Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1844-04-19
ONE DROP TOO MUCH OF THE
MILK OF HUMAN KINDNESS.

We cut the following from one of our ex-
change papers. 1t is about the richest joke
we have seen for some time, and deserves a
hearty laugh:
An old gentleman with an old wife, and
no children, who lived in a town not hum
dred miles from this city, was aroused from
his bed one night, about four weeks ago, by
"A loud knocking at the street door. The an
cient pair had always manifested great
fondness for children, and not being blessed
with any of their own, were on the best terms
imaginable with those belonging to their more
fortunate neghbors, and whenever chubby
little boy or girl Glanced to be in their COM
pany, il was stuffed with sweetmea,s, and
overwhelmed with their unpractsed, and
consequently awkward eadearments. The
noighbors loved the old couple, because tie
old couple loved their children, and enabled
them 10 save many Christmas penny that
would otherwise have been uscessly buried
in their bowels in the shape OF gingerbread
horses. And for many squares around, the
peculiar propcnsiics of the ancient pair fur
nished inexhauslible material for gossip
This venerable couple had long since COM
mitted themselves to tho arms of SomnUs, on
a January night, from which they were dis
lnrbed by a loud rap at the street door the
old gentleman did no, know what TO make of
the knock, bnt knew tina, it was noise not
usually heard in his house at | O'Clock in the
morning-and SO he pinched his wile's ear,
and asked her what it was. The old lady
thought he had better get up and see. lie
shipped ont of the he'd into his slippers and
which he opened. and in it traced "A female
form with bundle in her arms. The gem
tleman asked her what she wanted, and the
Young lady, tor such by her voice she SEEM
ed to be,) said she was an unfortunate wo-
man, the modern meaning of Which the old
gentleman did not UNDERSTANDABLE Course
He SAID he felt sorry for hcr-read her a
brief moral lecture from memory-and said
that Heaven would never desert the yirlu0us,
The night was cold-,he old man was thin
ly clad-he shivered, and his voice was ire
mnlous, which caused the unfortunate woman
to sob, believing tina, IL the goodness of his
tender and plying heart, the old man was
weeping too. She said she had "A child-a
lovely boy-iust FIVE months old; that she
was poor that her seduoer, THE old gentle
man said oh y drunken, hear'less villain,
ON whose head the vengeance of Heaven
would one day fall, had returned with ris-
tol and three bowie knives, like tcrod, To
massacre the innocent; that she escaped
while he slept; knew where to goa great
way oif-but was too feeble to carry the child
any further, and said she would bless the old
gentleman he would take it. He was over
joyed he would get light; and was
about doing so, when the unfortunate girl
family shreked, and said, 4" hear him COM
ing! Take the poor babe Bless you J"
llurriedly placing the infant in the old mans
arms, she started swiftly of, and in few
minutes the last echo of her footsteps had died
away,
The old man closed the door, and hurried
up stairs, pressing the tender blossom to his
bosom, "Witr," said he, "we've got lit
tie son al last" The old lady was aston
ishcd, and wanted to know what meant her
ancient lord by we as according TO her lim-
tied IDEAS of things in general the introduce
ton of young 'un " into tie family was
a matter of which she had IA right to know
something. Blu, this was no time for argu-
men', The baby was put to bed, and 'he