Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1857-09-24
Remarkable Coincidence.

| Remarkable Coincidence.
The following singular circumstances are
related by correspondent of the Lockport,
IN. W Courier
"When l was boy, and lived upon the
pine plains of old Sheffield, Mass, 1 wanted
to raise money to 60 to general training at
old Canaan Corners; so l went to work in
the harvest field, carrying sheaves together
at York shilling day, for man by the
name of Allen. This Allen was an intem-
perate man, and would get drunk always
after dinner, and 60 to bed, sleep it of, and
then get up as cross as bear. Well, l
was on my second days work, when 1 saw
him coming into the field, about four o'clock
in the afternoon; so thought would be
uncommon smart, and show him how well
l was earning my money! ran and catch
ed the sheaves and threw them into the
pile, and IAN again. When he got his eye
on me, he began to swear, and wanted to
know 'what was throwing those sheaves
so for-youn shell out all Of the rye;" and
the more he talked the more mad he got,
until finally he kicked me out of the field.
l went home to my mother, told her of my
tribulation; she consold me by saying,
"well, my son don't cry; will give you
money to go TO training with-it will all
come right, Divine Providence will give
you justice in the matter" l asked her
how soon she thought Providence would
do it. She said "she could not tell; it
would not be in her day." And it was
not, for that dear mother sickened and
died and was buried before the training
cay come. When the day came I put on
clean shirt clean rags on my sore toe
and considered myself dressed up, as usual,
and went to training-without cent of
money. A little after noon l saw boy
with half a card of gingerbread and wa
ter-melon, sitting in fence-corner eating;
and stopped, and stood looking through
the fence at him, with my mouth watering.
He saw me, and invited me over to eat
with him. I did so. He wanted to know
my name, I told him, and be told me his,
and we went together the rest of the after
noon.
"Well, time went on; I grew up, left the
place o. my nativity, and went into busi-
ness on my own account, and thought no
more of the matter until twenty years had
passed away, when, having business at
Lewiston, l was accosted one afternoon by
man long since past the prime of life,
who looked careworn and tired, with:
"Is your name -w
told him it was; and he said:
~ used to know you when you were
boy, and knew your father, too, when you
were in old Sheffield; but now I am IN
tribulation; have had to leave there sud-
denly for Canada; am out of money and
must have shilling to pay my ferriage
across the river"
Ihanded him the money; he thanked
me and started off. 1t did not seem pos
sible that he had come to that. 1 hailed
him, and he came hack to me, and ask
ed him if he had any money to get any
thing to eat when he got across the river.
"No, not cent" was the reply. Igave
him another shilling, and told hem there
was the two shillings he cheated out Of, and
kicked me out Of his field, when l was
boy.
"Don't mention it, for Gods sake" said
he bursting into tears; "you have heaped
Goals of fire on my head-Providence has
has served me right"
The prophecy of my mother flashed
across my mind, as l stood looking after
him, with feelings more of sorrow than of
anger. He was soon out of sight, and /
never saw him more, for he died soon after,
as learned, at Port Delhousie, Canada
West.
Two days after, 1 had business at Youngs-
town, and while waiting for breakfast, 1
was accosted by a middle-aged man, who
asked me few questions about the Mag
ara River and the town, and whether there
was any conveyance to Fort Niagara. l
told him that as soon as breakfast was
over should drive down, and he could
ride with me if he chose. He did so. l
found he was on some government business.
We entered into conversation, during which
he made mention of old Sheffield. l told
him I WAS formerly from there, and we
compared notes and found that we were
the very same two boys that eat the gin
ger-bread and watermelon in the fence
corner, in old Canaan, on general training
day, nearly 20 years since. l came to the
conclusion then, taking my experience of
the last two days into account, that "there
is divinity that shapes our ends, rough
hew them as we may"