The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1862-03-12

! thing about, for he was founding taken
| from the cold stone iioor of hall in the
public building one cold autumn morning.
He was .hen about two years old, had been
drusged and left theEeio perish, or to be
picked up, as the case might be. A kind
gentleman had found him, and for six or
! eight years he was well cared for, and hap
py Then his friend died aud he found
himsely cast out on the mercy OF strangers.
He was taken into a family where they
| were not kind 10 their own children-to him
] they had dined every pleasure and every
! advantage. He could not obtain time to go
/ TO school, bat had managed 10 get candles
bookkeeping and soma other things, and
at eighteen veaEs OF x1e had obtained a
! good place III 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 opposition OF her proud rela
iives. 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 salery was quite sufficient
to live on, and what more did they need
They were very happy; but alas there
came change. bank exploded some
where then another and another then the
merchants began 10 shake, aud like a row
of bricks standing close together, when the
first one ae;s blow, down they all fell,
and his employers among them.
There was no getting situation. Hun
dreds of clerks, and many merchants, also,
were out of business George determined
10 90 West Then he met with many mis-.
fortunes ; he was long time sick, he wa
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 wife's re-
latives, and he knew very well how they all
talked to her he knew how hard il was for
her high and true heart 10 bear to hear him
blamed for everything, and undervalued and
condemned. So he had siriven and earn
ed and borrowed money enough TO go for
in the great West, and now this blow had
fallen upon them, it was too much.
81 am now without dollar in the world !"
concluded George, aad the poor fellow let
his head sink upon his breast, and Two
tears fell from his great. sad eyes.
"Cheer up my man." said the stranger,
"you know It's an old saying, that the dark.
est 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.'
'Yes, | think l am" returned George,
gloomily. "And ii is very hard. | had
hoped our worst troubles were over"
"Well think they are" said their com
panion, smiling "Here, MIR. Conductor,
(for that functiorary atthat moment paused
beside our group,) pay Tor ihree-you
don't charge anything for my children, you
know"
''It is exceedingly kind of you, sir, said
George "but-but you must give us your
name and address, that we may know
where 10 send the money when we become
able TO return it."
'You will have no difficulty in returning
il, my man, as reside in the same town TO
which YOU are bound My name is Apple
ton. Every body in-knows me-"
Little Josy, who had been looking in
tently at the stranger, here excla imed
"Ycu looks like mine papa"
;'rhe child is right" said his mother
"If you will excuse my saying it, sir, there
never W as father and son looked more alike
than do you and my husband"
The gentleman was visibIy agitated.-
For a moment he made no reply then
said:
Il lost my only son when he was two
years of age. He was stolen away, and we
could never find him.
NOW, young man, 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
suggest that it moy be So My heart yearns
over you as il never has yearned over any
living creature since my boy disappeared
have never been blessed with another
child. | will take you all 10 my home, if
+ you are willing 10 90 with The stranger"
/ Was not the darkest hour nearest the
dawn?
/ George and his family went with the old
man to his home his large paal:al home,
! no longer solitary as II had been. The mo-
ment Mrs. Appleton's eyes fell upon George
1 she cIas2ed her hands and eazed as one in
a trance-gazed long and earnestly, and
then suddenly as one who had made up
Ler mind to shut out all doubt, she fell upon
his neck and cried: "My son Oh, my
long lost son p'
Georges dark days sCgs over, and his
morning had risen.
Madam said the keeper at the gale OF
Kensington Garden, i cannot permit you
to take your dog into the garden,'