Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1846-10-22
From Jcrrold's Shilling Magazine.
A short Story for Sarnarifaus.
MRS EDEN'S SIXPENCE.

Ii was little child that had come ia
the door 10 beg. Blu, The knock-,imid
and hesiiallng as i. disturbed the
baby. that after much rocking and soo,h.
ing. Mrs Eden had just succeeded in ret.
ing INTO its first sleep. And very dis
pleased with the knock was Mrs Eden in
consequence. and her mind was fully made
np,-not only to dismiss the beggar, ii
beggaf II were, without aims, blu, to
speak sharp word or two into the bar
gam. But this last resolution was dis.
missed before she reached the door, for
she encountered cutting gust of wind in
the passage, which made her remember
how severe the weather was oul in The
bleak streets. and opportunely reminded
her that Christian charity would not ,o
crate sharp words under the clrcum-
stances.
Severe enough, God knows, the weaih.
er had been for some days. People who
had made their calculations. decided that
Tor seven winters, the thermometer had
not fallen So many degrees below the
freezing point. Only that morning. with.
in half a mile of Mr. Eden's residence. a
girl had been found stone dead--frozen.
poor thing, on the door step of rich
mans house. But The rich man knew
not. oi course, that she was there, for
|, is not in the human heart to suffer a
fellow creature t" perish with cold and
hunger on doorstep. The rich man
had dropped into sound strengthening
up his limbs in his comfortable warm bed,
unconscious of the tragedy which. so
near TO him, was witnessed by The awful
frost
When Mrs Eden had got the door open,
which was not easy of accomplishment
for the wind for some moments abso-
lulely insisted on keeping il shut, she be.
held lltile, ragged slarvellng, Of what
sex she could nos determine small erouph
to be ONLY six years old-bnt sufficiently
aged IN features 10 be twelve or thirteen
poverty having done the work of time.
and iahored al |, with good will Now
Mrs Eden, as we have seen had deter
mined 10 bestow no aims The CRYING
baby still admnnl>hed her of the Interim
ton 10 its slumbers. and as it was very
wakeful baby indeed, she had 10 calculate
upon a second course Of rocking and
soothing, before she could lly il on the
pillow, and 50 find an opportunity Of pre-
pairing her husbands supper. But wo-
mans heart. and mothers heart especi-
ally, is natures master piece of sympathy
And Mrs Eden, who had little time for
reading books. was a great scholar in hu
man faces. Gods Gospel. she often said
IN her own quaint fashion, was written
IN rhlldrens tehnres, "a speech for
which she was. on one occasion, taken
soundly 10 task. by local preacher and
distributor Of tracts. | believe she was
right. notwithstanding When she had
looked only an instant upon the liiie rag.
ged epicene, and heard the piteous wall
which lis thin blue lips uttered and
which resolved itselfinto some such words
as these-"Ilave you anything to give
poor child o-night. that's got no mother.
pleased! -She felt a twinge at the heart,
that by some process of association. had
reference 10 certain sixpence which was
deposited in a piII-box that stood upon
The mantel piece within, and which she
had that morning picked mp in an adioin
ing street. 1t seemed to Mrs Eden thai
this waif could no, be applied TO better
use than the relief of The little mendicant.
Accordingly she bestowed the coin upon
the child. whose faculty Of speech was
averled by the magnitude of the aims. and
the donor was unthanked. She did no,
heed the circumstance, for she belonged
not TO that class of benefactors who are
uneasy if the palate of their benevolence
go untickled by praise.
The child. grasping the coin in its lit
tie hand. made quick way to bakers
shop, before whose window, among 9th
er frost pinched children. she (for il was
a girl that Mrs Eden had relieyed.l had
stood bun brief while before. eyeing the
l'aves that were hopeless of attainment
as the very food of angels. There was
one loaf with its crusty side turned 20
catch The eye of the passengers. upon
which she resolved 10 expend The six
pence. Now i, CHANGED that The baker
was no, to be numbered among the kind
es, of The human family. There was an
acldliy IN his counienance which repelIed
liking. Some men we favor at glance.
This baker was of different class. He
was soar with an emphasis. especially To
children To do him justice he was not
servlle TO the ich. He was vinegar still.
"a little diluted perhaps, but never oil
or butter. or any unctuous substance
though his wealthiesl customer were
counting gold of standard weigh, upon his
desk.
The girl fearlessly entered the shop.
and pointed 10 the loaf which she desired
to possess. The baker frowned, to his
customary vinegar. he added copions
das h of unripe lemon juice. The child
threw down the sixpence
That loaf--,hat I'm there--he in the !
said the child. eagerly. Blu, the
baker. who had taken up the coin. did not
hasten 10 execute the order. lie narrow
~ inspected the money, and dissatisfied
with the scrutiny, noiched j, with a file.
And then The full villianv ofsiis being was
The Samaritan gift-Good