The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1869-02-17
THE LITTLE OUTOAsT,


your errands."
The troubled eyes of tho speaker
were filled with tears. 1t was lad
that stood, one cold day in winter, at
the outer door of a cottage on bleak
moor in Scotland. Tho snow had
been falling very fast, and the poor
boy looked very cold and hungry.
"You may come in, at any rate, till
my husband comes homo. There sit
down by the fire you look pcrishing
with cold = and she drew chair up
to the warmcst corner; then, suspi-
ciously glancing at tho boy from tho
corner Of her eyes, sho continued set
ting the table for supper.
Presently came the tramp of heavy
boots, and tho door was swung opon
with quick jerk, and tho husband
entered, woaricd with his days work.
\ look of intelligence passed bo.
tween his wife and himself He look.
cd at tho boy, but did not seem very
we'll pleased he nevertheless made
him como 10 the table, and was glad
to sec how heartily ho ate his supper.
Day after day passed, and yet tho
Roy begged to be kept "unlil to.mor-
row; so the good couple, after due
consideration, concluded that, as long
as he was such good boy and worked
SO willingly, they would keep him.
One day, in the middle Of wintor, n
pcddler, who often traded at the cot
tage, called, and, after disposing Of his
goods; was preparing to go, when he
said to the woman:
"You have boy out there splitting
wood | see," pointing to the yard.
eyes do you know him ?
"I have seen him"
"Where? WHO is he? What is
he 7"
"A iail-bird and the pcddlcr
swung his pack over his shoulder.
"That boy, yonng as he looks, l saw
in court myself, and heard him sen.
tenccd ten months. You'd do we'll to
look carefully after him"
"Oh there was something so dread
full in the word ''jailp The poor wo-
man trcmblcd, as she laid away tho
things she had bought of the pcddlcr,
nor could she be easy till she called
tho hoy in, and assured him that she
knew that dark part of his history.
"Ashamod and distressed, the boy
hung his head. His cheeks seemed
bursting with the hot blood, and his
lips quivcred.
"Well," he muttcrcd, his whole
frame shaking, "there's no use of my
trying to do better; everybody hates
and despiscs me nobody cares about
me-"
"Tcll me-" said tho woman, chow
camo you to go, so young, to that
dreadful place ? Where is your moth
or I"
"Oh," exclaimed the boy, with a
burst Of grief that was terrible to be-
| hold, ION L naun'G no mother ever
since [ was baby If I'd only had
a mother," he continued, while tears
gushed from his eyes, s'l wouldn't
have been bound out, and kicked. and
cuffed, and horsewhipped wouldn't
have been saucy, and got knocked
down, and then stole because I was
hungry. Oh fI'd only had moth
er %
The strength was all gone from the
poor boy, and he sunk on his knees,
sobbing great, choking sobs, and rub.
bing the hot tears away with the
sleeve Of his jacket.
The woman was mother and
though all her children slept under
the cold sod in the churchyard, she
was mother still. She put her hand
kindly on tho head of the bov, and
told him to look up, and said from
that time he should find in her a
mother. Yes, sho even put her arms
around tho neck of that iorsaken, de-
serted, child. She poured from her
mothers heart, sweet, ind words
words of counsel and tenderness.
Oh !! how sweet was her slecp that
night how soft her pillow she had
plucked some thorns from the path of
little shining, but striving mortal.
That poor boy is now a promising
man. His foster-fathcr is dead his
foster-mother, aged and sickly, but
she knows no want. TIE s'poor out
eost' is her support. Nobly does he
repay tho trust rcposcd in him.
"When my father and mother for
sake me, then the Lord will take me
up.-1he Standard Bearer.
'--- - - <--------
THE New MovEMENr.-The Wash
ington correspondent of the Baltimore
Gazette says
circumstances have transpired with
IN few days past we'll calculated to
inspire hope if not confidence on the
part of Virginia that she will be CALL
ed on to adopt or reject the "Under-
wood" constitution. The House bin
which provides for an election in Nav
next is now pending in the judiciary
COMMITTEE of the Senate, and there
is reason to believe that the bill viii
remain on tho files of the same COM
mittee during the residue of the pres.
ent session of Congress. This will
defeat the programme of the CARPET
66aggers in Virginia, but will leave the
State under military government nm.
I'll the meeting of the next Congress-
HnWauap ,,,,ol o]S'