The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1863-01-30
From the Saturday Evening Post.
OLD MAN BENZ. HUMPHREYS.
BY VIRGINIA y. TOWNSEND.

BY VIRGINIA y. TOWNSEND.
Another Christmas" muttered to him
sell, in a dreary. dissatisfied tone, Benjamin
Humphreys, the Senior partner Of one o
the heaviest commercial houses in the grea
city where he had built up, day by day
year by year, his large fortune "For my
part, don't think much ofsthese holiday
Miserable waste Of time and money usually
always make breaks in the business, and SCI
some screw loose. Dull, foolish, expen
sive. of no use to anybody. I'm glad
enough when they are over. and ore is able
TO settle down 10 work again"
1t was large, lofty room. in which these
words were spoken, with heavy luxurious
furniture, for Benjamin Humphreys liked to
gather about him tangible evidences of the
wealth which he had heaped up. He was
an old man now a widower, aud childless !;
man into whose life the lust and the greed
Of gold had entered, and eaten out and rus
ted away all sweet and tender sympathies,
all faith, freshness, aspiration, and sourcd
and hardened and stunted his nature, until
it was like a rock, down which there was
no laugh Of sweet flowing waters, in whose
crevices no small flower slowly opened and
filed the air with its faint perfume hard,
cold, arid nature, as everybody knew, when
they looked ioto his face, was that of the
rich. old man Benjamin Humphreys.
Fifty years before he had come to the
CITY TO make his fortune. The country
youth had the genius Of business. Shrewd,
prompt, untiriDg. he had risen steadily from
one position to another, until be was now
senior partner in the firm which he had en-.
tered as under clerk.
His wife had died in her youth, and her
child soon followed her and since then the
merchant had devoted his life to one work
and one purpose, and this was making man
az.
Ii was beautiful Christmas morning.
The winter sunbesms rained down their
golden greeting over the earth, and bright.
ened its withered face with that old Ian
guage. GOOD will to men," which they
wrote when the angels once sang.
And everywhere hearts were glad-ev-
erywhere the Christmas greeting was heard
dropping in high homes and lowly from
loving voices. budding like white petals on
the lips of little children, skipping like
caress along the tones of fathers and moth
ers everywhere, but in the home which stood
lonely in its desolate gran deur, the home Of
Benjamin Humphreys.
The housemaid came into the parlor TO
throw up the windows, and let in for few
minutes the fresh morning air aud the rain
of sunbeams, and because he had nothing
better to do, and felt somehow oppressed
and uneasy this morning the master of the
house walked to the window and looked
out.
lie stood there tall, thin figure bowed
somewhat by his years, the non.g gray hair
matching the iron gray eyebrows; the cold,
keen eyes cleaning out from under them,
and the Lies in the sharp, stern face brought
out clear in the sunshine.
What fine residence :" exclaimed a
gentleman who was passing at tha, moment
to his friend. "Solid and substantial, too
like the looks Of it,
The words were spoken right under the
window where the owner stood. shielded by
the curtain. They gratified the old man.
for his house was q substantial witness of
the wealth on which he prided himself. He
bent forward eagerly to harkon
YES" answered the voice OF neigh
Dor. whom the listner recognized. :. But
you nor l would exchange places with the
owner, neither for his splendid home nor all
his money. He's lonely, friendless, rich
old man-when you've said all. Why, l
dont believe there's voice in the world
that will wish him merry Christmas this
day 4"
The steps passed on. the old merchant
shrank deeper into the shadow of the cur
tains, the words had "gone home -
In few moments the housemaid return
ed to close the window, aud then the old
man turned away and walked up and down
the great parlors without speaking a word
He walked with his hands behind him,
his head dropped slightly forward, and with |
half troubled, hall meditatiye expression
on his face.
The words, - said. had struck deep
They had cut down through all the pride
and hardness OF years, into some small cor
ner, that shrank and quivered in the hear,
of the rich man.
AFTER all he was not to be enyiel. mott
though he had laid so broad aud strong the
foundations OF his wealth. and built upon il
Ms goodiy fortunes; not though on every
side he received among men the Difference
"hcn means and money always attrac. Il
not though the dreams of his youth had
been fulfilled to their utmost, and the Great
purpose Of his life had been attained still
he. Benjamin Humphreys, was not a man 70
be envied. He walked up and down the
stately rooms. and . new, strange feeling of
loneliness and desolAtion Of spirit came over
him. aud an expression Of regret stole slow
~ over and softensd the hard, cold features
of the rich man.
He thought how different his home in its
solitary grandeur would be il there were
sweet faces moving among III. great rooms,
and bright tones and merry voices breaking
the silence. and pleasant laughter, and quick,
light feet pattering in aud out. And be sat
down in heavy arm chair, by the side of
small marble table. and . sigh made its slow