Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1862-11-07

IRO r., MElGS COON1 L, y
left the office. The next morning Invent
to my friends store; he was out for Q
few minutes. While l was standing in
his door an acquaintance with fne
horse and buggy came along and asked
me to ride with him to Mission. al
once consented, thinking to call as !
came in We went to the Mission, and
from there to the race course. Time
flew swiftly, and before | was aware ol
lit, two o'clock had passed, and l came
home to find that the boy had been to
see me and had gone away. l did moi
mig ht and would put off the matter so
important to him-till the next morn
ing. But he came again in the eve.
isaips, audi had to tell him that | had
Z IhsmaeSk day at twelve afe
ysOll0lle0f the next day
= llDetkough myself Of my prom
T ise. l FASTENED down to see my friend
and found that was too late; the vacancy
had been filled an hour before. Con-
science smitteu I returned to my office,
and met the boy s anxious look as |
entered the door. told him [ had just
been to see about the promised situation,
and it was taken. Yet l thought
could get him place soon. He thanked
me, but his heart was bursting. | saw
that an anxiety, terrible for one SO
young, was wearing his life away.
The next day found him place.
and engaged it for him. i sat in MY
office writing, when the door softly
opened and he. entered. He was pale,
but cainer than had before seen him
"Well, my fne fellow,'' said |, 81
have got you Il place at last. Yoa are
to have twenty five dollars a week, and
you shall have u whole months salary
in advanre if you like.
FL came toward Ame and handed me a
slip Of paper. 1t was u notice for the
newspapers, and announced The death CT
his mother. t
have bad many severe crosses, my
dear JIM have ,1elt that all was lost,
and that my life was not worth a rush.
have seen my fondest hopes crushed
by one fell blow. and [ haze felt TO cry
out in agony at the. cruel fate that pur-
sued me. But, all that I ever suffered
was nothing to Whit I felt when Hooked
on that pale, calm. ibtellectuai, boy, with
his bright big blue aeye, gazing super
uatarall y into mine. and thought; how
that, perhaps, but for my megleet his
mother might then have been alive. |
knew not how .Tfuokedsor acted, but
knowsthat man never suffered more in q
short space Of time than [ did. I have
never got oyer it yet, and Ineverg shall,
You may not be able to realize the full
force of it. but Il would not have the
.saaIe touch of heart break again, no not
for all the lands ever owned ~by Ne
Gresor les. z-....z,ttss.
After that, I tried to do what could
to drive away the deep melancholy tn IT
seemed to have settled upon him. But
he would not be comforted He seemed
to he Impressed with the idea that here
in San Francisco where SO many live in
extravaganza and spleudor: his only
friend, his beloved aud affectionatc
mother had been allowed to perish in
abject poverty and neglect. 1 attended
the funeral. and Interested some OF my
friends in the case, SO that she had u de-
cent burial. But the boy thanked me
not. How could he? Could he feel
gratitude, that [ had shown an interest
in the dead, which had deuied to the
living? He seemed dsinclined to re-
ceive any favor from me, and his clear,
calm, mild eye, was too much for me to
look at. [ quailed before it as l never
qualed before. That he might not sup
pose that it was who was acting in his
behalf [ got friend to offer him sit
nation, where he could earn more than
his support. But he did not keep it
long. He grew paler and paler each
his duties at all [ watched him with
more than fraiernal interest, aud often
went to see him at his room 1t was ev-
ident that he would soon die. I pro-
cured Il watcher for him, for my own
presence seemed to trouble him, and
when | went to see him the next day,
found that he was dead. He died as he
had lived, cursing me [ believe in his
heart. [ felt, while he lived, that his
curse Was justly upon me, and have
often recalled the terrible lines of Cole
ridge:
'An orphans curse would drag to he'll
spirit from on high;
But oh, more terrible than that
Is II curse in dead man eye
He is dead now, dear Jim, but this
lesson [ have learned; never again tt
put off the business of another for the
sake of my own. Life or death may de
pend upon his. while nine, you know i:
OF little importance, though lite be a
stake. ask why | should perpetuate
SO titful an pxistence9 -r II
Communicated.