The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1857-08-08
buy up half the North, and


I:c@ buy up half the North, and no
MI out of my pile. But get larnin'
a. ehaw tobacco; don't take to liquor
II Swear, and mind your mothers-that':
} II nice of real live Sucker; and if you
m that say you may be men (and il
all lily feller that wears goatee and
bl y that's man, by a !cng ways
but her counsels; never do thing
til make you ashamed to meet her in
LII Why, boys, never done bad
th heard my mothers voice reprov.
7 nj md never done good thing and
ms bod move, but I've seemed to hear
hef q That's light, jack" and that has
bel s. best of all Nothin' like mother,
boz sthin' like mother"
8 had passed while waiting to wood
just of Chicago. The great man was
sw1 with emotions called up from the
dar 6dows of the past; his big rough
/ franz heaved like a great billow upon the
ocetE Tears sprung to his deep set and
earny& eycs-they welcd up to the brim-
and19 round asking to be let fall as tr-
butcSfp his mothers memory-tributes to
the Hye of the past. But he choked them
down, and humming snatch Of an old bal
| lad, he thrust his hands down into his pock-
ets,walked back to the end of the car, pull
ed The gigantic collar of his shaggy coat up
around his ears, buttoned it close, leaned
| back against the window in silence.
The cars ratified on. What a mind was
there what a giant intellect, sleeping,
buried away from light and usefulness by
rubbish of prejudice, habit, and custom
! doing but half work for want of culture.
"a mute inglorious Milton" or rather
Webster, going about the world, struggling
with his own soul, yet bound by chains of
ign@ance, which precluded his doing but
moiety of the good it lay in his power to do.
Al the way through our long tedious
jourfey, he had been on the watch TO do
good lie gave up his seat by the fire to an
! Irish woman an her child, and took oDe.
p.s aSi,bask soon young girl seated her
$ sss sRsts s''s sssss .3Fs :: ::
aeaitiful leopard skin with los Sc and werlin-
bag, and insisted that she should lie down
and sleep.
"What will you do?" said she, naivcly.
"Never mind mel can stand up and
sleep, like buffalo; I'm used to it."
A little boy, pulled up from a sound nap
to give place to incomers, was pacified and
made quiet hy handful Of chestnuts and
glowing bit OF candy out OF the big mans
pocket. When he left the cars for refresh
ment he brought back his hand full Of pies,
and distributed them among the weary
group. a mother and seven little children,
the eldest not twelve years old, whose hus-
band and father left the cars at every stop
ping-place, and returned more stupid and
bcastly each time, scolding the little tired
restless ones with thick tongue, and giaricC
his furious red eyes upon the poor grieved
victim of wife, like tiger upon It's prey,
" because she did not keep her young ones
stiff. they would disturb everybody" No
bite of refreshment, no exhilerating draught,
no rest from that fat, cross baby, came 10
her all the long night, save when the big
ma1stretched out his great hands and took
her baby boy for an hour, and let him play
with his splendid watch TO keep him quiet.
'I'1i give We thousand dollars for him.
said he, as he handed him back to her arms.
lyon may have the whole lot for that"
answered. shc drunken father, with g swing
Ike grunt.
Its bargain" said the big man, "pro-
din the mother is willin'."
indade, sir, its not the one Of them can |
be had for money was the quiet yet de-
derInined response OF the mothers heart
How kindly be helped her of the cars,
when al the break Of day, they came TO the |
journeys end. |
Thus all night had he been attracting the |,
attention Of the waking ones in the cars. !
But this kindness and rough roliteness
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 pass |
ed from lip to lip. But there came no an
swer; for he who alone could have answer
ed sat crouched in his fur coat, seeming un-
conscious of all but his own deep thoughts.
"Chicago!" shouted the brakeman, and
in an instant all was confusion, and our hero
was lost in the crowd. The next we saw Of
him was at the baggage stand, looking up a
handbook for sweet looking country girl
who was going to learn the millincr's trade
in the city. As we passed to our carriage
we discovered him again, holding an old |
man by one hand, while he grasped the
shoulder of the conductor of another train
with the other, setting for the deaf, gray
haired sire, the right information as to the
route he should take to get to his darter,
who lived near Muscatine, Iowa"
"God Jless him for his good deeds!" was
our earnest aspiration, as we whirIed round |
the corner. May his shadow never grow
less nor the gold in his pocket diminish, for
in his unnumbered charities and mercies
dropned co unosfantatiousIy here and there
he is, perhaps doing more good in his day
and generation, than he who donates thou
sands to build charitable institutions, 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 feel
ing within themselves the power to move
nightly, pass by the humble duties 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 accomplished; and failing
to find the great soorh. live and die incarcer-
ated in their own selfishness, and do moth
ing at all.
This rough mans nature seemed the ma
ture of the little child. His quick eye saw
at glance; his great heart warmed, and
his great hand executed his little work Of
small that one would have ex-
pected to see them slip between his giant
fingers unaccomplished--yet were they done.
The recording angel will have longer COL
umn 70 set down TO his account of deeds
well done, than all the rest of the passen
gers of that crowded car, on that long, te-
dious, stormy night, in january, 1856.