New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-03-01
i[Rrom Chamber Edinburgh Journal
BLIND WALTER;
SHORT TALE FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE

lFrom Chamber Edinburgh Journal
BLIND WALTER;
A SHORT TALE FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE
lou are all doubtless aware that Greenwich
may be reached both by railway and steamer
and if you were there few years ago, you might
have remarked, near the steamboat pier, the
hero of this narrative. He was then a pale,
slight youth of sixteen, good looking, but with
the peculiar expression of CONFERENCE.-The
resignation, half anxiety-which belongs to the
blind. He was quite blihd |. stone blind, and
had been so from his birth He>had for about
two years played the fiddle daily at the corner
Of certain street. Every morning he was
brought to his post by an old woman with whom
he lodged, or sometimes by little girl, her
grandchild, who also brought his dinner at one
o'clock, and fetched him home to tea at six He
never asked for money; out at his feet lay IL
small basket, into which halfpence poured
pretty freely. There was quiet, uncomplain-
ing manner about him; he was SO neat and
clean, that in the neighborhood he was a favor
lite, and all strangers admired him. But what
was curious and pleasant to see was the respect
shown by all the sailors, watermen, and old
college-men. Though he could not see they
always touched their hats to him, and said
' Sir, when they wished him good morning or
good evening. But then blind Walter was the
son of a captain in the royal navy, who had left
~
had a mother, but she was what is rarely found
in this world; as dare say you all know-a
bad mother; and that is the worst thing that
can fall to the lot of a child. She was not what
the world calls wicked, but she was so really
She neglected her blind boy; she let him pick
up his education how lie could and but for the
kindness of an old musician, who took a fancy
to him, and when his mother was out fetched
him to his house, he would have known nothing
The musician was a poor old Italian, a gentle
man in habits and feelings and he taught the
boy to speak Italian, to be tidy, clean, and to
play the violin. Walter became passionately
fond of music, which, when his mother made
! the discovery, rather warmed her feelings to-
wards her child She had him more neatly
dressed than before and took him wherever she
went podigy. Walter, who was an intelli
gent and pleasing lad, was universally liked
He was petted and taken notice Of, and soon ac
qulred the manners of the society to which h
was now introduced. The Importance oi earl,
training and education, which perhaps just nov
may not be pleasing to some of you, was demon
| strated in the case of Blind Walter When lit
| fell into other circumstances he never lost hi
| graceful manners, his soft tone of voice-th,
surest marks of good breeding and good com
pany; and he gained largely by it, But hi
fall was sudden and unexpected; his mother
| the portionless daughter of door, proud people
ricd for her, beauty, died deeply in debt; and
the poor boy found himself alone in the world
with nothing but his violin, saved from the
creditors with much difficulty They had been
two years in Greenwich when this happened
and the father having been much liked by his
crew-some of whom were now in Greenwich
| Hospital--these old pensioners held council
| They would have liked to send the boy, now
their child to sea, but his blindness was a ser
,l,o1, rlnn tI,,,, |,
| fortune with the violin, and Walter, who had
no ether friends-his father having been an
| orphan, protected by one now dead-followed
| their kind advice. His first days trial was
wondrous in its results; all the college men
came by quietly without saying a word, and
| threw in their halfpence; .and Walter Arnott
| thanked God in his heart, while he thought
gratefully of the poor Italian musician, some
time dead, who had been the instrument of
Providence in giving him the means of earning
his livelihood He took a neat, clean, but
cheap room in the house of an aged widow with
an orphan grandchild, a girl Of thirteen years
old; and after paying his way, giving little
presents to Alice, and keeping himself in decent
clothes and clean linen, put the rest in the
ISagings Bank in the name of a clerk in the
Hospital, who regularly gave hint twopence
| every week out Of affection to the memory OF
his father Scarcely any Of those who had
been friends of Mrs. Arnotts ever noticed
Walter, except to give him sixpence in a patron
izing way, but Walter wanted not their aid.
He was indcpendent-he was happy
| He seldom went out in the evening. He
would get Alice to read to him books which
! a friend purchased for hm-chiefy naval his
| tories and tales, and lives of celebrated mlls-
| clans and emperors. He did not however, for
| get what was useful to her, and their education
| went on together with wonderful success. Alice
| was soon passonately fond of reading; and as
| no occupation is at the same time so pleasing
and useful, if you avoid bad books-the worst
poison on earth--their evenings We're delightful
Neither did Walter neglect his Italian; he pro-
nounced and spoke it well. He bought gram
mar, dictionary, and some Italian books, and
| by dlnt OF perseverance, soon trained Alice to
study with him. The old grandmother left them
| to their own course she was willing that
Walter should become the husband of her
child though he solemnly and firmly declared
that he would never be burden to any woman
| if one could be found generous enough to marry
the blind fiddler
About two years had passed, and Walter was
between eighteen and nineteen, while Alice was
. pretty girl of fifteen. The blind youth had
| learned to read and write. He had made re-
BILE progress, too, in music, and began to
be asked to go to balls, and even concerts. He
| had beautiful collection of violins, once the
| idols OF the poor Italian, and this was greatly
in his favor. One afternoon he was playing
some exquisite piece of Italian music to a silen
crowd when youth of about his own age, il
the dress of midshipman, pushed forward ant
stood, with blank and astonished air, gain.
at him, Presently Walter finished, and tn
crowd, after showering half-pence upon him
moved away; but the midshipman remained
's Walter Arnott !" exclaimed he, in tones G
deep astonishment.
v '"Ah, Frank Prescott cried the blind yout
with great satisfaction; is that you. Ho,
kind to notice me now %
"Notice you now! What the son of the for
mer captain of our ship! Good heaven this
shameful --this is dreadful!' -
''Net at ALL. I am very happy; could no
be more So" said Walter gently.
"Nonsense, you could and shall. Just pu
your fiddle under your arm, and come and din
with me at the Greyhound No denial. mus
) tell you my story, and you must tell me yours.
Walter could not resist such hearty kindness
and after bargaining that they should call at h
home, that he might leave his fiddle, and hay
thus an excuse for explaining his departure frol