The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1858-12-04
INTELLEcr IN RAGS.

cold and dismal. ..,
Seated upon the steps Of one Of the larg
dwellings on Fifth Avenue, was boy appa
rently thirteen years of age. lie was liter
ally clothed in rags, and his hands were blue
and his teeth chattered with cold. Lynn!
upon his knee was newspaper he had pick
ed IN in the street, and he was trying Il
read the words upon it. He had been occu
pied thus for some time, when two LITTLE
girls, clad in silks and furs, came towards
him
| The eldest one was about twelve wears old
and SO beautiful that the poor boy raised BIZ
eyes and fixed them upon her in undisguiscC
admiration.
The child Of wealth and luxury stopped
before him, and turning to her companion
exclaimed '..' .i.. a...
"Marian, just see this fellow on my steps
Boy, what are you doing here z"
III am trying to learn to read upon thi
little bit of paper,p answered the lad.
The girl laughed derisiyely, and said:
"Well, truly! have heard Of intellect il
rags, Marian, and here it is personifed."
Marian's soft hazel eyes filed with tear
as she replied: #. ..
"Oh, Louise, do not talk so; you know
Miss Fannie teaches in 1.-THE rich ant
the poor meet together, and the Lord is thu
maker of them all.'"
Louise laughed again, and said to tLs
boy:
'sGet up from here; you shall not sit OIL
my steps. You are too ragged and dirty"
The boy arose, and blush crimsoncd his
face. He was walking away, when Murar
said:
''Don't 20, little boy, you are 50 cold
come to my house and get warm. Oh, dc
come," she continued, as he hcstnted: and
he followed her into a large kitchen, where
a bright fire was shedding its genial warmth
around.
"Well, Miss Marian, who are you bringing
here now ?' asked the servant woman.
ga poor boy, who is almost perishcd -
and Rachel pushed chair in front of the
stove. She then gave him q piece Of bread
and meat.
Marian watched these arrangements. and
then glidcd from the room. When she re-
turned, she had primer, with the first rudi-
ments Of spelling and reading. Going to
the boy, she said
"Little boy, here is a book that you can
per. Do you know your letters -
"Some of them, but not all. never had
anybody to teach me. Ijust learned myself;
but oh, want to read SO badly"
Marian sat beside him, and began teaching
him his letters. She was so busily occupied
in this work that she did not see her mother
enter the room, nor hear Rachel explain
about the boy; and she knew not that her
mother stood some time behind them, listen
ing to her noble child teaching the bcgger
boy his letters.
There were but few that he had yet already
learned himself, and it was not long before
Marian had the satisfaction of hearing him
repeat the alphabet.
When he rose to 90, no thanked Rachel
for her kindness, and offered Marian her
book.
"No, don't want it, she said 81 have
given it to you to learn to read from. Won't
you tell me your name?"
"Jimmie.'
81 will not forget you Jimmie you must
always remember Marian Hayes" was the
little girls farewell.
Louise Gardiner and Marian HAYES were
piaymates and friends. Their dwellings
Joined, and almost every hour of the day they
were together, for they attended the same
school. These two children were very differ
emily dispositioned, and very differently
brought up.
Louise was proud and naughty. Poverty,
in her eyes. was Il disgrace and a crime, and
she thought nothing too severe for the poor
mother. Mrs. Gardiner moved in one cx-
elusive circle-the bon ton of New York.
Without its precincts she never ventured for
~, ; I -J.
to mingle with no children excepting thos
of her mothers friends, growing up believ-
in herself even better than they.
The teaching that Marian Hayes received
was totally different from this. Mrs. Hayes
was acknowledged by Mrs. Gardiner rs one
of her particular friends; vet though she
moved among that circle, she was far from
being one of them. Her doctrine WAS the
text her little girl had used. "Thc rich and
the poor meet together, and the Lord is the
maker Of them all. Thus she taught Marian
there was no distinction rs to wealth and
position: that the distinction was in worth
alone. She taught her to reverence age,
and to pity the poor and destitute, and that
pheasant words were as sweet as honeycOmb.
sweet to the soul.' and little kindness was
better than money.
Marian learned the lesson well, and was
ever ready TO dispense her gentle words to
all, whether they were wealthy and inhuen-
tial, or Jagged and INDECENT as the boy she
had that cold morning bofriendcd.
a gay and brilliant throng were assembled
in the city Of Washington. Congress was in
session. and the hotels were crowded with
strangers. 1t was an evening party. The
brilliantly Illuminated rooms were filed with
youth and beauty.
Standing near one Of the doors were two
young ladies', busily engaged conversing to-
gether. The elder Of the two suddenly ex-
claimed:
son, Marian, have you seen Mr.. Hamilton,
the new member from W."
No, but have heard great deal about
him.
"Oh, want to see him so badly. Mrs.
n. is goiag to introduce him to us. | wish
she would make haste; have no patience
'sDon't speak so. Louise. wish you
could not be so tri!ling.''
a singular smile played around the mouth
Of tall, handsome gentleman who was
standing near the girls, and as he passed
them, he scanned them both very closely.
In n snoft tlHle AjfS. ~ came mp Win MT.
Hamilton, the new member, and presented
him to Miss Gardiner and Miss HAYES.
As they were conyersing together, Mr..
Hamilton said:
"Ladies, we have met before.''
But Louise and Marian declared their ig-
norapce of the fact.
"It has been long years ago, yet have
not forgotten it. nor n single sentence utter
ed during that meeting. will quote one,
that you may recall it to your memory:
'The rich and the poor meet together, and
the Lord is the maker of them all.'
The rich blood tinged the checks of Ma
ran. but Louise still declared herself igno-
rant rs before. Mr.. Hamilton glanced for a
moment at Marian, then turn NJ to Louise
he said:
"Long years ago, little boy, ragged and
dirty, seated himself upon the steps of a
stately dwelling on Fifth Avenue, New York.
and was there busily engaged in trying to
read from bit of paper, when his atten.
ton was attracted by two little girls, richly
dressed. The eldest Of the two particularly
attracted him, for she was as beautiful
as an angel, but as they came near tc
him she lifted IN her hand and eyclaim-