The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-10-03


From Jerrold's Shilling Magazine.
A Short Story for Samaritans.
1t was little child that had come to the
door to beg. But the ktock-timid and hes
itating as il was-disturbed the baby, that at
ter much rocking and soothing, Mrs. Eden
had succeeded in getting it into its first sleep.
| And very displeased with the knock was Mrs.
Eden in consequence, and her mind was MI,
" made up,--not only 10 dismiss the beggar,
! if beggar it were,-without alms,-but TO
speak sharp word or two into the bargain.
But this last resolution was dismissed before
she reached the door,-ior she encountered
a cutting gust of wind in the passage, which
made her remember how severe the weather
was oil the bleak streets, and opportunity re-
minded her that christian charity would not
tolerate sharp words under the circumstanc-
es.
Severe enough, God knows, the weather
had been for some days. People who had
made their calculations, decided that for sew
en- winters, the thermometer had not fallen
SO many degrees below the freezing point
Only that morning, within halfa mile of Mr.
Eden's residence, girl had been found
stone dead-frozen, poor thing, on the door
steps ofa rich mans house. But the rich
man knew not, of course, that she was there,
for il is not in the human heart 10 suffer
fellow creature to perish with cold and hun
ger on n doorstep. Therich man had drop
ned into sound seep--trawing up his limbs
in his comfortable warm bed, -unconscious
of the tragedy which, so near 10 him, was
witnessed by the awful Frost .|....
When Mrs. Eden had got the door open,---
which was not easy of accOmplisliment--ior
the wind for some moments absolutely insist
Il eli, a
ged staryeing, of what sex she could not de-
termine-sunall enough to be only six years
old-but sufficiently aged in features to be
twelve or thrteen--poveriy having done the
work of time, and hbored as with good will.
Now Mrs. Eden, as we have seen, had deter
mined 10 bestow no aims. The crying baby
still admonished her ofthe interruption to its
slumbers, and as il was very wakcfu baby
; indeed, she had TO calculate upon second
course of rocking and soothing, before she
could lay it on the pillow, and SO find an OPP
portunity of preparing her husbands supper.
But woman's heart, and mothers heart es-
pecially, is natures masterpiece of sympa-
, thy. And Mrs. Eden, who had little time 10
read books, was n great scholar in human
faces. Gods Gospel, she often said in her
own quaint fashion, was written in chlldren's
features,--a speech for which she WIS, on
one occasion, taken soundly to task, by a To-
cal preacher and distributor of tracts | be-
lieve she was right, Notwithstanding. When
she had looked only an instant upon the lit
tie ragged epicene, and heard the piteous
: wall which its thin plue lips uttered, and
which il resolved itselfinto some such words
as these-"Huve you anything to give n poor
child tonight, that's got no mother, please?
She felt twinge at the heart, that by some
process of associaton, had reference TO u GER
, tain sixpence which was deposited in pill
| box that stood upon the mantel-piece within
, aud which she had that morning picked up
in an adjoining street. 1t seemed 10 Mrs. r.
den that this waifcould not be applied to bet.
ter use than the relefofthe little mendcant
q Accordingly she bestowed the coin upon the
child, whose faculty of speech was averted
bythe magnitude of the aims, and the donor
= was unthanked. She did not heed the cir
q cunstancc, for she belonged not to that class
ofbencfactors who are uneasy ifthe palate of
their benevolence go untickled by praise.
The child grasping the coin in its little
hand made quick way 10 bakers shop, be-
fore whose window, among other frost pinch
> ed children, she (for it was girl Mrs. Elder
i had relieved, )had stood but brief while be.
, fore, eyeing the Ioaves that were HOPELESS of
! attainment as the very food ofangels. There
, was one loaf with its crusty side turned te
! catch the eye of the passengers, upon which
/ she resolved to expend the sixpence. Now
a it CHANGED that the baker was not TO be mum
! bered among The kindest of the human fami
: w. There was an acidity in countenanct
which repealed liking. Some men we favor a
A n glance, This baker was of n different class
He was sour with an emphasis, especially Il
children. To do him Justice he was not ser
= vile to the rich. He was vinegar STILL lit
: tie diluted perhaps,--but never oil or butter
F or any unctuous substance, though his wealth
= lest customers were counting gold ofstandart
weight upon his desk. .
y The girl fearlessly entered the shop, ant
: pointed to the loafsh wanted. The bake
+ frowned,- to his customary vinegar, he add
9 ed a copious dash ofunripe lemon juice
4 The child threw down the siXpence.
. "That loaf-that 'un there---he in the corn
n err said the child, eagerly. But the bike
= who had taken up the coin, did not hastel
!, TO execute the order He narrowly inspected
4 the money, and dissatisfied with the scrutin
: and notched it with a file. And then tn
:, full villainy of its being was reveal
, ed. The Samaritan gift---Good Spirit
:, had looked down upon it and blessed iva
:, a sham. Adjoining the neighhorhood II
l. which the baker resided, a gang OF corner
= had recently established themseiyes,and bas
y money was frequently rendered at the shop
!, of the various tratesmen. Twice that da
ir bad sixpences had been presented to the bak
" er in exchange for bread. The call upon hi
% time which the prosecution of the offender
z would have demanded had alone deterre
+ from such step, but he had inwardly resoll
n ed that OH the next occasion the party shotll
II he made an example of. Without more act
% therefore, he walked to the door, and promls
"A ed penny roll to a ragged Iirchin for pc
y, liceman.-The lad darted off, shrieking "pc
lice" as he went, and followed by doZe
/ \ L n --..l