Wilmington daily gazette., 1874-02-24
Only a Child.

Is the poor rich man. The man In absolute
poverty can be helped, but for the man who
Is poor with his Golfers full of gold there il
no eartnly neip--none unless something can
get Gown into his heart and open the way
for the Incoming OF sunlight and warmth
such transformation / once knew and I
will tell you how It was wrought. it was
by only little child.
Rufas 0rote was really and truly a miser.
though he had probably never acx nowl.
edged that fact to himself. At the age of
sixty he lived in = close small shabby hor 80
In narrow street. though where the streets
were broad he owned u whole row the rent
al Of which yielded W hat might have been
munifcent income to any man.
In early life Rufus Grote had been dlsap-
pointed, so, while yet q young man b. a had
shut hiuselfup within his she'll and through
all the years OF his msnaood he had neither
asked norGi yam love and friendship, HG
took his usance. even to pound of flesh, if |
| 1t was due him by the bond, and no was as |
ready to discharge all bonded obligations.
| When people knew who nufus Grote
wished 10 point TO man without heart
| they pointed to him. They declared that he
ioYed no human being-not even himself
| That he did not love Ainself was evident to
them from the fact that he gave to himself
not single comfort OF life which ne could
avoid giving. and at the ssme time live.
| One, eve ming, just at dusk a coach stopped
at Rufus Grote's door, and lady dressed In
black, aud accom- panied by a child, alightsd
therefrom and piled the rusty iron knock or.
The miser answered the summons, and
demanded to know the applicants business
"Uncle RUFUS" said the woman, ~ am
Mary Sanford, and this Is my child. VIII
you give me shelter until / can lind work."
Mary Sanford was the only daughter of
Rufus Grote's dead sister. He heard OF her
husbands death, and he had shudderinply
asked himself more than once # 1t might
not be possible that his widowed niece
would call upon him for assistance. And
now that the dreaded blow had fallen, that
was he to doY Had he followed the ii rst
impulses, he would have turned the W woman
and child away with a word, but that W ould
o have been inhuman. he was caught in a
y trap, He had to open the door wider and
y let them In. And when they were in, he
y was forced, in common decency, to 60 out
y and buy loaf of bread and some cheese
% Mary Sanford WAS over thirty-fye-s
y slight, pale faced, pretty woman-aud wha
~ OF beauty she possessed was due more Il
10 the reflex action upon her face and manner
10 of her native goodness than to auy out
% ward form OF feature.
W Her child-a girl OF nine 5sars-wa, .all
W ed Flora. She was plump, dimpled sun
y ny faced child, with ihs light OF tender
,,ds loving heart sparkling IN every feature
n She was really and truly thing of beauty
and perfect joy.
After eating the bread and cnssse. an
l. drinking cold water with it. Mary Sanfor
NJ told TO RuIus Grots the story of her hus
bands desth-how he had suffered lon,
nd and how he had left her in restitution
NE But" she continued, as she saw ciou
upon her uurle's face, q am not come to
burden upon you. Mrs. Maynard will /
,+ in town IN few days and will give m
-" work"
ugh wat gind OF Go.k."e e;oTl,
Rufus.
Il shall keep house for her."
Later In the evening, By the dim uEh,
single tallow candle, little Flora crept
All ~ the old mans side and climbed up into
= at lap. For moment he had thoug ht OF pu
Inc ting her away, as he would have put awi
Ad an insnuatink cat but he did not do it.
she kept on until she had both hands up
- his shoulders.
IL You are my uncle Rafus, sLa SAID "
quiyering and eager smile
- Il suppose so." answered the nan, fol
~ ing out the reluctant words
ess 81 haven't got papa any mora. May
re- kiss you before 20 to bed ?"
en- The little WARM arms weIe sTuuai
rims neck and the kiss was upon his Cheei I
e child waited moment. as though 70
\ IA a kiss in return; but she did not get IL, a
- she slipped down and cut wiih her IA I'll
TG to the little dark room where Rufus CIR
the had gwen up to their use, his own hard p
10 bed
can car For himself, the host bad planned
'in,s spread blank at upon the foor in the liv
irs.s room. He had slept SO before, and he CO.
3 sleep so again,
The soil of Rufus Grots's heart vas !
- the soil OF other hearts. A seed. once for
- through the crust, would hnd root thu
lamp either good or evil. In all his msnhon
life. so bright q thing had not crept ul
him before-so warm thing US that CHI
ohIst ish kiss had not touched his cheek. He
M not think of ii so much until he was al
wsll In the dense darkness and thsR, when
"lm could SEQ nothing else. Ls could sse
sunny face and the musical ch.rrup SOL
again In his cars. At iirst, he would b
been glad TO believe that the child's mot
4 the had instructed her IN this, but when
lewly looked overlall ihe circumstances, he hi
that 1t could not have been and, in the
before he slept, he Was glad that the Ii
child had come To him OF hor own sv
.Tu impulse.
a. Upon that hard II lol. With only n sill
W blanket Tor bedding. Ruius Grots did
m sleep as souudiy AZ ho wont. lie dream
and III his dreams he saw cheiub, and
cherubic arms about his neck. with Xxi
upon his cheek. Aud he said 10 himsel
8, his dream
surely cannot be SUCH an ogre ii /
sweet beings can loye mel"
In the moyning Rafus Grote was up
f. Dim early. lie had thought, the night before,
he'had bread and cheese enough for br
fast; but after the nights rest--perhaps
the nights dream--he took new thou
! Isf,. SCI, Without exactly comprehendlng the fee
the sense OF utter lonilness and selishnes,
--- given place-just the glimmering OF a pll
TO q warmer sense OF eompanlonship and
ternity. lie put his hand up to his c
where the impress of the chiid's kiss ha
len, and q new resolution came to his I
m. he went out to = aeighboring street corne
I'll, purchased tea. and sugar. and butter ant
warm breakfast rolls, and small can Of
He had just deposited these articles upC
t.. own table, when Mrs Sandfori made hi
pearance.