The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-12-11

"No, mo- beg of you" said Charity, turn
ing away with tears in her eyes, wounded at
the mans coarse apprehension, though quite
aware of his intentional kindness.
Her occupation was gone; and she half
wished, as she returned lonesomely to her
house, that Charley were not quite so well
yet she did not wholly wish it, nor know in
her heart that she wished it at all.
Warm, thawing days came-ths snow melt
ed, and the cutters were full of muddy water !;
the smell of burning bones and the steam
of boiling soap and glue made the atmosphere
thick; striped toads hoped among the sprout-
ing weeds in the graveyard adjoining the swine
and timber, as if they came forth from reeking
walls and cold, moist beds; the teams that
wendell along the miry street could only be
seen through the clouds of vapor; window
panes were beaded, and window sash ran over
with the essence of poison !; and so the inhabit-
ants of the wretched purlieu swarmed pallidly
together.
And Mr.. Boffman rejoiced that the winter
was passed and gone; for every season to him
was the best season. He had time to count up
his winter profits; to talk with his country
| friends about their lambs, and the probable
price of wool, and to take in from the side of
the open trough the beauty of the surrounding
landscape, to his hearts content. We will
leave him there, and be glad that the smoky
factories on the one side, and the sluggish ca
nal on the other, gave him variety and prospect
enough.
The missionary surveyed the field before him,
and saw in it ground that il was desirable to
possess. The cottage, his fancy had built be-
tween the Westinghouse and the wooded hills
at the east, was faded, and fallen away; there
was nothing between him now and the sunrise
and when he saw it reddening along the woods,
he thought ofthe martyrs who had held up steady
hands in the fire, and lifted his own in thanks
giving.
We will leave him, hoping his reward will
come speedily-glad that he had courage
enough and religion enough to labor in field
like that, binding up the hearts of others, when
He had himself wound concealed"
Prompted by little ambitions, the Dutch
women began to spade and dig with all their
might; for she that got peas and radishes first
in the market, got the most money. Only Viii
liam Black was idle; nobody had time to talk
to him and if he invited the poorest appren
tice to ride with him, he was sure to say he
would rather walk; even the old knife-grinder
who had crept out into the sun again, and who
has nothing to do but keep his own razor sharp
would feel degraded to sit on the horseback al
the door of the Riffraff stables, as he used to
| do.
And these men we will leave, too; there is
nothing to hope for them in this world but pen
itent deaths. The day grew dim in the windy
March woods adjoining the graveyard where
David was buried; his good resolutions un
kept; the light that was given him, to feed and
make brighter and brighter, put out forever.
Charity had gone there with flowers to plant
and stood wondering as well as weeping, fol
roses we're already sprouting about the new
laid turf of his grave. Who could have done
this? Charity could not imagine but, in the
thought that some one had cared for him sc
much, her sorrow was alleviated; she saw more
in the world worth living for.
The reader guesses well enough who planted
the flowers and who waited at Charity's houss
to tell her about it, when she returned home
to give David the praise for all his good resolu
tions, and blame himself for all he had done
| heig >-~aAld- be, but Charlie,
He was going away, he said, to retrieve the
bad life he had lived lately, if that were posi-
BILE; he did not know where, but somewhere
where no one who had ever known him would
see him and despise him. But when he came
to speak of all he owed to Charity, he quite
broke down, and hid his face in his hands.
1t was her turn to weep now. She could mo-
bear to have Charley go away among strangers
where there was no one to be sorry if he died
or to love him if he lived.
Charley said there was no one to do either
for him now, anywhere; and, moreover, he die
not deserve that any one should care about him
he hoped Charity would remember him some
times, and pray for him sometimes, and so he
took her hand to say farewell
Charity said she should remember him always
and pray for him always; and the tender
tremor of her voice, and the soft tremble of he,
hand, as she closely held his, told ell the deer
meaning of her words better than words.
Was there any need that she should sny
more? Not to call from Charley the declare
ton that he was blessed enough, and that he
was sure no evil could befall him while abs
kept her promise, 70 matter to what end of the
earth he wandered.
The shadows that had hitherto looked SC
sombre, began to grow red and fantastic on the
wall; and the wind that had moaned in the
woods, to sing of coming buds and leaves and
the blood that had gone down to the hearts Of
tbs new friends, to come blushing back into
their cheeks,
When Charity woke In the morning, she
thought she had dreamed Charley had kissed
her when they parted the night past and that
he had told her he would not 90 away; and all
that day and all that night she kept thinking
she had dreamed so, and all the time she kept
thinking it over and over, till Charley himself
came back to tell her it was no dreara.
Why should we linger any longer, or why
look forward to see whether she, for whom the
new dress had been awaiting so long, wore ii
at any time, and, between blushing and laugh.
ing, called Charity sister,
The world before them, and loves sunshine
shutting out all darkness, we will leave them,
and be glad that good seed will sometimes
grow in bad soil, if there are good hands to SOW
it there. We will be glad that there are such
hands, and that there ia manly energy to re.
deem, and womanly virtue to beautify, the
most unpromising places under the sun.
MISCELLANEOUS,
Poisoning FROM IEAn pIpEs -Canfain T