The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1866-10-25

talking of the occurrence, and seemed to have
all forgotten 1t, except CriSpus, whose wooden
| cup was his remembrancer; and ofttimes, when
worldly matters were wrong with him, when
his old father was peevish, and his customers
feet were hard to fit, Qor he had taken up his
fathers trade when bad debts made their fare
| and fire scanty, when, after stitching at shoes
| all day, he had to stitch up the holes in his
shabby garments by highlander all these in
tictions, often and often would he sip up the
! little pearly drop in the bottom of his cup, and
be as merry and light-hearted as ever.
II.
In far off country, over the ocean, events
were transpiring which were soon to change
the fortunes of the cobbler's humble home In
a magnificent chamber, in a great marble nal
ace, an old man lay dying. One thought onI Y
had engrOssed his whole life-to hold up rich
es but as he lay now, under his silken cover
ings, attended only by strangers and menials
some images came fitting across his memory
he had not found time to entertain in his DAYS
of health.
"NIy poor old brother" said he 81 doubt if
he be living yet. But he had two boys, and the
youngest is my name sake. Yes, he shall have
all my money"
And thus the matter was settled; and all his
possessions his ships and merchandise his
houses and lands, his gold and jewels-were
all poured like very fairy gift, into the hum
bic cottage of the poor old cobbler
This must be what the gnomes promised
you, whispered CrlspuS to his brother, Wnen
the news came. "Now you will take your sister
to your grand castle, and then she will have
the diamond necklace and ride in the grand
coach which they promised to her; while /
must stay and take care of my old father, with
only wooden cup"
With that he sighed sadly and took up his
cup; the drop was very large and bright at the
bottom, and he drank it off
"Never mind, said he, Kit is not castles and
diamonds that make people happy. Who knows
but may be the merriest of the three after
ALL"
So the brother and sister departed to their
grand home, and to riches without stint or
measure They found some things too, which
they had not bargained for-lawsuits and loss
es, yexations and notifications from abroad
and strife and contentious at home, for poor
little Nellie had found a husband who liked
better to spend her money than to love her
What care for all this splendor," said she,
as she walked over her velvet carpets. Il am
not half as happy as when l played with
the flowers in our homely garden, or sat
on my fathers workbench while he made the
shoes =?
All, poor Nellie, you found pleasant things,
too, sometimes; and might have enjoyed them
had you not alwas been pining after something
pleasanter still
''Let us go and see Crispus,' said the grand
brother one day to her. for he was gentle
man now, and Crispus would scarcely have |
known him. ''Let us see how he and his wife |
live ~
So, after journey of many days, in great
style, with coaehmen and footmen and outr-
derS, they arrived at the cObbler'S cottage.
Their old father had long been sleeping in
the church-yard, and Crispus had taken his
place, to mend, as he had done, all the shoes
in the village.
He had a wife now, and some rosy children,
but he had never been able to grow rich and
though he was seldom troubled about the mat
ter, yet, when the grand company arrived that
day, he looked at his pine table and bare floors,
and wooden chairs and benches and the brown
crockery on the shelves, and their hard beds,
and said, "What a. fool was not to take some
thing better from the gnomes." Then he
looked at his wife and children such red
rough hands, she had, and such scanty skirts,
and that tight little cap on her head and the
blue wooden jacket she wore. -''What a fright
she must seem to my sister," thought he.
He had but one resource, and he turned to
It IL was his wooden cup. He drank off the
bright drop, and looked about him. "Wel-
come to YOU" said he to his brother and sister.
Come in, we are poor, but come in You
shall have the best we have got and we are
merry and happy, if we are poorr' Just then
his wife came along with her smiling face and
the little children rang out merry laugh,
which made one laughto hear it and Girls pus
thought he had never before seen them all look
SO beautiful. The wooden chairs were soon
drawn to the table, and they sat down to a
nice supper, prepared by Crispus's wife. What
if her hands were red and rough Hands which
make humble home happy are beautiful even
in the sight of angels.
Thus they spent the time in pleasant
talk and when they were about to depart,
the brother said to Crispus, 81 cannot offer you
for you seem to have all you want"
Not exactly" said Crispus. ''No one has
all he wants. But l have what will make up
for many deficiencies, and what l would not
give away-no, not for all your possessions.
have what the good gnome gave me--the
best he had to give-the drop of contentment
in the bottom ofmy little wooden cup"