The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-02-16

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command of another ship, and lay at
anchor in the harbor Of Gibraltar.
The American Consul at Tancier had
been schoolmate OF mine, and I was
anxious to see him. o: course I didn't
wish to run in there with my ship for
that purpose, nor did like the idea Of
vepturing in one of my bosts. '
/ found felucca which was going
there and back again, and I made
arrangements to go in her. She was
to start in the morning, and her cap
tain promised to send . boat for me.
The night I spent at a hotel ON shore,
and just at day break I was called
from my bed by servant, who in-
formed me that an officer OF the guard
wished to see me. dressed and went
down, and was not little surprised to
find that was under arrest fer muir.
der. A soldier had BEEN killed on the
evening before by an American, and
the perpetratOr of the deed had been
seen to enter that hctel. need not
go into particulars; will only say
that was examined aud setat liberty,
with ample apology for the mistake
| which bad been committed. The
| murderer had been found, aud he
proved to be Dsgo instead of An
sage on the felucca, and was much
disappointed. On the. next day /
learned that this feluccs went down,
when about halfway between Gibraltar
and Tsngier, and that all on board
were lost. She was loaded with bricks,
and had been capsized by squall.
'.After this made several success
full voyages, and was finally cast
away upon one of the Florida reefs.
I saved my life, but lost everything
else. I made my way to Charleston,
South Carolina, where I lay sick for
three months. Late in the fall
reached New York. 1 was weak and
broken down, and well nigh penniless.
| found lodgings at an obscure porter
house, and while my money lasted I
had shelter. was totally unfit for
work, and could not beg. On the
fourth day my purse was empty, and
started out to find, if possible, some
means of getting passage to Boston,
where might find friends who would
help me. was dragging my way
along Fulton street, when I saw q |
purse on the sidewalk. I picked it up,
and when I had gained a secluded
spot I opened it. 1t contained five
hundred and some odd dollars in
bank notes, and o small card, upon
which was printed neat advertisement
of the Astor House. There was no
name upon the purse, nor was there |
any papers in it.
'sFor the first time in q long and
eventful life was sorely tempted to |
appropriate to my own use that which |
did not belong to me. felt that I |
was forsaken by fortune, and that if I |
did not seize upon the aid which was |
thus offered, no other power would |
help me. But the spirit thus triumph
ed, and I resolved that, if I must suf-
fer, it should be with q clear con-
science / remembered that unexpect-
ed aid had been rendered me in times
past, and perhaps might not be suf-
fered to perish now. ....r....
81 judged from the card that the
owner of the purse might be stopping
at the AstOr House, and thither / bent
my steps. asked the clerk if any of
the guests had lost sum of money re-
Gently. He informed me that q man
who had lost five hundred dollars
was at that very time in the reading
room writing an advertisement. I
went In and the clerk pointed him out
to me. He was q young man-not
over five and twenty, and the moment
1 looked upon him was star lied. He
looked up as the clerk stated my busi-
ness, and asked me if had found his
purse. But I could not answer him.
trembled like an aspen. He started
forward and grasped me by the arm,
and having gazed for moment in my
face he dragged me away into another
room where we were alone.
''He asked me what was my name.
I did not tell him then, but called him
Rufus! And when the tears came to
my eyes he threw his arms around my
neck and called me father!
''In little while my boy told me his
story. He ran away from my cousins
because he was abused there, and his
aim was to find me. So he shipped as
cabin boy for voyage to Liverpool.
He missed me there as he missed me
for several years. He had been very
fortunate in business-had been loved
by an orphan girl, who gave him for
tune with her hand. 80 +..-
When he had become settled down
in q comfortable home, his next aim
was to find his father. He had Just
been on to Boston to see if he could
gain any tidings of me there, and he
received the startling intelligence that
my ship had been cast away some
months before, upon the Florida reefs,
and that / bad been lost. With this
sad blow upon his great hope, he was
returning to his home to tell his wife
they had father no more. ..-
81 need not tell you how happy we
were nor how 1 went to my noble
boys home; nor need I tell you how
his wife loved me nor how strong is
the love that binds US still. am
going now to meet them at the White
Mountains, and if any of You are bound
that way, you shall see my boy, and
You shall see my boys wife, and you
shall see, too, what handsome grand
children l have to love me and to play
with me.
"And now," said the old man, in
conclusion, 81 will simply remark, as
I remarked before, I don't want to
argue this question, nor to influence
any mans belief against reason, but I
must soy, that I ana happy IN the eeA-
yiction that I, at least, have been the
object OF ;some remarkable special
Rrovidences." 1880. |
PLANTING POTAToEs. - DR.. Hex
amer of New York, in result Of An
experiment of planting the potato in
seventeen different ways, found that
the best results were given from one
large potato, whole, in each hill; the
next best from two large half potatoes
cut lengthwise next the seed end of
. large potato; next from . medium
sized potato planted whole; the small
est from small half potatoes. A me
dunn potato he plants whole; large
ones cut in half and the largest In
four pieces, each lengthwise, always
taking care to select his best and
sOundest potatoes for seed.
]. + Warder, Of Ohio, in an ex: