Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1865-09-28
MoraI TaIs.
The Poor Mans Angel
BY MRS. NJ. A. DENISoN.

black with the filth of the streets, and
kicked the loose pile of garbage from
which he was to select the choicer par.
ticles on the morrow, into the corner
of the room. A desolate, unpainted
unwashed place it was, as ever human
eye looked upon-yet, intolerable as
it might have been to the finer sensi.
bilities Of cultivated manhood, a glo.
rious angel condescended to its power.
ty, and stood on one side by the head
of little sleeper who had thrown her
self upon the bare floor by the smoky
fireplace. ......
say, Jake, are you there 2" CALL
ed the last conner.
A response growled from the inte-
rior.
"Yes.n
"And Nanny
Here, asleep"
The man came forward trembling
either with drink or cold, brushing the
damp, mouldy walls with his lean fin
gers as he staggered on.
g | say, Jake, it's been hard day,
ell ?" ....... .-
Days are always hard, replied the
unshorn vagabond-whose blood-shot
eyes glanced up from under a mass of
ragged hair, "aint you got used to
it? am" . -. .--...-.. ......
Cant say | have, Jake-fact is
begin to see things different from what
| did, There's Nanny, now-she's a
pretty little lass enough, and a bright
one too. A many one that rides in
their carriages aint no better or pret-
.tier-well, well, it seems TO me this
worlds mighty mean place.
Now, unseen by them, Of course, the
grand brow of the angel grew more
beautiful with heavenly brightness.
She held one hand over the face
of the little sleeper, and the sweet
features lighted up in spite of their
CRIME, and the disorderly masses of
rich hair that trained in curls would
have been soft, and bright, and golden.
The man who was talking to Jake,
an avowed atheist, whose influence
over his weaker companion had al.
ways been injurious, caught that mo-
ment's revealed brightness, and as he
did he sighed, repeating the words,
ait seems to me this worlds mighty
mean place."
"The worlds good enough--it's the
people that's in it," replied the would
be philosopher. Take little brandy
and forget the world"
"Well, | don't know, I tell YOU"
said the poor man" here's this cold
weather. If a man has to work to
keep the bread inside his mouth, jest
see how it treats him. Here | am
pinched up with the cold-no overcoat,
no warm, thick clothes, and when
GO out it seems as if the wind owed
me spite, and jest whistles through
my bones cause it knows it hurts.
Then there's the earth that you crack
up SO, mother-earth, as You call it,
don't yield me nothing but rags and
the scum Of everything. Only them
that gets pay can have the corn and
potatoes. Ii | should ask anything OF
it, 'twould only give me PAWN stone
'cording to Scripter." ae
"We manage to get a little of the
coed stuff" responded the other, pro-
ducing an ordinary bottle-but some
strange influence was on the other
he shook his head-perhaps the shin
ing angel was drawing little nearer
his soul. The evil face that leereG
from the clouds thickly enveloping the
other, had no power just then beyond
his immediate victim.
There's the nature you talk of sc
grand, and call it the great essence,
and what not; it's all mighty pretty
perhaps" the man went on, if body
has time to enjoy it but then it rains
halls, thunders, aud SHOWS, and nature
likes to drip down them cracks in thu
wall, and blow through every place
where there's loose board. Natur,
don't give me coat to wear, no
make me a pair fthick stockings no
no nice nice warm woollens for tina
poor child there. No, Jake, III Civ
in; aint got as much book Parnin
as you have, cause l know you'v'
been a gentleman once, and is reduce'
to such as this, and men like bu
I'll be blistered if l don't think there
better place than this somewheres
P'rhaps you're honest when you say'
. YOU don't believe there's no God, ant
natures our mother, an all that !; bu
. it don't give a poor fellow any consc
! lation when he aint got no bread AM
butter; that's So" and the man folde'
his arms and gazed with conteInpls
tive sadness into the miserable emberl
He had a rough, honest, but undecide
!, face he had poor, weak nature, tina
; was easily acted on for good or bat
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