Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-02-29

He closed the door, went behind the
counter, put on his spectacles, and stoop-
| ing down over bit of lighted candle.
read the paper which the boy had given
him.
The boy watched the old mans face
anxiously as he read, and when he ceased
asked whether it was a good remedy for
such and such complaints, detailing his
mothers ailments.
eyes," said old Lombard, 1.-The RENE
dy is excellent, but it is dear; it would
cost golden piece.
ga golden piece" cried the poor child
in alarm. ''Oh, what shall | do? I
have but seven sous.
II don't know what you are to do, eX-
cept you take yourself out Of my shop
as quickly as may be-"
80, Master Lombard, you know that
! ever since my fathers death, sickness
and distress have been in our home, and
now my mother is dying"
"That is no affair of mine, old LOm-
bard answered. ''People who have no
money are best out of the world"
II implore you cried the boy, "send
me not away without the medicine.
For Gods sake, do this charity, and God
will reward you!"
Il tell you" said old Lombard, Il
will do no such thing. Money will buy
medicine in this shop. Nothing for
nothing; those are my terms"
"Give me the medicine, said the dis
| tracted boy, as the thought of his poor
suffering mother pressed itself on him
and almost broke his heart. 80, good
! Master Lombard, will be your servant
| your slave. I will eat little; | will
work much will do anything, suffer
anything, if you will help me now"
Old Lombard seemed to hesitate; he
was rather surprised at the poor boys
vehemence. He knew him to be sharp
and honest, and it occurred to him that
it might not be a badspeculatiOn to close
with the boys bargain but it was not
his way Of doing business to say so.
I No; he was too hard a trader for that.
You would be a valuable servant, >"
/ he said, in his mOcking and malicious
way You would eat of the best till
you fell asleep, and sleep till you were
/ hungry again. You would need a laced
coat, like noblcman at Versailles. and
money in both pockets for your idle
hands to play with. Out with you I
need no such help as you can give"
1t was a hard trial to the boy to bear
the cold cruelty of the old man, but he
thought Of his mother, and he looked to
God.
master Lombard. if YOU will give me
a trial | will come here on your own
terms. | will work night and day: |
will cheerfully eat black bread; | will
never wrong you in any way-only give
me, I beg of you, the medicine to restore
my dying mother"
20
old Lombard felt be spoke the truth.
He made up the prescription. said he
would come round and look at the pa
ticnt, and that he would take the boy
into his service With warm gratitude
the boy thanked him, and fastened
to the bedside Of his mother, while old
Lombard returned to his scrap Of fire.
and thought over his bargain.
Il must have a boy to help me, so ne
said. Il can hire this boy for a tenth
of what must give to another: I can
feed him sparcly. work him hard.
lymph | might have done worse
50 with this reflection he put out the
candle and went to bed in the dark
BY the bedside Of his mother the boy
watched all through the night, and as
the gray down appeared saw-aud his
heart lcapcd at the sight-his mother
open her eyes, and heard her speak to
him. She was better: the medicine had
done its work. How grievcd. and vet
how grateful, was she when she heard
Of her boys bargain, She was sorry
that he would have So hard master
pleased that he had accepted the service
for her sake; and when She was well
again, and he was 10 begin his duties in
old Lombard's shop, size threw her arms
about his neck and assured him that God
would prosper son Who so h0nored and
loved his mother.
And was it so: Yes. The work was
very hard the food was bad and scanty.
\ Kind man would not lodge q dog as
that boy was lodged; but he prospered.
He was a studiOus, clever boy. and in
that chemists shop he learned enough to
make him wish for wider information.
He was so civil and Obliging that Lom-
baTd's customers inCreased-sO industri-
Gus and painstaling that even old LOm-
bard was satisfied; and all the while he
was cheering his dear mothers heart by
telling her what he meant 10 do when
he was a man.
God prospered him He was blessed
with a good mother, and he remembered
the words of solomon: My son, for
sake not the law Of thy mother. When
thou goest, it shall lead when thou
slecpest. it shall keep thee when thou
wakest, it shall talk with thee
Years passed, and the boy became q /
man. and found that "a good name was /
rather to be chosen than riches. While /
everybody dcspised the rich miser they /
esteemed the poor young doctor, who /
in the course Of time became one of the !
most celebrated men in Europe He was /
appointed inspector general of health. +
was loaded with honOrs and received q .
patent Of nebility-for the poor boy was /
none other than Parmcntier, the chem f.
ist.- TB. c. K. in Merry's Museum.
I = !