The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1854-03-17
a Beautiful story.

associated with shipwreck, is the following :
The Grosvenor, an East Indiaman, homeward
bound goes ashore on the coast OF CattraIra. il
is resolved that the officers passengers and crew,
in number one hundred and thirty.hve souls. SHAH
endcavor to penetrate on foot across tracklesS oe-
serts infested by wild beasts and cruel sav&g"s,
to the Dutch settlements at the Cape of Good Hope
with this forlorn object before them, they finally
separated in two parties-neyer more to meet on
earth.
There is solitary little child among the pas
sengers-a little boy Of seven years old, who has
no relation there; and when the first party is
moving away, he cries after some member OF II
who has been kind to him. The crying oil child
might be supposed to be a little thing to men IN
such great extremity, but ii touches them, and he
is Immediately taken into that detachment from
which time forth, this child is submeIy made a
sacred charge he is pushed little raft across
broad rivers by the swimming sailors; they carry
him by turns through the deep sand anu long
grass, (he patiently walking at all other tmes J
they share with him such putrld fish as fhPy lind
TO eat they lie down and wait for him when The
rough carpenter, who becomes his especial friend,
ags behind. Beset by lions and tigers, by saVages,
by thirst and hunger, by death IN crowd OF
ohastly shapes, they never-O Father Of all man.
kind thy name be blessed for it it!-forget this child.
The captain stops exhausted, and his faithful cox.
side and neither of the two shall be any more be-.
held until the great last day; but, as the rest go
on for their lives, they take the child with them.
The carpenter dies OF poisonous berries eaten IN
starvation, and the steward, succeeding to the
command of the party, succeeds to the sacred
ardanship Of the child.
God knows all he does for the poor baby ; how
he cheeriulIv carries him in his arms when he
himself is weak and i'll; how he feeds him when
I'll hC,u ho f. dc hi
ragged Jacket round him. lays his little worn face
with woman's tenderness upon his sDnburnt
breast, soohes him in his sufferings sings to HIM
as he Iimps along, unmndu of his own parched
and bleeding feet. Dividing for few days from
the rest, they dig grave in the sand and bury
their good friend the cooper--these TWO COM
panions alone in the wderncss-and then the
time comes when both i'll! and beg their
wretched partners in despair, reduced and few IN
number now, to wait by them one day. They
wait by them day. they wait by them two
days. On the morning OF the third they move
very softly about. in making their preparations for
the resumption of their journey; Tor the child is
sleeping by the fire. and it is agreed with one con.
sent that he shall not be disturbed until the last
moment. The moment comes. the fire IS dying
and the child is dead
His faithful friend The steward fingers but little
while behind him. lI:s grief is great, he staggers
on LOT Il lew ga -. lies GOWN Ill tltG ueSCIL anu
dies But he shall be reunited in his immortal
sprit-who can doubt II t?-wth the child, where
he and the poor carpenter shall be raised up with
the words, "lnasmuch as We have done it unto
the least Of these, ye have done it unto me-
No MoTnER.-s' She has no no,her!' What a
volume of sorrowlul truth is comprised in that
single uterance-,lo Hl0thc, We must 20 far
down the hard rough paths of life, and become
Injured 90 and sorrow in their sternest forms,
before we take home 10 our own experience
the dread reality-nO m0tlor-whout struggle
and a tear. But when it is said of a frail young
girl, just passing from childhood towards the life
of woman, how sad is the story summed up in
that one short sentence Who now shall admin
lister the needed cOunsel-Who shall check
the wayward iancies-who now shall bear with
The errors and lailings OF the motherIesS daughter
Deal gently with the child. Let not the cup Of
her sorrow be overflled by the harshncss of your
bearing, or your uns nsympathiZing coIdness Is
she needless Of her doing? Is she forgetful Of
duty ! Is she careless in her movements Re
member, oh, remember, g she has no mother -
When her young cOmpanions gay and joyous,
docs she sit sorrowing Does she pass with
languid step and downcast eye, when you would
fain witness the gushing and overGowing gIadness
OF youth ChIde her not-for she is mOtherIess
and the great sorrow comes down upon her soul
like an incubus. Can you gain her confidence,
can YOU win her love =! Come then 10 the mother
less with the boon of your tenderest care, and by
The memory Of your own mother, already. perhaps,
passed away--by the fulncss Of Your remem-
bere0 sorrow-by the possibility that our own
child may Yet be motherIess-c contribute so far as
you may 10 relieve The sorrow and repair the loss
Of that fair frai child, who is wrIen n1othcyleSS.
Portland Eclectic.
WHY DO TEETH DECAY !-AE the theories that
lime and again have been advanced in answer to