The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1870-10-28
MistElIang.l
THE MISER'S STORY.

of filth and decay. Whether the old
blear-eyed- man y hO kicked and COM
manded me was my father 1 never
knew. Whether the woman who
sometimes fed and often beat me was
my mother, cannot say. ALI know
about it is, that had a miserable, drag
about life of it, going round after cold
victuals, knocking small boys down to
get the contents OF their broken fbas-
kets, and hunting for rags in the gut
ter. aa -vs
Isuppose I was rather good-Iooking
boy; they call me goOd-lOOking now
for an old man. 7 know I was smart,
comparing myself with other children
as Isee them.
Of course I was like the Fest-of my
class. / could fight little, swear a
little, and steal little, and eat a good
deal that is, when I got chance,
which was seldom. j was ignorant-I
kidn't know one letter from another,
and I didn't want to. What did I care
about educatiOn-I, who never saw a
book from one years end to anetheH2 2
And love, gratitude, hope, / could OF
course understand neither. NOBODY
loved me, therefore I loved nobody
Nobody had ever made me gratefulZ
had ever held out hope to me. -.
Some strange impulse was given me
one day. 1 walked up, sprang from my
bundle of straw, and inVOluntarily y the
words came from my lips, q am go
ing to do something to-day" What
something was had not the remOtest
idea, but 1 put On my apologies for
clothes, and sailed out in my Vaga-
bond way, awhistling, and caring for
nobody. - slr s-. .sa-s r-=sf - o..
It was about noon, and 1 had not yet
tasted a mOuthful of food. was hun
cry, and skulked about grocery-shOps,
hoping / could get an opportunity to
take something that would stay my APP
petite till I felt in. the humOr for beg
ging. Passing round the corner of a
public street, l saw q genteel-lOOkiDg
man, standing at ahis horse, gazing
about him somewhat perpIexed.
boy" said he, "won't you take
care of my horse for about half an
hour 2" = Xxx. r r---z --- =. u
YES, sir" said 1. -.-zrs. 30.
think it was the first time L ever
put on the sir.' rs ~ z-FE sa .-
"There's "a man, 4" he exclaimed,
" I've got considerable fruit here, and
you must guard it well. Here's a cou-
pie of peaches for you. Just stand bere
quietly, nobody will disturb you -
He went away, and stood awhile
till I was tired. Then, thinks 7, III
get a hatful of the fruit and run. And
for the first time I felt ansinstin tsof
shame of the suggestion q se-es F.sFr
q" He trusted me-he saw that I was
a mean-looking fellow, too but he
trusted me, and won't abuse his kind
ness. D .-----.. .-.- fl. 80 -..-..E 80
Something like, this reasoning ran
in my head, and 1 squatted down on
the curbstoRe, feeling the importance
Of an honorable trust as I had never
felt before. Presently some of my fell
lows came along and hailed me. 1 told
them to go on. They peered about the
cart, and saw the sunny faces of the
peaches. ..a.-. ...-.-z .r..
'tWe'H have some of them," they
said.
{, " No, you won't" says, I. Pm put
in charge here, and / won't see the first
thing stole. With that they began a
Tumpus. They reached over the cart.
l struck them, and used such efforts
that they all came pells NELL upon me,
and we fought till the blood came; but
l vanquished them. "
Just then, out came the proprietor
What's the matter 22l says de-
% ooh, nothing; only I had to fight
for your stuff here" says l.
You did, ell? You've got a black
eye for it. - ~
Z q No matter" saysI, ''Imeantthem
boys shouldn't steal peach, and they
didn't neither.D ..sr7
"WeIL, you've good pluck-here's a
Grown for, you.
My eyes stood out.
" a Whole CROWN" says I.
= " Yes; do what you please with it,
but pd advise you to get you pair Of
shOes.n ~ s----- .
"Thanl yOu," says /, with beat
ing heart, 1t pays to be good, don't
it ?' HsEs j EtlE6 -F
- He smiled a curious smile, asked me
several questions, and ended by asking
me. home with him. -. -r-,
Home l thought I was in heaven. !
albeit l had seldom heard of such a
place, My heart beat heavily every
time 4 dared to put my foot upon those
rich carpets. Tue mirrors We're some
thing new to me. l was washed clean,
and had on a good suit of clothes. .
& Youngster, 1 am going to where
YOU live, and probably I can make a
bargain with your people. I-Want q
boy, just such a bold, clever boy as you
are, and if you behave yourself, pro-
mise you That you shall have asspleas-
ant home as YOU desire.'l
Well, that was good. / hardly dared
to speak or breathe, for fear of breaking
the illusion IzWaS never so happy as
j was that day., They gave me light
tasks to do. / wished they were more
important. From that day 1 was
treated as one of the household. The
man was a widower, and had no chill
dren; consequently i became to him as
a son. He educated me handsomely,
and when 1 was FtWentY-One. he died,
and left me three Thousand pounds.
Well, I considered myself q rich
man. / gloated over my wealth it
became as an idol to me; How to In
crease it was now my first desire.
consulted competent men, and under
their counsel l put my money out at
interest, ana bcugi1t7sto stocks and mort
cages. -. :, = - = = :. :. : =.
[ grew Weather; my business my
-benefactor had stocked me with fan
cy shop prospered finely, and j was in
a fair way, / Thought, to marry Lucy
Manning. --.... ,-..-.. go :.
less, winning maiden in all the WORLD
TO me. srIslOVed her deeply, dearly
She was bIue-eyed, aubuFn-haired, hel
disposition was that Of an angel, and
had plighted my. vows to her.
= One night j was invited to the house
of a prosperous merchant, and there
met a syren in the person of his niece
a black-eyed gir1, whose charms anC
whose fortune We're equally splendid
! she was an heiress in her own right
hand she was beautiful and accomplish
/ f1lz,1- ---e-1e-s-l -s..-
H6aVens, whagaa Teics Sas hefsz
| pure, clear SWeet, ftSVi11g wa
charmed, and she was pleased will
me- Alas, lk met her tOOI Often1 IN
her pFesenee.I forget m gentle Lucy
she nagTletized, thFalled Ine.ss- es .lfss'
F It was triumph to feel that 50 bealIti
fuI, GIFTED, and veal thy a.Woman love