The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1846-03-14


it is true, by the quantity Of wine he had
swallowed, Presently one of his boon
companions, an elderly stranger, over
took him, and after commending his
forbearance, and expressing muchs ad-
mirat ton of the sentiments he had Ut
tered, offered TO ''treat" him at the first
house OF entertainment they passed.
The Youth. .assented. They entered a
Wine-shop, drank, and in SHORT time
the guest felt his senses gradually over
come. Stillhe retained sufficient sense
to understand what was gong on, and
TO feel the hand Of his entertainer Gid
ling stealthilyinto his, pocket. Render
ed desperate by the dread Of losing his
weeks earnings, he aroused himself,
Ecalled IN the police, had the robber ar
rested, and taken before commissary,
or magistrate. The deceitful old man
defended himself by saying he merely
wished tosplay trick upon his COM
panion, and in proof ofhis respectable
Ity,produced his passport. The magis-
trate examined it, and reading it aloud,
pronounced the name Of HJaques An
toine-." The. accuser, rubbing his
eyes, and looking assthe. defendant at
tentively, called out, after d pause, IN a
tone OF agony "Mon Dieu! clest mon
pere" and,a overcome by emotion, fell
back in a swoon. At first, dissipation,
altered attire, and the time which had
elapsed since they met, had ellectually
disguised the father from the son; but
when the name was mentioned, recog-
milton ensued. By the la Tof France,
the accusation Of a child cannot be ta-
ken against parent, and the defendant
was about to be dismissed, when he
was confronted by other accusers whom
he had defrauded, and was committed
for trial upon by-gone charges Of felo-
ny. The son returned, and told the
sad.tale to his mother; andhas, it is hop
ed, been taught lesson of the necessi-
ty for temperance which he will profit
by. The father will, it is to be feared,
end his days an outcast from society.
The thirdlittle romance, perhaps the
most affecting Of all, is derived from the
Gazette de Tribunaur, One day in
October, a widow, who keeps book,
stall nearthe bridge ofSt. Michael, was
accosted by an old man. who seemed
borne down by hunger and wretched-
ness. From under worn and tattered
coat he drew forth thick volume,
which was torn, and bore other marks
oflong use. He offered it for sale, wn-
ing that its intrinsic worth was little,
"though,' he continued, sit is and al
ways. has been valuable to me, and |
shall part with it most unwiIlingly, but
! have not the courage to allow myself
to die of hunger while have even this
treasured relic to sell. Give me for 1t
anything you please" The stall-keep-
er examined the book, and found it to
be the first edition of the "Hlstory Of
Astronomy amongst all Nations" by
Bailly, but in so bad a condition, that it
was scarcely worth buying at all; but
out of compassion, the benevolent wo-
man bought it for franc. The old
man Immediately entered a bakers
shop, brought'out loaf, and sitting
down beside the river, ate it greediy,
and in solitude. 1t happened thata
canon of Notre Dame, who is an inde-
Ifatigable collector of old books, had
witnessed the whole proceedings and
when1he old man had left the stall, he
took up the book. On examining the
back Of the tltle-psGe, he found the fol-
lowing lines traced with firm hand
with ink, which had now faded to the
Ecolor Of rust:-"My young friend, | am
condemned to die: at this,hour to-nnor-
rowtI shall be no more. | leaye you
friendless in the world--in time of
dreadful trouble; and that is one of my.
bitterest griefs. Ihad promised to be
lafather Ito ryou; God viii that my
promise shall not besperformed. Take,
this volume asethe pledge ofny earnest
love, and Keep it in memory of me. 81,
BALL ~ This then, was a presen-
It = AEac
tation copy, sent ;lfty years, ago from
the unfortunate sauthory on, the eve Of
his execution to the distressed .individA
uaI who had now sold it to'keep him-
self from starving. The canon, throw
ling down two francs to- the good staH:
Keeper for her bargain, FASTENED to
| the Ole man, who still sat eating his
cherries crust. Fromhim he learned
thathe was the natural son of per-
son Of high rank, and had, after the
death ofhis parents, been committed to
John Sylyanus Baiy was bornin 1876, and be-
sides being an astronomer, was poetof consider
able fame. onpresenting the above work to the
French Academy in 1854, he was admitted one Of
its members, and at the Revolution was made Pres
ident Of the first n ationsl Assembly Afterwards
he became Mayer of Paris; but his humane con.
duct in repressing tumult, and the honest sympa.
~. r..