The weekly standard., 1866-03-03


him in his room. that he was too i'll to
leave his room. This soon brought
old Mr.. Stacy upstairs, who pro-
nounced Harry very i'll, and insisted
upon sending for a physician. Harry
objected to this. st shall be well in a
few days." said he, st am only suffer-
ing from one of my old attacks"
But several days passed and he was
still unable to leave the hospitable
mansion of his friends, and / am not
sure that anything but his duty could
have made him wish to leave. Mrs.
Stacy had been his nurse, and in her
he had found a devoted sister-friend; !;
one who would tell him his faults and
point him to virtues paths. For Harry
had his faults, although many of them
leaned to virtues side"
One day as he and Mrs. Stacy were
conversing upon Life and its duties,
Its pains and its pleasures" subject
often discussed by them. Harry said,
Would you believe me, my friend,
were / to tell you that few weeks ago
I cared not to live ?"
Mrs. Stacy raised her large, express
siye blue er es In wonder.
Yes, said he, @I was the most mis-
erable wretch that God ever permitted
to live"
And why7" said she.
"Will you hear the history of my
life. Mra- Stacyf You deserve my
confidence, and I cannot be happy un-
til l have given it to you, for you have
opened my eyes to the awful state into
which have fallen. I believe your
influence will save me
Mrs. Stacy assured him that she
was perfectly willing to listen to any
thing he wished to say.
A few moments of painful silence on
the part of Harry and he began:
"I am, as you may have already
guessed, very young; but I have re-
allied many of the cares attendant on
a beard. At an early age I be-
came attached to beautiful girl in
cur city; and when I enlisted in my
country's service and bade farewell to
home and friends, it was as the affi-
anced lover of the beautiful but heart
less Kate Arnold. I was captured
with the gallant band that surrendered
at -, and when ] returned to my
home, on being paroled, / found my
betrothed the bride of another. This
treachery on the part of one / SO de-
votedly loved, drove me mad. Irushed
into every excess, and from that time
until I met you, and heard the gentle
words of admonition fall from your
lips, felt that death was preferable to
life. I have been considered the bra
vest of my comrades, but it was be-
cause the tie which l thought bound
me, to life was sundered, and I
plunged into the thickest of the fray,
hoping that some friendly bullet might
end my wretched existence
81 had heard of you, Mrs. Stacy, OF
your Kindness to soldiers, and the sal
utary advice you often gave, but /
came here thinking my callous heart
could never be touched. / was mis-
taksas ] thought all your sex as heart
less as the one who drove me to the
wine-cup-but, thank God, / was mis-
/ taken"
Harry Percy paused, unable to pro-
ceed further.
Mrs. Stacy bent her fearful gaze up
on him for q moment, and then said:
my young friend, have you never read
the stanza beginning, A little word in
kindness spoken, motion or tear p
That is my motto. Whenever I meet
soldier who is the least approacha-
BILE, I try to say something to him that
will make him better man; that will
reach the pure. untarnished heart he
took from the old roof-tree If my
sympathy is soothing to your bruised
and aching hcart--if my advice is ben
efcial to you, rest assured you have
both"
Harry Percy's face was beaming
with gratitude; but his eye was humid
and his voice trembled, as he said;
| aGod bless you, my dear friend, and
reward you for your goodness"
Mrs. Stacy gave Harry much good
advice, and then said, 'sMr. Percy, there
is one condition upon which I viii be
your friend. IT you should be over
come by temptation and turn again
to the wine-cup, I am to know it; you
must not deceive me. Harry prom
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