Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1855-09-15

eve tOuCneu nun, anu III tnlb mAuuer tuelI hNebl
had passed for the last fifteen years.
He took q beautiful little house for the widow
and her child, and furnished it with every luxury
and beauty possible. All that came in his way
dress, jswlry, furniture, ornaments-whatevcr it
might be that was rare and expensive he bought
for them. lie lavished his money like water, and
thought nothing dear which would call forth a
smile from the woman or a 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 boun-
dairy lines between time and eternity, and learn
the great SEE Il. Whom the winter had killed
Margaret's flowers, had stripped her geraniums of
their leaves, and had frozen the songs of her birds
the old man and Death stood face to face. HIS
rheumatism and asthma had been very bad for n
long while; and living in his niggard and neglec-
ted way, had not given him the best chance of re-
covery. 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 no ever
loved through the whole Of his long life. 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 Regents Park, and the
servants thought he was 'Missus's queer old uncle
perhaps from Ingy or furren parts But if they
could not 60 to him, he would 60 to them-and
must-whatever the risk. lie could not die hap
pily-he believed he could not pass away at all
without seeing them once more.
Though the seal of death was set rigidly on his
face, the cid man resolved to make this long and
perilous journey. He knew he should hasten the
supreme moment; but it would be better even if
he did, he said sadly. lie had done all he could
do now; he had established the dear ones, and his
death would not deprive them now of n farthing,
or n single comforter. He had saved enough, let
him die. lie sent for q ~neighbor to dress him for
the last time, i'll his decent clothes; and when this
was done-between f~ainting and long fts of pain
--ho told her to go for a cab, and bargain with
the man for his fare up to Regents Park. Because
he was old and weak he wouldn't be done even by
the biggest rufian among them, he ~growled out
When the woman left che room, old Joe dragged
himself as he best could to a small iron safe he
had let into the wall with his own hand. No one
know it was therc-not even the landlord, nor those
prying eyes of little Teddy. lie unlocked it, ant
took out a roll Of bank notes, railway script, anC
mortgage bonds, and tied them all in q cottor
handkerchief, together with q parchment tied witt
red tape, sealed with q big seal, and endorsed Joe
1 Mappin's will, in his own writing. lie hid tn
bundle under his greasy old cloak; and then th,
woman came back, and found him painting ant
pale, and she screamed out that he was dying
But he swore at her between each gasp, and toll
her to hold her noise and to help him down stairs
a And then half stumbling and half carried, the ol
man got down tho stairs at last, and so was pu
d into the cab.
Io gave the man his directions in IN undo
l tone, jealousy guarding the name from the crow,
t standing curiously about; and then he drove on
e of Holborn forever. And as he left his old neigh
n borhood, with all its associations Of the pitilesS
t ness and sorrow of which he had been the instrr
ment, and the heartless cause, a change seemed t
! come over him. The mastiff face gradually gre'
i more sOlteued aud humaniZed. lie was passin
r from the world of men and mammon into that
g love and death, and the evil influences of his mt
. terial life faded before the publication of this groa
baptism.
The journey-it was n long one for a dyin
" T r.
for the pain it caused him; his only fear was h
n should die ere he reached his home-thc home
l, his spirit, of his better and purer life. But h
f. survived tin a sad state of suffering and pro
%tration; and only just survived it, for when, ca
ried by the cabman in his arms as if he had bee
a child, he was brought 10 the presence of thos
loved ones, all that his failing life left him pow,
d to do was to place the packet in the widows la
and murmur family, 1T is all yours and die wit
a her tears falling softly on his face.