the haSty temper
of her relative, and the thought of her own lie.
| pendence and that of little Rosa upon hn,,q,ie
overwhelmed her. She well knew his sordl
passion, and had observed with anxiety how
rapidly it was absorbing his better feelings as
age crept silently upon him.
ooh my child-you are thoughiless, and you
have, fear, greatly offended your uncle. He
may turn us out of doors--nnd what would
| then become of us 2
Never fenr,' said the lively little GIRL. III at
him I'll hug and III kiss him. until he for
gives me, and tells me what miser is. He'll
never turn us out, nother--nevcr--he can't be
so naughty an uncle as that
Sometimes before the usual dinner hour, the
old gentleman came stepping along into the
paror, Juggling huge bundle under his arm
Little Rose few to his side, an xiously watching
her uncles countenance, which she instantly
preceiyed to be lighted up with smile of be.
nevolence, but she said not word.
'kosy, my dear, said the old man, after he
had carefully opened his bundle, and displayed