The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1857-06-11

came to her all the long night, save when
the big man stretched out his great hands
and took her baby boy for an hour, and
let him play with his splendid watch
to keep him quiet.
"Ill give yea thousand dollars for him, y
said he, as he handed him back to her
arms
"You may have the whole lot for that, u
answered the drunken father, with swine
like grunt
dts a bargain" said the big man, "pro-
vidin' the mothers willin'."
'Indade, sir, it's not the one of them
can be had for money" was the quiet yet
determined response of the mothers heart.
How kindly he helped her off the cars
when, at the break of day, they came to
their journeys end.
Thus all night Rad he been attracting
the attention of the waking ones in the
cars. But his kindness and rough polite
ness would soon have been forgotten by
the mass of the passengers, had he not
stamped it upon our memories with his
gold.
81 wonder who he is ?"
"Where did he get in ?"
"What an interesting character
Education would spoil him"
"What rich furs %
"Did you notice what splendid watch
he carries ?"
"He's some great man incog."
Such were few of the queries that
passed from lip to lip. But there came
no answer; for he who alone could have
answered sat erouched in his fur coat,
seeming unconscious of all but his own
deep thoughts.
"Chicago!" shouted the brakeman, and
in an instant all was confusion, and our
hero was lost ia the crowd. The next we
saw of him was at the baggage stand
looking up band box for sweet-looking
country girl who was going to learn the
milliner's trade in the city. As we pass
ed to our carriage we discovered him again,
holding an old man by the hand, while he
grasped the shoulder of the conductor of
another train with the ether, getting for
the deaf, gray-haircd sire, the right infor-
nation as to the route he should take to
get to his "darter who lived near Musca-
tine Iowa"
God bless him for his good deeds :"
was our earnest asperation, as we whirled
round the corner. May his shadow new
er grow less nor the gold in his pocket
diminish, for in his unnumbered charities
and mercies dropped SO unostentatiously
here and there, he is, perhaps, doing
more good in his day and generation, than
he who donates his thousands to build
charitable intitutions, to give honor to his
own name.
Oh, how much the world needs great
hearts that are able to comprehend little
things and yet how often it happens
that the learned, the wise, and the rich
outgrow the everyday wants of humanity,
and, feeling within themselves the power
to move nightly, pass by the humble du-
ties that would make thousand hearts
leap for joy, and push on, looking for
some wrong to right, some great sorrow
to be soothed, some giant work to be ac-
complished; and failing to find the great
,corh, live and die incarcerated in their
own selishness, and do nothing at all
This rough mans nature seemed the
nature of the little child. His quick eye
saw at glance; his gaeat heart warmed,
and his great hand executed his little
work Of charity-so small that one would
have expected to see them slip between
his giant fingers uDaccomplished-yet
were they done. The recording angel
will have longer column to set down to
his account of deeds well done, than all
the rest of the passengers on that crowd
ed car, on that long, tedious, stormy night,
in January, 1856.
The History of a Compromise. >