New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-11-15

| COuooAoo0'
The city, with all it's strange nevness,,
was forgotten in turn. The snow chilled
him. and the happy children buying toys IN
| the grand chops, and the merry sleighs
| darling through the street like swallows,
! gave him an acute sense OF loneliness.
| There was no mother and sisters to put gay
presents in his stockings. Indeed, II there
had been, they might have bought the
stocking TOO, for never a one had Tom on
| those cold little feet.
Tom looked in Maillard's window at the
rare pastry and confections, and his hunger
grew maddening. He turned from the
| heaped delicacee. fearing that he might be
! tempted to thrust his arm through the thick
plate glass and help himself. He turned
| away in gastrOnomlc agony, did lOmtN,
| and hearing the children say Merry Christ
| mas wondered what it was and where 1t
could be.
Poor Tom, have been looking for these
live years!
Nantuck passed rapidly up Broadway.
and then, to avoid the needless tbrong,
crossed over to the western part OF the
town. Fate led him. for it dejgns even to
shape the lives OF such estrays as T0mtit.
Once he paused at u bakers door and
looked SO longingly at waiter Of fresh
tarts on the counter that the shop girl
gave him one, and her glossy curis sheok
all over with delight. at the ravenOus way
he devOured 1t.
Poor fellow" said the girl SOLDERING; ''he
must have been feartully hungry"
He was ratherish. and he Annihilated two
tarts with enthusiasm.
! As he turned out of one of the Cross
| streets which lead into Sixth avenue. he
| beheld an old man looking in at an under
| takers window, as if he were weary OF life,
| and desire to accost him and beg shelter,
or directions for finding it, Oyercame his
| pride, which was remnant OF its former
self. He approached the man, who took no
notice of him whatever. but continued to
glare at the window with q wildness that
almost startled Tom from his design. Now
| our humble hero was never blessed. or at
tiicted, as the case may be, with great col
! loquial powers. and he was somewhat at a
loss as to how he should open a converse
ton with the eccentric and unique indi-
| vidual before him. In this dilemma the
words he had heard spoken thousand
times that night broke unsteady over his
lips. -.
| Then it was that Jedd Psllfry turned and
looked ut him, and said:
| "Humph!"
| We left Tomtit hoored, literally, at chap.
ter II.
The hours went by like ehadowe, and he
still lay under the charmed influence of
| sleep-sleep, the little sprite. from the land
| of nowhere, that sits upon tired eyellds,
| and weighs them down go kindly. Erratic
and coquettish Sleep, that will and won't
and is SO very like woman! So hard TO
! win. so exquisite and true when won.
Tom lay dreaming OF ships. anchors and
ambergris. of Nantucket and fish. and
silent fields,
| 'sWhere calm and deem
The sunshine lieth like golden seept'
| In the midst Of this the fire in the diminu-
| tive stove went out, and now commenced
2 combat between the warmth of the
! dreamers fancy and the GOODNESS which
was gradually taking possession Of the
! room. The alarm OF a coni1a gra ton in the
next street, the mut,ed sound of the engine.
! dragged turlOusly past the door by men who
| seemed like demons red hot from PandemO.
mum, and the jubant clash of sleighbells
now and then. had failed to move the
sleeper. But the silent, invisible lips of the
I Chill tend were eating into his slumber.
! and he dreamed OF icicles! His little EN-.
Drowned hand lost its hold of the stool, and
after one or two involuntary turns. he
f., opened his eyes-to the tact tina. il was
growing intensely cold.
1t was in vain cha, he drew himself 70.
/ gether, like turtle: the cold touched the
outer circles OF his body. anu sleep deserted
him. He spied the velvet pail on the coun.
| ter, and in q moment he had enyelOped
himself in its dreadful folds. But the death
cloth warmed him no more than if he had
been dead In fact it threw a chill over
| him. and he seemed covered with q black
frost. colder than the snowy tracery which
! grew like magic over the shop windows
! He threw the pail from h,m a. if it had
! been pest and tried to warm his hands by
the jet Of gas which burned azure, yellow
and all cOlOrs. But it only aggravated his
! GOODNESS.
! The idea Of freezing 70 death took hold
| of Tom. and out OF this grew . strange act.
His eyes fell on a coffin which he thought
would hold him comfortably 1t nearly ex-
hausted his strength to lay the silk-padded
box on the floor. This being done, he settled
| himself into it without hesitation, and once
more made coverlid of the heavy pail
| Then Tomtit fell asleep again and COM
! menced dreaming Of dreary oceans and
lonely isles, and 'fairy lands forlOrn," of
cross bones and eyeless skulls, churchyar
| and epitaphs and God knows what! just
then a hrazen-lpped sentinel in neighbor.
ing belfry sOlemnly tolled cat the hour
| UP the steepie in the snow. and wind. aud
sleet, ghostly finger pointed to tine ca calls
, tic figures MI.
Jedd Pallfry was detained at Spuyten
Duyvei's longer than he anticipated-twe
hours longer. and the clock struck twelve
as he whirled round the corner, and brought
himself against the wind in front of his
shop. The long tails of his threadbare
overcoat were flying all ways, and he
looked like a great. hideous owl lost in the
night.
When Jedd threw open the door, he
started back.
There in the middle Of the chop. lust
where the spectral grave sprang up yearly,
lay pail covered coffin, the gas going out,
and the boy gone: The place seemed chilly
and damp like vault. and Jedd shivered
SO. that the snOwflakes tell from him in
every direction. like sparks from q scissor.
grinders grndstope. The stiffness in his
knees gave out. and he supported himself
against the counter.
Now one OF those changes came over
Jedd Pallfry which happen 20 us all at
times. and tor " hich philosophy's self can
not account With res0lute and fearless
steps he approached the coffin and lifted
the pail. The light. which seemed 10
brighten up q little. fell aslant on Tom
sleeping. The strange young face. shaded
by tangled curis of nut brown hair. and
lacking the soft influence OF his closed ewes.
was almost wild in its beauty. the parted
lips seemed ready TO speak. but they moved
NOT: the eye lids twitched but were not
lifted: and he lay = double pic;ure-Lite
and Death.
Jedd started. hut no: with fear. lie Eel,
something trembling. throbbing. warming
in his bosom. 1t was only his heart melt
ing. The nature and humanity of the man
had broken their letters like reeds, and the
Low. which had 1ain il. trance tor a dozen
years rose W, within him. and would be