Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-05-28
Che Obio 9tatesmra,r
AFTER MANY DAYS.

al wonder what that means2" said Hamilton
Brent, half aloud, as he sat looking into the
bright anthracite, blazing with such pleasant
| light before him. "Pm quite sure that un-
| dergtand what that man means when, after he
stopped me, asked for work, and, looking at
his rags, gave him something to do In the
lumber yard, moro for humanity's sake than for
the work, be took my warmly gloVed hand in
his cold one, and repeated the Scripture proverb
that my mother has 80 often taught me. I'm
sure was not "castlug bread" In the senss
have always thought it, Had given poor
child a quarter, or poor man some meat, IL
would have been parallel case to this one -
Both might have remembered mefor while,
| but, With uumberleBs changes, the mercy of my
charity might never have returned to bless me.
| The Hau may not come TO work, or II he does,
| only stay until he gets little money and then
20 to his friends, il he haa any, and that may
end any relation We may at present or for any
time sustain to each other" .5 /.
! Thus ia the heart Of the employer tho matter
WAS laid to rest; but in O pair OF other ones the
promise of work boding of many good things
vet 10 store, kept hope from growing feeble and
sick, and then dying 10 despair. From the
house of Giles Davis--a home rendered cheer
| less now by want and suffcTing-went up many
blessings for him who in the darkest hour had
befrIended them; and doubt whether the in
telligence of great fortune would have made
that young wife's heart lighter than did the an
nouncement of her husband:
"To morrow, Ellen. | will have work-O, IL
| 90. morrow were but here" .
| Dreams, pleGsanter than those that for weeks
had visited their pillow, came to them that
night, and before half Of his fellow laborers
| we're thinking of their daily task, Giles present.
ed himself OF the Office door Of Hamilton Brent,
to receive his share OF the duties that fell to the
lot of the lumber dealer.
Brent met him at the door. His punotuality,
or rather extra punctuality, very pleasantly i'm.
pressed his employer, himself man Of hard
| work, always first, and invariably last, around
the yard and in the Office.
" Alb, my man, I'm glad you have come,
| didu't know but you Nouid forget the nun.
beg or something OF that eort. What is you:
name7"
"Gles Davis"
In moment 1t stood on the day book and
lejger, In the great round Letters for which Ham
ilton had been praised when o chool boy.
"NoW, 20 with me-"
At this juncture Porter came 10, the formal
"hsnd of the hands," and to his less tender
merces the newcomer was given over. After
the two had gone In the yard, Giles set at his
task assigned him, and Porter had returned to
the Office, Mr.. Brent said to him:
"Do not allow Davis to work too hard; guess
the poor fe!lcw has seen hard times"
al shouldn't WONDER" was the reply, "but he
works ae though he meant to do his duty"
"l hope he will, like man thoroughly in
earnest In Whstever no undertakes, and there is
an expression in Dsvis's eye that like be-
lieve can rely on man who owns such pair
NoN h1a o..l d. -
busy himself, Brent turned TO his books
Daring the day his mind aid not revert to the
"cbarity hand" as mis- foreman called Davis,
but when at night he went to look about the
yard, he found him hard at work piling some
oak timber which no had promised to have
pheasured and delivered early next morning.
"How 10 this2" said the careful merchant tc
himself; "shOuld he be waiting to steal or burn
must see the last of him before leave" and
so he came up to his new hand, with distruet In
the heart where confidence had raigGed 10 the
morning. Thus quickly do the hour and thu
impulse make sad havoc sometimes of our ma
ture's highest and holios. qualities.
"Why have you not quit, Davis7 The othe
men have gene hcme long time"
"Mr. Porter wished me to pile this timber
aud staid to do It, cir"
ri believe hired you to work from sever
until six, didn't II"
"Yes. sir." O.. o.. .I.
"Then you have no business here after tba
hour, unless bid you. Porter has no right &c
impose upon you more than ten hours labor.
"He offered me shilling for doing this job
snd-and-" the man e voice grew very hoarse
"times have been very hard with me-sicknss
aHd no work have kept me pretty low, and Ian
glad to earn an honest penny whenever can
sir.n b
"That's all right; but want to shut up my
self, aud can't wait until you get through
You mus. 60 home now"
"Bnt then--"and the man stopped, His voc,
lcauld not trust itself in words.
"But then what7" said Brent, beginning tc
grow cold and impatient.
I'll was going to say, sir, that | shonld hag
nothing to eat until to. morrow; | was to 60 Il
Porter'd house on my way home, and get th,
shilling, aud would not 60 and ask for II be
fore my work was done "
"Do you do this for money to buy something
to eat7"
"Thst ia ell, sir"
"Here ia your day's earnings," handing hin
es he spoke, dollar. "Let the lumber &C.
will see to that in the morning.
"All THE for me7 / am working, cir, no
hegging;" there was fash of independen
dignity In his eyes that Brent liked to see.
III hired you" was the cool business answer
"to pay you ss do other men whom have &
work. would give ell more If could affor
: liz; would certainly be q heather to give ma
4 who has family to support In city like Bos
ton anything less than six dollars a week.
like you-I believe can trust you. This Ia {
be your place, and your master, until you &c
Pa better master somewhere else. But mua
: lock up, and you must 60 home"
Who shall describe that home made glad b
q few comforts to which 1t had long been
strangsr7 All the way to Beacon street, Ham
ilton Brent thought OF it, and after he eat dow
to bis own dinner, pictured the supper table !
Davis's room, the very center-piece OF the alta
lof thankiulness. To his matronly housekeepe
whose heart was ever open to deeds Of charity
he told the sad story, and promised to find th
next day where they lived, that from the boun
ties he had been blessed with Giles Davis
homo might be yet happier aud pleasanter tn
next morning he did not forget to ask Gle
Q where he lived, and after dark the housekeepe
b and her son paid o ST. Nicholas visit to th
= room designated, leaving their basket upon th
.. platform in front of the door, with nothing
D. show from whence it came, but the two leste
"H. B." burned upon the handle
Early and late was Giles Davis at work, 90
2, the agged "charity hand" that at first the me
In the yard had stunned, grew to be respects
by all, from his employer down to Tip, the litt