Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1873-03-01

gap in the wall. and asserting at each fail
| ure that it Gas "blcssed' strange he
| couldn't find his way, what with the moon
and all. He talked loudly enough to rouse
| the neighbOrs; and pretty soon door
opened, and clear, decided voice, as of
one used to command, called, "WhO are
you, making this piece of work at this
time o. night?" Whereupon our inebri-
ated friend began in the old miners
drawl: "Oh. young Pusser, don't zee be
angry now. You do knaaw me. I'm
James Trembaath uL to BallOsinny :;
worked at the blackSmith's shop this
more nor twelve year. Yes, you do
knaaw me. Twas in you're class for years.
young Pusser. And then took to takin'
drop too much; and that's what done
this night. and now can't find my way
home. But you do knaaw me, young
Pusscr; and there. if you'll show me the
way home, I'll tell 'ee what, III give ee
a shilling for the missionaries" Exeunt
purser and blacksmith, leaving me to re-
fleet on the strange tie between Header"
and class. and on the possible advantages
thcrefrOm to man in my line. Yes.
must manage to be a class-leader before
long; and then if takea missus and open
shop somewhere. as well as going my
rounds. | shall do double as well as |
could without leadership to help me.
I'm - local" as | said, and I'm very
proud of that same. I'm not one of them
that hold to colleges and all that for train
ing to the ministry. OF course the par
son he's all dark; that's what you might
expect. I've been to hear him times, and
he always speaks, to my thinking. like
one who fancies there's something to be
said on t'other side /; and that'll never do,
you know. in religion no more
| than i'm politics. No half measures for me;
none of your folks with an aggravating
| sort of conscience that makes them think,
and hesitate, and ask themselves ques-
tons. l hate crOtchety preachers, just as
much as crotcnety Parliament men.
like man that goes straight forward, as
if he could see the goal ahead and didn't
care to look ut anything between him and
it. And that's what our young men out
| of the colleges are getting too fond of
doing. Between you and me, they're get
| ting almost as bad as the parsons. But
know what I've got to say, and say
| it; and there's the Book to back me, and if
| they've anything TO sayagainst the Book,
| why, they'd better not say it to me. that's
all. l go ahead when | get on text !;
I've read SpurgeOn till | flatter myself
|
part Of his, of course.
Yes, I'm highly respectable; am so
| by the confession of the head of all the
Johnnies in this half of the country. He's
| a Scotchman, is M'Clutchy; good many
of us are Scotchmen, though they mostly
| leave Presbyterianism on the other side
of the Border. Fine fellows those Scots :;
| admire them, though I'm not one of
them" missionaries" las | called them
at a quiet sOiree some score of us had last
| Twelfth Day at CambOrne) carry ing with
them "the gospel of trade" A great hit
| think that was. And then drew an
eloquent contrast between those early
missionaries, Saint Perran. Saint Leven,
Saint Senan, and Company, whose names
have filled the land, and who brought with
them but an imperfect creed. which had
| to be trimmed at the Reformation, and
further altered by glorious John Wesley
and ourselves, who carry the perfection
| of modern fabrics round to the most out
lying cottages. Truth in stuff is at least
as grand thing as truth in word and
that is what we persistently preach. How
we practice it those must say who buy
our articles. One thing We certainly don't
do; we never cOndescend to the shop
tricks about the three farthings or eleven
pence halfpenny lightly penciled on when
the shillings are rs big as windOw-pane.
We should be asha led of such clumsy
contrivance. mo: there's the price.
mum; and if you like it you needn't pay
all at once You know. A shilling week
is my rule. Can't make up that? Well;
they must lie poor gettings where the wife
can't save that much out of her market
ings. You think the stufi7s well enough.
| 1t Is, indeed, you may take my word for
it. If you was to go to Truro, you'd find
that's just what all the tip-tOp county
people are wearing now; and doesn't it
suit your face too? Black hair and eyes
why, | can almost light my pipe at
them,'' said |. suddenly remembering
an old story. "COme, then; if you've
set your heart on it you shall have it, as
far as | can help you TO it. A shilling to
start with for dress like that, and only
nine shillings for the whole of it. Wen
drop next week that's as fair as any one
could say; and you shall give me cOu-
pie of shillings the week after. There'll
be a general pay betwixt this and then.
and, unless it's very bad month indeed,
you'll easily manage that much, and no
body the WISER"
That was how 1 began my first deal
with Mrs. BosancO, in lone cottage uI
on the moor behind Neither BOsperrOw
She was a rosy country girl, not wei
"out of the teens of years." with baby
Of some six weeks old, her husband work
ing under tribute" i'm Wheel Conscience
Things were looking well with them; he't
brought home six pounds last month, {
vast sum for Cornish miner, though Oul
Scotchmen tell me it is just nothing com
pared with the wages upwards. Tit
poor damp cottage looked as bright ant
cheerful as stOneware spaniels and groups
of Burns aud Highland Mary, and cheal
glass plates on the mantle-shelf, ant
German prints on the walls could max
it. 1 thought knew every inch of m!
beat as well as a government surveyor
but some of these German peddler chap!
had clearly been beforehand with me
Fact is, BasancO's house had been empt.
for years, and thought, till sOmebOd..
told me, that it was empty still. Blu
! trust those Germans to find out wher
money is to be got and they never Civ
credit, so the cruel wretches often make
/ clear sweep, carrying off every shillin
, along with the rest Of the ready cash.
:, hate them on artistic grounds. have m
) feelings, and hope I'm not insensible Il
E the beauty of good engraving. It's jus
A that which makes me so mad to see fright
, full caricatures of well known print
E stuck about in all the cottages 60 into
: What can our societies" be about tbs
they don't do something to raise the popt
/ lar taste, or at least to hinder the Gel
h mans from depraving it? Tracts. We'r
:. overdone with them. can pick enoug
f up any Sunday about the lanes to kee
: me in pipe-lighters for the rest of tn
e week. How much better to get the Al
: Union to let them reprint their outlines I
/, the ''Pilgrim's Progress" and of I'll
= "Ancient Mariner" and two or three NOR
s and sell them for next to nothing-sen
e them round ready-bound with the bool
J hawkers. I'd warrant they'd get a salt
) But this is depression it shows 20
g that l have my feelings, and that can
= righteously indignant, especially ,whe
Z fellows that l look upon as interiOpel