The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1873-12-11
Never Rfdfcule the Unfortunate.


"Halloa, old limpyl 1 say, old man
let's see you runp and a shout arose from 9
thoughtless group of boys Just out of school
as they saw an old man tottering along with
two crutches, making but slow progress over
the slippery snow. One boy sent big snow.
ball at his head, knocking off his hat, and
letting his long gray locks stream out in the
wintry wind. | do not know how far they
might have carried their cruel sport had
not the sight of their teacher dispersed
them.
Charley Forrest, one of the boys, after
playing about for a while. entered his faith
er's door, when, to his astonishment, he saw
the very old man seated quietly by the kitch-
en- fire; while his mother was preparing him
warm soup. Charley" said she, s'here
is poor old man who has no one to care for
him, and we must try and make him COM
Portable Charley blushod, as you may
suppose he would. Before long the old man
began to nod YEARLY, and Charley's father
coming in, he was assisted to bed.
After the evening lamps were lighted,
Mrs. Forrest said, Charley, would you
like to heara story?"
"Of course / would, mother -
g Many years ago, in a small cottage on
the bank of a river, lived a widow, with one
little girl, whom she dearly loved One
spring, when the child was seven years old,
there was a 'freshet,' which carried off
bridges and houses, and the mother missed
her little girl but after long search she
saw her floating down the stream be-
hind the house, on a frail raft. Her
frantic cries aroused the neighborhood,
who soon gathered in a crowd ON the bank
The child was clinging to board, which
drifted slowly but surely toward mass of
logs and driftwood, among which, once en-
tangled, and her death seemed inevitable.
g But who would be daring enough to go
to the rescue? 1t seemed like sure destruc-
ton to trust human life within that crash
ing mass of timber, while the poor child S
cries of Mamma mammal were now and
then family heard above the roaring tor
rent But man rushed from the crowd
exclaiming, What cowards Shall we see
the little lamb lost without one effort to
save her? He instantly plunged into the
raging waters, and on, on he goes, while the
crowd stand in breathless terror as ever and
anon he moves by some log which threatens
to crush him.
" And now the child is reached almost
miraculously, and seizing her in his arms,
he once more stems the time. A shout of Joy
bursts from the throng as he nears the shore
and puts the child into its mothers arms.
at is needless to say that the thanks of
the poor widow were unbounded to her
child's preserver; but in less than year she
died. and the little girl went to live with
some relatives in a distant state but never
until tonight has she been able to learn more
of the man who risked his life and lost his
limbs in saving her."
"To-nigft, mother?' Said Charley "surely
why, what do you mean?"
81 mean, my son, that this poor old man
saved your mothers life years ago, and l
prais God for leading him to my door"
As you may suppose, Charley felt badly
enough. "Never, never, neUer p' he said to
himself, twill 1 treat poor old man disre-
spectfully or make fun of misfortune.
Never, never. neverw ! wish all boys
would echo those words, "Never neverP'-
Chiid's Paper.