Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1863-03-13

ed his cold shins, and rubbed his shrivel
ed hands over the stove, patting the
children's heads, and ended by dividing
the larger portion of his loaf among
them, reserving but scanty fragment
for himself.
Mrs. Stone demonstrated against his
generosity. But the children seized up
on the food so eagerly that the grateful
old man declared, with tears running
down bis cheeks, that it did him more
good to see them eat than it would to sil
down to a most bountiful feast,
The meagre meal was soon concluded
when heavy footsteps was heard on the
stairs. The poor woman's heart ceased
to beat. She turned so pale that the
old man observed her change of counte
nance even in that dim light.
1t is father ? whispered the children.
At that moment an angry voice de-
manded, with an oath, why she did not
hold light.
'Hushp said Mrs. Stone 10 the COVER
ing little ones.
She opened the door, and presently a
shabby, frost bitten, middle aged man,
came clustering into the room. 1t was
the woman's husband, who always, when
be had money to spend, deserted his fa-
mily for the grog shop, and who returned
10 them for shelter.
He was brutal, tyrannical man,
though he had not always been so, in
SCOTLAND his appearance was the signal
for general trouble and fear. 1t made
poor old Roger Johnson's heart burn in
his bosom to hear Jacob Stone demand
money Of bis wife, and curse her be-
cause she had that day spent all of their
oldest sons earnings for fuel; and when
the unfeeling father snatehed from the
hands of a sickly child the crust that had
been given to it to gnaw, the old man
spoke out his Indignation. This led to
a sharp quarrel, and he was driven with
oaths from the room. Jacob slammed
the door after him, and the feeble lodger
crept darkling up to his cold and windy
attic.
He sighed as he sat there in the gloom
on the unnviting bed. The comfort he
had just tasted made the present desola-
tion more bitter by its contrast. The
old man huddled together, with the tat
tered bed covering wrapped around him,
and sobbed like little child. 1t SEEM
ed the darkest of all the dark hours he
had yet known. Always, until now, he
had some little ray of hope when the
gloom was thickest, but in the present
anguish nothing was left him but to die.
Once the old man started up, and ours
ed himself for fool. He was half fam
ished in a wintry garret, and the rehec-
tion that he had given away to the greedy
ones of Jacob Stone nearly the whole OF
his last loaf fred him with indignation
at is folly,
/ deserve to starve ! he muttered.
: The world is all selishness, and he who
gives any thing is full dolt let him
suffer! But, o, this hunger and cold
Have ! deserved so much? ?
There were others well fed. and
warmed, that night. Roger thought of
them; he saw happy families, with smil-
ing faces, sitting around glowing hearths.
Then he wept again-not now with envy
or remorse. He thanked God there was
comfort in the world, although his lot
was TO suffer. He thought of the man
that gave him the money that purchased
the loaf; of him who had lifted him up
when he had fallen, and spoken kind
words to him of the good and patient
Mrs. Stone, the mother of the children
he had fed and for all his hungry paugs
he felt richly compensated for having
done one self-forgetting, charitable act,
which made him, in spite of his poverty
and rags, a brother to all the good and
noble hearts that throbbed in human
clay.
The old mans limbs, meanwhile, grew
numb and cold and he was wondering
if it were possible for him to get warm
If be went TO bed (; when he heard a
step on the stair, and presently saw
light shining through the wide cracks
around the door.
Have you gone to bed, johnson T?
1t was Mrs. Stones voice, and the old
man aroused himself to answer.
No, thought I'd try a sitting freeze
irst,' said he, with a sad playful humor.
Anything wanting
YES replied the woman, there's a
nan down stairs wishes to see you
To see me 7 echoed the astonished
odger, starting up. You didn't mean
neY