St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1861-01-24
NUMBER i.

cd to spread out before him the vari.
Gus things they had bought, consist
ing Of ivory needle cases, gilt edged
books, souvenirs, &c.
He examined them, and expressed
his pleasure at their beauties.
But where are yours, Gertrude ?"
said he, turning to his niece, who stood
behind him, with one Of her delicate
hands laid upon his arm.
II have none, sir" she replied.
None ! Why, did not give you
money as well as your cousins ?"
Yes, sir, but -"
But what, my dear ?" said he,
sliding his arm around her waist, and
drawing her closer to him.
81 tell you what she has done, ia
ther," said Jane, you know she be-
lieves everything beggar tells her.
and she gave all her money to a rag
ged boy, who told her a great story
about his mother being sick, having
nothing to eat, no fire, aud so on"
Indeed, | could not help it, uncle
said Gertrude, putting her arm around
his neck, and looking with her soft
blue eyes coaxingly in his face, "in-
deed | could not He begged so hard.
and looked SO pitiful, really believe
he told the truth. You will forgive
me, uncle, will you not? did not
think when | gave him the purse about
its being your gift, Or | would have
kept it, and given him the money on
ly. | was SO touched with his ap-
peals that put it into his hand with.
out thinking. But you will not be an.
CRY, will you? ~
Angry! no Gertrude, no 1t wero
worth ten thousand purses, filed with
ten thousand times the amount you
have given, to know that you possess
a generous heart Girls" he contin-
ued, turning to his daughters, I" am
astonished that you could not find it
in your hearts to give this poor boy.
at least part Of yours"
g Forgive me, father" said Jane,
abashed, " have regretted since that
| did not: | will strive to act more
generous in future"
And |, too, have since thought
said Louise, )" that what he told US
may have been true, and that we
might have given him something for
his mother"
Well, well, my daughters said
their father, kissing their rosy checks.
" for time to come always feel for and
remember the poor. Here, Gertrude"
he continued, taking note from his
pocket book, here is twice the
amount you so kindly gave to the
poor boy. Take it, my noble girl, you
well deserve to be rewarded. Re-
member always that bencvolencc is
one of the most Sodly of virtues.'
SO saying, he arose and left the
room.
1t has been said that the general
makes the soldier. With the same
propriety it may be asserted that the
mother makes the daughter. 1t is a
truth that cannot be denied. We
have an illustration in the case be-
fore us. The mother of Jane and
Louisa, (she was now dead) was =
woman Of the fashionable world,
whose heart had been made callous
by contact with society, so that it
never responded to the calls of dis
tress. Reared, too, amid wealth from
her very birth, she in fact could not
understand the suffering of the poor.
She had formed the opinion that all
beggars were imposters, and some
had been found so--an opinion, un-
fortunately for the virtuous poor, that
is too generally prevalent. This opin-
ion, by example, she instiIcd into her
daughters minds, and though they
possessed hearts like that of their fa-
ther, naturally kind and benevolent,
yet the example Of their mother cluns
to them like an unseemly garment,
hiding the beauty that lay beneath
Not so was it with the mother Of
Gertrude, Mr.. Walton's sister. She
was a woman, unlike Mrs. Walton.
whose chief beauty was her mental
accomplishments. She had heart to
feel for poverty, and an ever ready
hand to alleviate its distresscs.
But Gertrude's mother was now
dead. as well as her father. They
had died some years before, leaving
her, all orphan hcircss. to the guardi-
anship Of her uncle, who like his Sis
ter cherished the generosity of dispo-
sition which she possessed.