Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-10-06
LED OUT OF DANGER.
BIT JEAN INeELow.

VINO Is this? A careless little midship-
man, idling about in great city, with
his pockets full Of money. He is waiting
for the coach 1t comes up presently, and
he goes on the top of it and begins 70
look about him.
They soon leave the chimney-tops be-
hind them; his eye wanders with delight
over the harvest fields, he smells the hon
eysuckle in the hedge row, and he wishes
he was down among the hazel bushes, that
he might strip them Of the milky nuts
then he sees great vain piled up with
barley, and he wishes he was on the top
of it; then the checkered shadows of the
trees lying across the white road, and
then squirrel runs up bough, and he
cannot Iorbear to whoop and halloo,
though he cannot chase it to its nest.
The other passengers were delighted
with his simplicity end childlike giee, and
they encourage him TO talk about the sea
and the ships, especially Her Majesty's-
wherein he has the honor to sail. In the
jargon of the seas he describes her many
projections and enlarges upon her pecul-
lar advantages; he then con6des to them
how certain muddy, having been ordered
to the mast head as punishment, had
seen, while sitting on the top mast cross
tree, something uncommonly like the sea
serpent; but finding this hint received
with incredulous smiles, he begins to tell
how he hopes that some day he shall be
promoted to have charge OF the poop
The passengers hope he will have that
honor they have no doubt that he de-
serves it. Hrs cheeks flush with pleasure
to hear them say so, and he little thinks
that they have no notion in what that
hoy n
The coach stops; the midshipnan, with
his hands in his pockets, sits rafting his
money and singing. There lisa poor wo-
man standing by the door of the village
inn; she looks careworn, and well she
may, for in the spr ng her husband went
up TO London to seek for work. He goes
for work, and she was expected to join
him there, when, alas a fellow workman
wrote her word how he had met with an
accident, how he was very bad, and
wanted his wife TO come and nurse him.
But she has two children, and is destitute;
she must walk ali the way, and she is sick
at heart when she thinks that perhaps he
may die among strangers before she can
reach him.
She does not think of begging, but see
ing tie boys eyes attracted TO her, she
makes a curtesy, and he withdraws his
hand and throws her down q sovereign.
She looks a. it with incredulous joy, and
then she looks at him..
"It's ell right" he says, and the coach
starts again, while, full of gratitude, she
hires cart to take her across the country
to the railway, that the next night she
may sit by the bedside of her sick hus-
band.
The midshipman knows nothing about
that-and he never will know.
The psssen gers go Oh talking-the little
miidshipman has told them who he is, and
where he lie going. But there is one who
has never joined in the conversation he
is dark looking and restless mamie sits
apart, he sees the glitter OF the falling
coin, and now he watches the boy more
closely than he did before.
He is q strong man, resolute and deter
mined !; the boy with his pocket full of
money will be no match for him. He has
told the others that his fathers house is
the parsonage At Y, the coach goes
within five miles OF II, and he means TO
get out at the nearest point, and walk, or
rather run, over TO his home, through the
great wood.
The man decides to get down, too, and
20 through the wood he will rob the liz
tie midshipman; perhaps, If he cries out
and struggles, hewill do worse. the
boy, he thinks, will have no chance
against him it is quite impossible that
he can escape; the way is lonely, and the
sun will be down.
No. There seemed indeed little chance
of escape; the halt.fedged bird just fiut
tering down from his nest has more
chance against the keen. eyed hawk, than
the little light hearted sailor boy will
have against him.
And now they reach the village where
the boy is to alight. He wishes the other
passengers "Good evening"" anu runs
lightly down between the scattered
houses. The man has also got down, and
is following.
The path lies through the village
churchyard there is evening service,
and the door Is wide open, for it is warm.
The little midshipman steals up the porch,
looks in, and listens The clergyman
has just risen from his knees, in the pull
pit, and is giving out his text. Thirteen
months have passed since the boy was in
house Of prayer; and feeling of pleas
ure induced him to stand still and listen
He hears the opening sentences Of the
sermon and then he remembers his
home, and comes softly out OF the porch,
full of a calm and serious pleasure. The
Clergyman has reminded him of his father,
and his careless heart is filled with the
echoes of his voice and of his prayers
He thinks on what the clergyman said Of
the care of our Heavenly Father for us !;
he remembers how, when he left home,
his father prayed that he might be pre-
served through every danger he does not
remember any particular danger that he
was exposed TO, excepting In the great
storm, but he 10 graceful that he has come
home in safety, and he hopes, whenever
he shall be in danger, which ne supposes
he shall be some day, that then the provi.
dence Of God will watch over him and
protect him. And SO he presses onward
to the entrance Ct the wood.
care not two sparrows," he hears,
"sold for farthing? and one shall not
fall TO the ground without your Fathers
notice. But the hairs of your head are
numbered. Fear not, therefore, yc are of
more value than many sparrows"
The man is there before him. He has
pushed himself into the thicket, and cut