Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1874-12-18

/ in this city. But, poor man. be and his
wife both died within a yeaC after coming
to this country. Their possessions were
small. and by the time they had passed
through their sickness and death, there
was nothing but their three children left
behind
With sympathy Of soul for the poor
little orphan daughter that Was even pain
ful, we bid the good matrOr adieu for the
evening, with a promise of attending the
Sabbath services the next day in the insti
tuition.
We could but think when lying down fol
the night how melancholy and hopeless is
the prospective destiny of the tens Of thou
sands Of orphan children which are TO be
found scattered over the country. We
thought devoutly, too, of the 'All-seeuig
eye, and wondered if there was not an es-
pecial assurance given TO such in that old
Jewish inspiration, ''When thy father and
mother forsake thee, then the Lord will
take thee up.' Surely if God pities the
poor, there must be some special hope for
the helpless orphan in the divine compass,
sion. LIES relationships .arc often sad at
the best, for men and women are weak and
frail. and too frequently are wanting in ed
ucation and intelligence, as well as in self
government, and even with their children
around them, they are often far from being
happy. They fail to recognize the richest
gifts..of heaven. and draw closer upon them
selves the sorrows of life, when they should
only be drinking Of its most pleasurable re-
alities.
The next day in the Chapel OF the Or
phans' Home we again met the MasOn's
orphan daughter. She was dressed in her
plain Sunday suit of buff calico, with neat
little ruflle of the same color round her
neck. which was partially hid by the beau
tiful cluster of auburn curls which hung
down her back.
The children all looked well and appear
ed to be happy, and we joined with them
in their Sabbath school services with much
more than ordinary interest. Little Annie
sat near US, and we had a fair opportunity
of noticing her intelligent readiness in an
swering questions, and when the school
closed, by permission Of the Matron, we
had q long and interesting conversation
with her in regard to what she knew of he"
history.
Do YOU remember, Annie we asked
her, your father and mother?'
%, yes, sir, said she, 'as well as if they
had only died yesterday
What do you remember of England your
native country p we inquired.
why, sir / remember Manchester, the
place where l was born. My grandfather
and grandmother and Uncle James live
there, and I.often think said she, with an
air observable, IF my dear parents had re-
mained there we might all be living yet
You have no relatives in this country,
we asked.
'Not one she answered promptly.
Would you l;kc to 20 back TO England 2
We inquired.
Indeed I would she affirmed.
We'll, then, why don't you write toyour
relatives to send for you? Wouldn't they
do it =
Yes, sir, tbiuk .the5 would,' she re-
sponded.
DO you know, Annie we asked her
with some delicacy, whether your father
was a Mason 2
NO, Sir, she responded, me was ma
chnist'
We could but smile at her simplicity,
and explained, by asking, if he WAS what
they call Freemason p
i think he was something of that sort.
she responded, with laugh, for have in
my little trunk up stairs 4 purple apron,
which has a good many things on it which
don t know anything about. / found 1t
in one OF our drawers after mother died,
and rs | thought it was very pretty, l kept
il ever since.
asked her if she would please 20 and
get it, and let me look at it.
She flew up stairs at once Ike little
bird, and in fcw moments returned and
spread out upon my lap very well pre-
served Master Masous apron.
Was this your fathers, Annie = we in
quired.
1 presume it was said Size, though l
don't know what he did with it. / have
often taken it out and looked at it, and
thought it was something that belonged to
the machinis,s.
No, Annie we assured her, this Is
what they term the apron Of 4 Master Ma
son, and We presume your father held this
relation to the Craft in England
1T may be, but don't know, said she,
for l was only eight years Old when We
LETT England, and l never saw it until my
mother died, when was nine years old
AID you have kept it ever since p
Yes, sir, for since Joseph and Fleming
died, this is nearly all have left of any
thing that belonged to our family
That Masonic apron was relic worthy
her tenderest regards, for it gave to others,
whom she knew not, an interest IN her,
which perhaps nothing else in her posses
sion would or could have done, for she was
soon made known to several as the Masou's
orphan daughter, and with the little light
which she could give, q correspondence was
opened up by Brother Gentry, of Terre
Uautc. with Annie's friends i'll Mlnches-
ter England, and the probabilities now are
that ere the new year of 1871 dawns upon
us, she will be under the genial roof of her
grandparents in the land of her birth.
where, it is hoped, that the loneliness OF
her orphanaqe will be forgotten in the low
ing smiles and tender caresses of her own
blood kin.
''Thus found alone on bleak and foreign shore.
An orphan child is carried home once more"
Mgs0tic Aduocdte.
HAVE A PURPOSE. Don't start out III
life as a sheep-dog does, without knowing