Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1865-10-26

on the subject, for the boy is unworthy

u.
al can't help wishing, Luther, that
you had given him one more trial"
said the lady, speaking more to herself
than her husband
The gentleman turned, upon his
wife aud regarded her with one of his
pleasant smiles, in which lurked just
the faintest tinge of irony.
Mary" he said, I regard you as
most exemplary woman, in short, as
the very cream and flower of your sex.
In all your relations, as wife, and
mother, and mistress, believe you to
be above reproach, and hhequalled.
But in all business matters, your iudg-
ment and opinions wouldn't be worth
sixpence, at least, on any subject
where your interest and symrathies
| were enlisted. That soft little head of
yours would be certain to lead your
good sense captive, and you'd be gross
ly imposed upon and deceived on eve
ry side. All, my dear, man who has
had to fight the battle of life as have
done, and to make his own way in the
world, knows better than all this. He
may harden and tougher himself on
every side. He can't afford to turn his
store into a reform school, nor him
self into mere philanthropist. He
must look at these things in business
point of view, else he and that will be
ruined"
Here spoke the hard, sagacious
business man; looking at life from q
standpoint Of mere selfinterest he
had broader outlooks some time but
his horizon now was narrowed to one
of money and gain.
The words grated along the finer in.
stincts Of Mrs. Randoiph's nature.
A faint shadow crept into her face, q
fainter sigh from her lips. Perhaps
for almost the first time in her life, her
womanly intuitions warned her of some
latent hardness and selfishness in her
husbands nature. She did not, how.
ever. attempt to argte with him, al-
though she knew that his reasoning
was in some sense false and superb
cial. Her question did not even
touch his late remarks, but went
straight to the discharged Office boy.
How came Tom to fall into this
bad company, Luther 2"
"The answer is easy enough, Mary,
1t all came of that cheap boarding.
house, and the folks inside of It.
Boys of his salary have to put their
heads where they can and people who
take them on low terms, with provis-
ions at these starvation prices, can
neither afford to be exclusive with re.
gard to the class they take in, nor to
offer an attractive home to their board
ers."
"Tom; like the rest, bolted his food,
| suppose, and had no place but the
streets to pass his evenings in, and, of
course, green boy from the country
afforded a fine chance to his fellow
dodgers to induct him into all sorts of
follies and sins, and he hadn't sense or
strength to resist them."
Poor boy All, Luther, if he were
ours )" and the mothers soft, brown
eyes glanced again toward the white
heap Of life and brightness, and bloom
which lay on the floor.
And again the fathers eyes follow
ed hers. and the hardness was melted
out of them now, and he said, fervent-
ly God forbid | would rather lay
my boy in the grave this hour, than
know he should live to be turned adrift
in his youth, on this great city, with
no friends to protect, and with temp
| tationS living in wait on every side to
devour him"
"And Tom had q mother, too and
she must have loved him once, as we
do ours, Luther. l almost hope she
isn't alive now, for can Judge by my
own heart, that ii must break hers to
know that her boy is lost"
"Yes, she is living" Mr.. Randolph
answered almost reluctantly. ~ re-
member Tom told me so, and that
she was q widow, and he was her
only son although he had a little
sister beside Foolish boy to run his
neck straight into that trap |" ad-
ded the gentleman, half angry at
himself to find that his heart was be-
ginning to relent toward the culprit.
i Tears brimmed the beautiful eyes of
Mrs. Randolph. From the first she
had taken fancy to, an unusual in
terest in, the bright faced little Office
boy, whom her husband frequently
despatched up to the house, with some
note or message for its mistress.
i The boys bright, prompt, pleasant
manner, his quick intelligence, the
courtesy Of speech and bearing, which
indicated careful home cultivation, had
all attracted the lady.
And now her mother heart was
!. touched to its centre, thinking Of that
other mother, lonely and widowed
, whose pride and joy and strength had
been this one boy, now turned out OF
r the world in shame and disgrace. Sht
thought how smoothly the downward
/, road winds along the days sh,
thought how the proud young spiri
| stung with remorse and shame, would
{ be likely to flash up into fierce reck
lessness, or settled down into suller
defiance. The ladies' heart looking
on her own son, ached and yearned
!, over this other mothers.
i She rose up, she took her little boy
in her arms, and set him on his father
knee. Luther |" she said, AZ will
not argue or reason with you, for yo,
will get the best Of me there but
plead for this boy in the name of your
own, take him back /; give him ont
! more trial, for the sake of this /" anG
: she placed her hands on the FURNISHED
heap Of curls, in which were lights o
! gold.
, The child looked up with his fac,
: full Of bewildermen.. Something il
: the tender, solemn face of his mother
: seemed to impress him. He reache,
> out his fat dimpled hands to his fathe
!: and cried, in his pretty child voice
e Take him back, papa-take hin
3 back
= Mr.. Randolph was moved He ben
r down swiftly. and kissed the youns