The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-09-01
GFrom the Plattsburg Sentinel
CI7Ss.DREN'S ENT.
AMI "a Little Child shall Lead
Them.
ny MRS. p. A. HAYNES.

There was once an old gentleman who
lived nearly all alone in large and beauti-
full house. l say nearly alone, because he
had only two servants. AN old man and his
wife, who kept his garden and house, and
prepared his meals lie had large flower
garden, and tended It most carefully with
his own hands.
He seldom visited, and his neighbors
knew but little about him. He had but few
friends, and no pets of any kind, so his
neghbors were ready to call him odd, and
even misery. Som even called him hard
hearted; but he lived by himself Just the
same, and never seemed to trouble Iii. head
about any of them
At the foot of his flower garden was a
high paling, and on the other side of the
paling was tiny yard ofthc greenest grass.
and a cunning little brown cottage sitting
in the centre. 1t had been unoccupied a
long time. One fine morning in autumn,
what was the establishment of the peace
loving old bachelor to see wreath of
smoke ascending from the chimney and n
cart of household furniture standing before
the door. The house was actually let
He stared and stared from his chamber
window, and when a carriage drove up and
four lively children jumped out, followed
by pretty young matron, his Indignation
knew no bounds. Four mschievous child
rem! The poor old bachelor thought of his
choice plum trees and his garden with dis
may. And the two eldest were boys too.
He soon found out that they were the mer-
riest, happiest children that ever were, and
when he saw their young mother romping
in the little yard with them he left his win
dow with the greatest disdain.
lie seldom saw their father EXCEPT on
1axr ay,1 tIo,, t1,a,,
er, the children looking so fair and neat in
their new clothes, and all walked together
to church.
Through the cold weather that followed
he saw but little of his near neighbors, but
it was because he would not, for they were
just as merry and busy as ever. They even
had sleigh-ride, and as their laughter
reached his ears he felt angry, he knew not
why, unless it was because he remembered
that he might have been just as happy if he
had chose. But with that we have nothing
to do. In the early spring change came
over the inmates of the cottage. The doc
tors gray horse stood at the gate every
morning for week, and then he came no
more. From his window the old gentleman
saw little coffin carried into the cottage.
Why did he take off his specs just then and
wipe his face all over with his haudler-
chief? Two days after he saw mournful
procession set forth from the door, but
among them all he could see no little form
clad in the garments of woe.
When he saw them all come home look |
ing so lonely, he fairly jumped from his
chair and called himself selfish old fellow,
and as soon as he dared he sent his servant
over with basket of his choicest apples
and boquet of his beautiful house plants.
He then learned that the youngest of the
little flock had been called away to her
heavenly home, and that the others were
very i'll indeed. After this many gift
found itsway from the mansion to the cot
tage.
One lovely evening in June, as the old |
gentleman was walking in his flower garden,
all abloom, and as beautiful as it could be, |
he saw his neighbours little girl sitting in
her fathers door with large book lying in |
her lap. One slender, white arm lay across |
the open page, but she was looking upward |
toward the sky. AS she gazed her eyes |
filled with tears, and he knew she was |
thinking of her little sister and playmate |
who had left her all alone. He gathered q |
choice boquet, and was turning to go back,
when her low tones arrested his ear She |
was reading now, and these were the words |
she read "Come unto Me all ye that labor |
and are heavy laden and / will give you |
rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn |
OF me, for am meek and lowly in heart,
and ye shall find rest unto your souls"
When he heard those words his hard
heart trembed, and he listened as she read
on. Then he called to her. and put his gift |
into her hand without word, and went in |
to the house. His heart was not as hard |
as many believed, but it had been growing |
tender long while, only he had scarcely |
known it himself. He went into his room. |
and going to his bookcase took out an old |
fashioned testament that looked very old |
and worn, and turning leaf after leaf at last |
found what he was looking for-the words !
the little girl had read. On the margin of
the leaf, in a large, boysh hand was writ.
ten, Text of my mothers funeral ser |
mon" Then he read the date, and could |
scarcely believe it had been so many, many
years since he wrote that down in the little |
testament his mother had given him. He
remembered how fu of deep anguish was
his young heart when the aged minister
arose In the crowded church, and in his
solemn tones read those very words Tho
good man had gone the way of all the earth
long ago, und he was now an old man him.
self and must soon pass away. Those
words rung in his ears all night, and he
slept but little. He saw how selfishly he
had lived, and the next day he surprised
the neighbors by asking the little girl to
come over to his room often and read to |
him. After that his doors were open to his |
acquaintances, and to the little children es-
pecially. He soon learned that they were |
very careful not to injure the property of |
one who was so kind to them; and on many
n pleasant summer evening he might have |
been seen sitting in the arbor among his |
flowers, listening to the soft voice of some |
little reader, as they slowly pronounced the
beautiful words of the good book. But he
was more fond of hearing his neighbor's lit
tie girl sing in her clear voice these sweet |
words:
"Come hither, all we weary souls,
Ye heavy laden sinners, come
III give you rest from all tolls,