Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1871-05-03


as light aud buoyant as gossamer. over
field aud valley, forest aud farm house
over lakes aud streams and sleeping vii
lagos, until far away in the distance they
saw the lights Of a great city-a city
where human hearts and hands beat and
toiled necessarily; where the pure, fresh
air Of heaven was shut out by great i'm
penetrable walls of stone, brick and NOR
tar where vice and proAigacy ran riot
in the streets aud was crowded into dens
of filth and misery; where people were
born and lived and toiled and suffered and
died and knew naught of the green fields,
Of the heslthful air, of the azure sky, Of
the leafy woods and flowers blooming in
the meadows; where young and slender
girls, weary, hungry, and heartsick, sewed
and toiled far into the night for the mis-
cradle pittance that would bring a crust
of bread and just keep soul and body to-
gether, welded to misery, suffering, and
want-everything, anything that would
keep away dishonor and starv alton.
They came and hovcred over a wide
street, wherein, though the hour was late
they heard a restless moving to and fro of
weary human feet that through long, long
years had never ceased, but was wearing
and beating away the stones necessarily.
The dwarf clasped the old mans hand
more frmly within his own, and at once
they began to descend and at length went
and stood near the corner of a street where
a poor woman, with little babe folded
closely to her breast, knelt upon the curb
stone, and with tears of real agony cours-
ing down her thin and wasted cheeks beg
ged in piteous accents of the passers.by to
save her and her child from the cold, grim
hand of want. A few there were who
seemed moved, and willingly gave her a
few pennies; othcrs-aud they were the
greater number-laughcd and jeered, and
turned coldly away to their warm and
brilliantly lighted hearthstones, where
wealth and plenty abounded.
"Come here" said the goblin; and led
the old man, pale and trembling up tc
where the woman and child were. "Dc
you see her2" said the goblin. "Do moi
talk to me of being poor. Look at her
That woman has had naught to eat fol
the last two days. Her babe is starving
will you give her something?'
elmo, no, no. I'm sorry-very
sorry, but I'm poor-too poor. have
no money-no, no, no. Have mercy. ]
cannot, indeed. No, no, no, no." whim.
pered the old man, trembling like leaf
The dwarf uttered a great cry, and
again taking the miser by the hand, led
him irristably away.
They said not word, but once more
were going rapidly through the air leav-
ing the lights of the city far behind them
They came at last to a retired country
church-yard, which, although it was il
the midst of a cold winters night, immed
lately became by some wonderful magca
process of the dwarf 8 green and fresh and
blooming with flowers as though it were
spring. They passed through the small
wicker gate and in among the graves tc
where, in one corner of the yard, The
waving branches of large, untrimmec
weeping-willow tree spread themselves
above a solitary, neglected mound of earth
"Do you know whose grave this is 2
asked the goblin.
"Yes, yes Spare me-" cried the ole
man
81 will not" replied the dwarf, sternly
GAS you, in your greed for wealth, spared
no one, SO will not spare you. Whose
is it 2"
"My mothers" said the miser, sink in!
weak and trembling as a child down a
the COLLINS feet.
"Your mothers !" repeated the dwarf
''the grave of her who nursed you anC
cared for you in your helpless infancy
and who, in your iugratitude to pay he
for it, you drove from your house ont
dark and stormy night, because she wa
old and feeble, and offered a slight i'm
pediment to your getting rich! She per
ished that night in the storm, and wa
buried here by strangers hands. Yol
would not even afford the money to Civ
her burial. 0 MORTAL" cried the goblin
'.your day of reckoning will soon come
and with bitter tears of agony adm repen
apce will be yours"
/ The old man made no reply. He wa
bowed Gown upon the grass with his fac
in his hands and his long grey locks blow
ing wildly about in the high wind, Will
\ the great tree overhead seemed to chaun
a mournful dirge over his mothers grave
4 "She has three grandchildren" sal