The Kanzas news., 1858-01-30
VoL. 1---No. 81.
A Romance in one chapter.

Reality sometimes more strongly taxes
credulity for belief than the most highly
eolored romance. An old man whose few
remaining hairs were whitened by age, wa:
retailing in Fifth street market place, brie
chapters in chequered life-his travel:
and experience in foreign countries, his
trials by land and sea, his hopes and wishes
for the future.
Twenty years ago, or thereabouts, be
left Lancaster. Penn. with no particular OBJ
ject in view, except to rid himself of the
oppressive ills of poverty and want. With.
out means to support his wife and three chill
dren, with little or no employment, he
abandoned house and friends to chance the
hazard of the world elsewhere, in hopes
Dame Fortune would smile more pleasantly
I AT Philadelphia he shipped on board YES
sci for Liverpool, as hand before the mast,
and made two or three trips In that capaci-
ty, back and forth across the Atlantic
Finally, on his last voyage, he left his ship
in foreign port, and remained there for
several years, engaged in various pursuits
that offered a preearious living. He sailed
up the Mediterranean, visited the Holy Land,
came back TO Liverpool, and again shipped
for this country. Through ill-starred cir
cumstances be did not reach his home, but
after buffeting about for year OF more, f.
nally brought up in a South American port
where he remaiued for several years, engag-
ed in trading and various other occupations
that yielded fair living. The gold excite
ment on the Pacific carried him thither, and
he went up ''the golden Sacramento with
high hopes of prosperity. A years ex-
perience there brought with it more frowns
than smiles of fortune, and he left the Eure-
ka State for China, again as a sailor. From
there he shipped in another vessel for New
York, where he arrived several months ago,
infirm, almost worn out with life's trials and
troubles, and sought among his old friends
for his wife and children.
With many doubts and hopes he visited
Lancaster, where he had left them, but
found no kith or kin TO receive him. His
wife had died long years before, and one
son had soon followed her to the grave
With heavy heart, future before him as
blank as the unspotted page, he wandered
forth again, little needing life, nor caring
how soon its ttfitful fever" closed forever
Chance directed his footsteps to Cincin-
natl, in his weary round, and chance or a
guardian spirit, or fate, prompted him to re-
late his adventures to half dozen listeners
in Fifth street yesterday, and among them
was young mechanic, cabinet maker, on
his way to his boarding house to dinner,
who listened with marked attention, and
who found, on further inquiry, that the
venerable old gentleman was has father =
The son was but small lad when the pa
rent left home; fut he had heard enough of
his history to know that the wanderer be-
fore him was indeed his parent, of whom he
had but dim recollection personally, He
grasped the man by the arm with a hearty
good will, took him to his boarding house
and provided him with food and raiment,
and will smooth his footpath to the grave
with kindness and devotion.
Do we not say truly, that highly eolored
romance is often dimmed by stern reality?-
Gin. Gaz.