Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1855-05-23


but which he had always thought trash. and
the mere mouthings of author fools. He felt
now and for the first time, that there was such
thing in the human heart as Loye-the love
of beauty, the love of virtue, love for PHYS
sake, ~ sss - sd ai4ssssk s. fals f.sss.i
Captain Thornton was carried of to the
Queens Bench ; and after short term of nm
prisonment, died suddenly of apoplexy.s He
had lived to freely, and taken too little exer-
else and being one of chose fair haired men
of saBguIne temperament who required absti-
nence and work, who love luxury and idleness,
he had met the fate any medical man would
have predicted His wife and child were thus
left alone in the world, and penniless. The
broker had never lost sight of them. Gifts
from an unknown hand, money, clothing, and
even food, had kept Mrs. Thornton from want
al, the more welcome, as by marriage she
had dispeased her relatives. who were per-
haps not sorry now of TINS excuse to avoid
maintaining her. When the captain died,
| then old Joe Mappin came forward openly.
He told her how he had lived an Ishmaelite
life, without pity, and without love he told
her how she had reused feelings in him--feel-
ings of reverence for humanity, such as he had
never known before ; and the old man bowed
himself before her as to superior being, and
beseught of her the privilege of maintaining
her and her child He wanted nothing, he
said, but to know that they were happy, and
sometimes to hear them say so. He had not
relation in the world to whom he could leave
his noney-not one that they would wrong
BY taking it !, he had boarded because it was
his nature to hoard but he never knew for
what end he saved Now, he should have
saved for Heaven, if she would accept her life
on these easy terms They were not hard
and if she objected to his going to see her, be
would not Indeed indeed, it was her hap
piness, aud that sweet baby's-not his own
he cared for in the oHersl . ri .9ss
What could she do, that gentlewoman with
out friends or fortune, or the esmoansof earning
her own subsistence? What suoaId she do,
but look at her child. hold out both her hands
to that strange old man, and burst into tears Of
gratitude, and shame and sorrow all mixed
up together, az she faltered out, . es,, and
took her fate from his hands? She understood
the truth of his feelings, and was herself too
truthful and too noble to assume a false digHi-
ty which would have been less dignifed than
the acceptance of his generosity. She thanked
him by her tears, and she kissed his withered
hand; and that touch bound old Joe Msppin
as her slave for life the first, last, aud only
time that woman's lips had ever touched him.
And in this manner their lives had passed for
the last fifteen years. s
He took beautiful little house for the wid-
ow and her child. and furnished it with every
luxury and beauty possible. All that came in
his way-dress, jewclry, furniture, ornaments
it might be that was rare and ex-
pensive he bought for them. He lavished his
money like water, and thought nothing dear
which would call forth smile from the wo-
man or joyous exclamation from the child.
Their pleasure repaid him for everything it
was his world, his heaven, his life
+ But the time was coming fast now when
poor old Joe Mappin, the broker, must face
the boundary between time and eternity, and
learn the great secret. When the winter had
killed Margaret's flowers, bad stripped her ge-
raniulns of their leaves and had frozen the
songs of her BIRDS. the old man and Death
stood face to face His rheumatism and asth-.
ma had beenvery bad for a, long while and
living in his niggard neglected way, had not
given him the best chance of recovery. He
knew he was dying, but he could not die in
peace without looking once more on those two
faces he loved so much--the only two he had
ever loved through the whole of his long life. 4
They could not come to him. for they did not
know his address nor even his surname He
was only Joe," in the beautiful house in the /
Regents Park and the servants thought he
was :. Missus's queer old uncle perhaps from |
Ingy or furren parts. Bat if they could not
come to him he would go to them-and must
whatever the risk He could not die hap
pily-he believed he could not pass away at I
all-without seeing them once more.a za1 ~
Though the seal of death was set rigid on
his face, the old man resolved to make this
long and perilous journey. He knew. he
should hasten the supreme moment but it I
would be better even if he did, he said, sadly. I
He had :donealf he could do now; he had es-
and protected those dear ones, and I
his death would not deprive them now of q far I
thing, o.. Of q single comfort. He had saved I
enough let him die He sent for a neigh ghbor
TO dress him for the last time, In his decent
clothes; and when this was done between
fainting aud long fits of pain---he told her to
go for q cab, and 8 bargain with the man for
his fare To- Regents Park = Because be was
old and weak he wouldn't be done even BY the
biggest .fufhan amongst them, he growled1
out .s.ss xsssstsz es.sesssssssssss ..sf3 sss7ss
When the woman. left the room, old Joe
dragged himself as he best could to q small
ron, safe he had let into the wall bis own
hands. No one knew it was there--not even
he Landlord nor those prying eyes. of little
Teddy, He unlocked it, and took out o roll Il L
if bank notes, railway scrip, and mortgage
,onds, and tied them all ina Gotten handker-
,hief, together with a parchment tied with red +
ape, sealed With . big seal and endorsed
? Joe Mappin's will !" inhis oWn handwriting
hid the bundle under bis greasy old cloak.
nd then the woman came back, and found him
,anting and pale, and she screamed out that
le was diving But he swore ct her between +.
ach easp and told her to hold her noise, and II.