New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-02-15

-, sbonId ~ me wrong He induced his
father 10 dismiss NE among the nrst IA "a O'au-H
OF the business and there was !, Just Oeloro WIN
ter set in with q wife and newborn chiu' aha a
small enough store OF money 70 keep OoNy Aii
s1ul together TIL | could get to work again. All
nv savings had gone by Christmas Eve ana We
sst I'm the house GODDESS Tor the morrow lestEa.
Nelly looked pinched and worn; the oaoy cl!rA
for a larger supply Of milk than IS poor s'Ar'eu5
mother could give it. My right hand hal hoI lO'
got its cunning. and went out once uI9.D ~ ~
ooaching 7 knew where the gang met ana
knew what welcome back | should nave iA'
warner and more hearty welcome than good men
had given me when | tried to enter their ranks
On the road 70 the meetingpace Tell 10 win "a
old man-one who had been a companion 70 my
father in bis early days.
"What lad said he, art thou turning BACK
70 the old trade It's the better business now
that cotton has failed"
"Av." said /. cotton is starving us outright
A man NAV bear deal himself, bat he II do augnt
bad and sinful to save his wife aud child. =.
Nay, lad said be, "Poachins IS not sIa'ul "
goes against mans laws, but not against God
was too weak to argue or talk much. haa
not tasted food for two days. But murmared'
Eat aDvrate trusted 20 have been clear OF II tor
the rest of nv DAYS. 1t led my father wrong at
first. / have tried aud l have striven. NO"
give all up. Right or wrong shall be the same 70
me Some are fore doomed; and 50 an l. Ana
az smoke some notion Of the futurity that would
separate Nelly, the pure and holy, from me- the
reckless and desperate one, came over me with
an irrepressible burst Of anguish. Just then the
bells Of Botonin Bolland struck up glad peal
which came over the woods. In the solemn MD
night air ike the sons OF the morning shoutlngtor
ioy-tbev seemed so clear aud iubuant IL was
Christmas Day, and felt like an outcast from the
gladness and the salvation. Old Jonah spoke
out:
"Yons the Christmas bells. | say, Johnny
I -. g 81 oh q
chan as thou into the thick Of it, with thy rlghIs
and thy wrongs We don trouble ourselves with
such fine lawyers stuff, and we bring down the
warmth all the better. Now Il not have thee
in our gang, for thou art not up to the iun' ana
/ thou d hang FIRE when the time came % be dong
/ But / We q shrewd guess that plaSuey vile and
child Of thine are at the bottom of thy and halt
! Joining Now | was thy fathers friend atore he
| took to them heller SHELTER ways; and We i've
| sbillings and neck Of mutton at thy service
! I'll not list q fasting man; but if thou It come to
us with a full stomach and say, like your lie
| my lads, and III make one OF you, with pleasure,
| the first shiny night why, we Il give you vel
| come and a half; bat tonight make no more ado,
but turn back with me for the mutton and the
money
! was not proud nay, was most thankful
took the meat and boiled some broth tor my poor
| Nelly. She was in a sleep or faint, know not
! which but | reused her, aud held her up Ia bed,
| and fed her with a teaspoon, and the light came
back to her eyes, and the faint moonlight smile 10
! her lips; and when she had ended, she said her
! innocent grace, and fell asleep with her baby on
| her breast. ] sat over the fire, and listened to
| the bells as they swept past my cottage on the
gusts of the wind lOnged and yearned Tor the
| second coming of Christ, of which Nelly had told
me The world seemed cruel, and hard, and
strong-too strong for me- and | prayed to cling
| to the hem of his garment, and be borne over the
rough places when | tainted and bled, and found
no man to pity or help me, but poor old Jonah,
the publican and sinner All this time my own
! woes and nv own self were uppermOst IN my
mind. as they are in the minds OF most who have
been hardly used. As l thought of my wrongs,
my suherngs, my heart burned against Dick ack-
son and as the bells rose and fell so my hopes
waxed and waned, that in those mysterious days,
! of which they both the remembrance and
the prophecy, he would be purged from of the
earth / took Nellys Bible, aud turned. not to
the gracious story Of the Sayors BIRTH but TO the
records of the former days, when the Jews took
such wild revenge upon all their opponents l
! was Jew-a leader among the people, Dick
Jackson was as Pharaoh, as the King Agag who
walked delicatey thinking the bitterness OF
! death was past-in short, he was the conquered
/ enemy over whom | goated, with my Blole Ia
| my hand-that Bible which contained our
! Ssvior's words on the Cross. AS yet, those
| words SC emed faint and meaningless to me, Ike
a tract Of country seen in the starlight haze;
while the histories Of the Old Testament were
| grand and distinct in the blood red color OF sun
set. By and by that night passed into day aud
little piping voices came round, carol singing -
They Weakened Nelly l went to her as soon as
/ heard her stirring.
Nelly" saws l. There ; money and food in
the house will be off to Padham seeking work,
while thou hast something 70 80 upon
!! Not today said she 4" stay to-day with me.
If thou wouldst only 90 TO Church with me this
once"-for you see | had never been inside
Church but when we were married, and she was
often praying me to 60 and now she looked at
me, with n sigh just creeping forth from her lips,
as she expected a refusal. But did not refuse.
had been kept away from Church before because
dared not go and now | was desperate and
dared do anything. If did look like a heather
in the face of all men, why was heather in my
heart for | was falling back into all my evil ways.
had resolved, if my search Of work at Padham
should fail, would follow my fathers footsteps,
and take with my own right hand and by my
strength Of arm what it was denied me to obtain
honestly. l had resolved to leave Sawley, where
curse seemed 10 hang over me SO what did 1t
matter if l went TO Church, all unbeknOwing what
strange ceremonies were there performed |
walked thither as a sinful man-sinful in my heart
Nelly hung on my arm, but even she could not get
me to speak. went in she found my places,
and pointed to the words, and looked up into my
eyes with hers, so full Of faith and Joy. But saw
nothing but Richard JscksOn-Iheard nothing but
his loud nasal voice, making response, and de-
secrating all the holy words. He was in broad
cloth of the best-I in my fustan jacket. He
was prosperous and glad was starving and des
perate. Nelly grew pale as she saw the express
sion in my eyes and she prayed ever and ever
more feryenty as the thought Of me tempted by
the Devil even at that very moment came more
fully before her.
By and by the she forgot even me- and laid her
soul before God. in a long silent weeping prayer,
before we left the Church Nearly all mad gone
and stood by her, unwilling to disturb her,
able to Join her. At last she rose up, heavenly
calm. She took my arm and We went home
through the woods, where all the birds seemed
tame and familiar. Nelly said she thought ali liv-
ing creatures knew it was Christmas Day aud re-
joiced, and were loving together | believe it was
a. IA. d Il tar-nl thana Ii l.It IL. La