Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1861-09-28

sore heart OF the troubled young man
was very thankful to unburden itself.
His name was George Howard, he
said, that is, this was the only name he
knew anything about, for he was
founding taken from the cold stone
floor of public building one cold au-
tumn morning. He was then about
two years old, had been drugged and
left there to perish, or to be picked up,
as the case light be. A kind gentle
man had found him, and for six or eight
years he was we'll cared for, and happy.
Then his friend died, and he found him
self cast out on the mercy of strangers.
He was taken into family where they
were not over kind to their 0ecn chill
dren-to him they had denied every
pleasure and every advantage. He
could not obtain time to go to school,
but had managed to get candles and to
study at night. Thus he mastered
bookkeeping and some other things,
and at eighteen years of age had OBJ
tanned a good place in a store. At
twenty he had fallen in love with a
sweet and worthy girl, and after two
more years of toll, in spite of the oppo-
sltion Of her proud relatives, he had
married her This was a mistake, he
supposed, at least everybody seemed to
consider it SO. They ought to have
waited. But his salary was quite suffi-
clent to live on, and what more did
they need? They were very happy;
but alas there came a change. A
bank exploded somewhere then anoth-
er and another; then the merchants be-
gan to shake, and like row of bricks
standing near together, when the first
one gets blow, down they all fell, and
his employer among them.
There was no getting a situation.-
Hundreds of clerks, and many mer-
chants, also, were out of business
George determined to 90 West. Then
he met with many misfortunes; he was
long time sick, several times cheated,
and once burned out; all that he took
out with him was soon gone.
What made the trouble so bad was
the fact that his family were with his
Wlfe's relatives, and he knew very we'll
how they all talked to her; he knew
how hard it was for her high and true
heart to hear him blamed for every
thiEg, and undervalued and contemned.
s. he had striven, and earned and bor-
roWed money enough to go for his fam
lily, and they had started for home in
the great west, and now this blow had
fallen upon them, and it was too much.
Il am now without dollar in the
world" concluded George, and the
poor fellow let his head sink on his
breast, and two tears fell from his great,
sad eyes.
"Cheer up, my man." said the stran-
ger, ''you know it's an old saying that
the darkest hour is just before the dawn.
And if a man euer trusts and hopes in
God, it should be when he most needs
to. And you are in that place now"
eyes, l think [ am" returned George
gloomily. "And it is very hard. Ihad
hoped that our eoorst troubles were
over"
"We!l, I think that they are," said
their companion smiling. Here, Mr..
Conductor, (for that functionary at this
moment paused beside our group,) l
pay for three-you don't charge any
thing for my children, you know"
at is exceedingly kind Of you, sir,
said George; "but, but-you must give
us your name and address, that we may
know where to send the money when
we become able to return it."
"You will have no difficulty as to re-
! turning it, my man, as I reside in the
same town to which you are bound.--
My name is Appleton, everybody in
- knows me-"
Little Josy, who had been looking
intently at the stranger, here exclaimed:
'You looks like mine papa"
s'The child is 1ight,n said his moth
er. ''lf you will excuse my saying it,
sir, there never was father and son
looked more alike than do you and my
husband"
The gentleman was visibly agitated.
For moment he made no reply; then
said:
II lost my only son when he was two
years Of age. He was stolen away.
and we could never fiud him.
"Now, young man, I do not say that
you are really my stolen son. There
is, perhaps, no reasonable proof that
YOU are. But the time and manner of
your discovery would seem to suggest
that it may be so. My heart yearns
over you as 1t never has yearned over
any living creature since my boy dis
appeared. l have never been blessed
with another child. l will take you all
'. with me to my home, if you are willing
I to go with the old stranger"