The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1875-09-08

Inc daughter ilpS qulfered, Du
she answered brightly:
Hope for the best, my father
You can easily get another situa
tom
What are these good for?r hs
cried, extending his withered hands
"Who would hire them? None, none
We must perish"
Then the woman, weak, sick, per
haps hopeless herself, drew the aged
head upon her breast, and, by the
power of her gentle sympathy, com
forted him and renewed the hope il
! his heart
',Ifit were only myself" be NUT
tered, 81 should not care; but how
( will you be able to hear it? Well per.
haps this is our darkest hour and
daylight may be near" With these
words he put on his ragged cap
again and went out upon his search
for work.
4 very natural law Of trade is
that if thing is good for nothing, it
can neither be sold or let to hire,
hence William Deyerell being nearly
unfit for labor, could not get it to do.
Meantime, their little money had
been long since exhausted, and the
father and child were in actual want.
One morning, few weeks after
his discharge, William Deverell sat
IN his room, with his face buried in
the depths of despair. The apart
ment had been stripped Of all its poor
furniture, except the bed, 10 supply
them with food, snd there was no
fire upon the hearth. altbough the
day was bitter cold.
The sick girl lay moiiraiess with
closed eyes, and one iook.a- .rt1 her
wasted features w0ad ia ftlught
that the great hereafter tsa already
set its stamp upon then Bat The
low moan that escaped her lips told
that life and suffering abode with her
yet. At the sound, the old man
arose and approached the bed side.
His daughter looked at him and
smiled, oh. such q weak, pitiful smile,
and taking one of his hands in her
own said:
Never mind, dear, the worst has
come and gone, and it viii soon be
all over; and then, obi nv father,
what shall harm US there?"
The wretched man turned his ewes
away from her pointed finger, as if
be dared not understand her meaning.
and gazed wildly around the room.
An old violin, too worthless to sell.
still hung against the wall, aud as
his eye rested upon it, it frightened
little with renewed hope. "No,
no." he cried you shall not leave me
yet! She! can play little, and this
will support US until can do better"
And, putting the instrument under his
arm, he left the room.
True to his kindly intentions. Hen
~ Archer, the moral opposite of his
grasping father, had -exerted himself
to discover the Whereabouts of the
discharged porter. But to search for
one as poor and unknown as be
among the byways of this great city
Is task that's next to hopeless-and
It was only by accident that he came
upon him at last, with his white head
bowed over his violin, playing for
charity for the passers-by
Shacked at his sad appearance. the
/ generous young man made bis wav
towards him with the intention of Of
tering him instant aid; but before he
could reach him through the iostling
crowd, the old man had replaced his
ragged cap, and was moving slowly
away. Following him as rapidly as
be could, be saw him enter into an
old building in a narrow side street.
and without a moments hesitation
FASTENED up the rickety stairs after
him. His knock brought no response
but loud cry of distress from with
in. Acting on the impulse of the
moment, he pushed open the door and
entered.
Deverell was kneeling over the
motionless body Of his child, with an
expression upon his aged features too
terrible to describe. Aroused from
his stupOr by the young mans step.
be started up with the fury of wild
animal whose young has been de-
stroyed, crying: you here! then
look at your heartless fathers work
and take him word of what you have
seen. Oh! she is dead, and by the
merciful Heaven above US. starved
to death! Then hugging both her
thin hands to his breast, be rocked
himself to and fro in silence.
With tears of sympathy in his
eyes, and feeling no shame for them
either Henry Archer knelt by his
side and gazed earnestly at the rigid
white face lying upon the pillow.
suddenly be sprang to his feet ex
claiming: Courage, sir, She is not
dead, she has only tainted. "See,
her lip trembles.r
He was right. In a moment more
with painful sigh, she opened her
eyes, and smiled reassuringly at her
father. And he, though knowing
that she had been free from the
troubles Of her poor life for better.
hailed her return to it with ioy too
deep for words"
Now, SIR" said Henry, cheerful
ly, ''let me tell you why | am here. /
have been searching for you for
weeks, because l feared-pardon me
for saying it-that you might have a
hard time in getting along, and +
hoped to be of service to you. Let
me begin by-bvr-he hesitated. and
a blush spread over his honest young
face--"by supplying your necessities
until such time as | can procure
another and better situation. Take
this, sir. for the present, and believe
that it comes from one who does not
seek to insult you but to be your
earnest friend. Take it, if not for
yourself, at least for your child"
The old man turned his eyes slow
" from the outstretched hand to the
face of his daughter, and then, with
pou+ta-aJ sFT +hanI- ror - ,ool- H.