The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-01-07
Poor Tom, l have been looking for i

Poor Tom. l have been looking for i
these five years
Nantucket passed rapidly up Broadway
and then, to avoid the needless throng
crossed over to the western part of the
town. Fate led him, for it designs ever
| to shape the lives Of such estrays as Tom
| tit.
Once ne paused at a bakers door, and
looked SO longingly at q waiter Of fresh
tarts Oh the counter that the shop girl gave
| him one, and her glossy curls shook all
over with delight at the ravenous way he
devoured it,
Poor fellow" said the girl, sobering,
he must have been teartully hungry"
| He was ratherish, and he annihilated
two tarts with enthusiasm.
As he turned out OF one of the cross
streets he beheld an old man looking in at
an undertakers window as if he were
weary Of life, and a desire to accost him
and beg shelter, or directions for finding
it, overcame his pride, which was rem
nant of its former self. He approached
the man, who took no notice of him what
ever, but continued to glare at the window
with a wildness that almost startled Tom
from his design, Now our humble hero
was never blessed or afflicted, as the case
may be, with great colloquial powers, and
he was somewhat at a loss as to how he
should open conversation with the &C.
centric and unique individual before him,
III this dilemma the words he had heard
spoken thousand times that night broke
musically over his lips:
Merry Christmas, sir Y
Then is was that Jedd Palltry turned and
looked at him and said
"Humph''
Welett Tomtt loored, literally, at chap
ter Ii.
The hours went by like shadows, and he
still lay under the charmed influence of
sleep-sleep, the little sprite, from the
land of nowhere, tnat sits upon tired eye
lids and weighs them down SO kindly, Er-
ratio and coquettish sleep, that will and
won't, and is 50 very like a 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,
s'Where, calm and deep,
The sunshine leth like golden sleep"
In the midst of this the fire in the dimin-
utive stove went out, and now commenced
combat between the warmth OF the
dreamers fancy and the coldness which
was gradually taking possession OF the
room. The alarm OF u coni1agratlon IN
the next street, the mu1fied sound of the
engine, dragged furiously past the door hy
men who seemed like demons red-hot
from Pandemonium, and the jubilant clash
OF sleigh-bells now and then had failed to
move the sleeper. But the silent, invisi
BILE lips of the chill fend were eating into
His little embrowned hand lost its hold OF
the stool and after one OF two involuntary
turns he opened his eyes to the fact that
it was growing intensely cold,
1t was in vain that he drew himself to-
gether like turtle; the cold touched the
outer circles Of his body, and sleep desert
ed him. He spied the velvet pail on the
counter, and in a moment he had envel-
oped himself in its dreadful folds. But
the death cloth warmed him no more than
il he had been dead In fact, it threw a
chill over him, and he seemed covered
with black frost, colder than the snowy
tracery which grew like magic over the
shop windows. He threw the pail from
him as if it had been a 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,
OF T5a 6d idea @ ct f,e fteezjng q to death took hold
act His eyes tell on a coffin which he
thought would hold him comfortably. 1t
nearly exhausted 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 a coYerlid
OF the heavy pail.
Then Tomtit fell asleep again and COM
menced dreaming OF dreary oceans and
lonely isles, and fairy lands torlorn," OF
cross bones and eye-glass skulls, church
yards and epitaphs, and God knows what
Just then brazen-lipped sentinel in a
neighboring beltry solemnly tolled out the
hour, and, unseen, save by Gods own eye,
high up tie 5tuepie. in the snow, and wind,
and sleet a ghostlY finger pointed to the
cabalistic figures XII.
Jedd Palltry was detained longer than
he anticipated-tw 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 fly
ing 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 shop, Just
where the spectral grave sprang up year
", lay pall-covered coffin, the gas going
out, and the boy gone The place seemed
chilly and damp, ike q vault, and Jedd
shivered so that the snowtlakes fell from
him in every direction, like sparks from q
scissor grinders grindstone. The stiffness
in his knees gave out, and he supported
himself against the counter.
Now one of these changes came over
Jedd Pallfry when happen to US at all
times, and for which philosophy's self can
not account. With resolute and fearless
steps he approached the coffin and lifted
the pail. Thelight, which seemed to bright
en- up a little, fell aslant on Tom sleeping.
The strange young face, shaded by tangled
curls Of nut-brown hair, and lacking the
soft influence OF his closed eyes, was al
most wild in its beauty; the parted lips
seemed ready to speak, but they moved
not the eye-lids twitched but they We're
not lifted, and he lay a double picture
Life and Death
Jedd started, but not with fear. He felt
something trembling, throbbing, warm
ing in his bosom. Il was only his heart
melting The nature and humanity of the
man had broken their letters like reeds,
and the love which had lain in a trance
tor dozen years rose up within him, and
would be heard His heart knew the
little stranger in the coffin, and he bent
over him with the tenderness that belongs
to women.
"Nannette y he said softly; "oh 50
wonderfully like Nannette's child
The boy opened his eyes and looked
about him confusedly. He attempted to
rise. but his strength had snccumbed to