Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-12-22
How Johnny Riley's Lamp Of Life
Expired.
[Fr0m the Pittsbuug Leader.I

How Johnny Riley's Lamp Of Life
Expired.
From the PittStuF0 Lpdder1
For Il long time past Little Riley " mad not
been well. He complained OF a pain i'm his
breast and of weakness, but he Stuck man
fully to his work. One morning lately he said
boots any more: have no strength left and
the doctor says must give il up And sub
sequently he was often observed sitting in
some doorway. weary and pale, with his I'M
sold newspapers under his arm tagged ont
IL was evident that Riley was dying i'm the
harness. Perhaps his parents noticed it. per-
haps they did not, but Riley peddled news
papers up to the hour that the silver cord was
loosed. Sunday last was a weary day for him.
lie was nearing the end of his earthly Journey
He was well-known at the Mon0ngaheia
house, and often, through the kindness of the
attaches got his meals there. On Sunday he
went into the building and was seized with a
severe fit OF coughing: Mr.. Fishhern entered
INTO conversation with him and asked him
how he felt. ~ don't want to live any
longer, said Riley; Il long for rest" Poor
fellow! his wish was soon fulfilled At four
O'Clock that afternoon little Riley was noticed
more pale and weak than usual, holding to a
iamp-post and with some unSOd papers No
body knows how he got home, but he was i'll
all night His father. a deck hand. was Tn
start out In the morning To make trip down
the river. and Johnny. sick as he was was
afraid of disturbing his fathers sleep. lin the
morning, said his father, he came down
STAIRS at SIX O'Clock To eat his breakfast |
had left to go down the river. All night John
ny had been in a kind of dazed condition. but
he sat up to the table and tried to eat He
could eat nothing. but drank cup of coffee
His mother then said: Johnny, l don't think
YOU need 20 for your papers for an hour OF So
Soup stairs and lie down, and maybe you'll
feel better Il think will. mother he said
and went as far as the foot of the stairs Here
he stopped and said: Mother, did father bid
me goodbye before he Went away? 1 can't
so glad of that, said he: and I'm glad he
dldn say anything because l disturbed him
in the night, Then Johnny tried to 20 M
stairs, but he was too weak, and said
johnny, she said, and she took him i'm her
arms. As She did SO he said i'm a strange
voice: on, mother: and these were his last
words: Before she got up stairs he was
dead. This morning waSthe time appointed
Tor the funeral. Through the exertions of
Mr. Newell a suffclent sum of money had
been raised to defray the expenses of decent
burial, ana the pal-bearerS We're four news
boys, who had been companions of Riley's
and delegation of about thirty newsb0ys ac-
companled the remains to the cathedral
where the funeral services We're conducted by
the Rev. Father ReardOn. At the next news
boys dinner there will be 4 vacant seat at the
head OF the table, draped i'm mourning. For
seven years past that seat has been occupied
byJOhnny Riley. who was always given the seat
OF hohOr III consequence of his defOrmity and
dlmlnutiye size. He was i'm his fifteenth wear.
ana had been anewsbOy for about ten years.
FAILURE OF JOURNALISTS AND LITERARY
MEN AS SPEAKERs-The London correspond
ent of the New York Times, describing the
dinner given to Forbes, the famous war cor
respondent, says: 1T is a common thing on
this side of the Atlantic for journalists and
nterateurs, past and present, to fail as speak
erS Forbes, at the dinner given to him by
the press, made a miserable bungle of an at
tempt to acknowledge the compliment he had
received. He said he never was good speaker.
and he would sooner stand to be shot at for
half an hour than stand and speak for the
same length OF time. He only said few
and confusion. Thackeray couldn't speak
imprOmptu. Douglas yerrOld so witty when
sitting at table was an idiot when on his legs
Once at Sheffield. when suddenly presented
with some mementO Of his visit by a depll-
taflOn OF working men, he couldn't find
six words in all his varied vocabulary to
acknowledge the gift. Years ago. when a lot
of the Punch men went down to Boston, i'm Lin
cOlnshire, to help their friend Ingram at his
election. the whole town was covered with as
constituent to find that Mark Lemon and his
numerous colleagues couldn't make a speech
among them. once sat by the side of Dallas,
Of the Times. when his health was proposed,
IN n the company of Shirley Brooks, Tom Taylor,
could only say Thank you have seen the
most brilliant men look like fools when called
upon to speak Among modern writers, Sala
ana Tom Taylor are notable exceptions.
Among those Of the past, Dickens was another
He liked TO have the chance Of thinking out
speech, but 1T was hot necessary to him. Sala
is a fluent and charming talker He thinks and
speaks on his legs as felicitously as he writes.
He was the chairman ut Forbes dinner and
made all the speeches himself. He beamed.
The meeting was triumph for war cores
p0ndents. He presided over it; he, the chief
of Travelled specials; he, the raciest and most
ported on one hand By Duke his Grace Gs sa Of
Sutherland, on the other by Forbes.
OsMAN PAsHA AND THE FORTUNE TELLER
A war correspondent. writing from inside the
fOrtincatiOns at Plevna, says: "OSman Pasha
is blamed to a certain extent for not having
made the inhabitants Of the town evacuate it
while there was yet time, for they suffer terri
bly, Just now, and the continued and repeated
OutcrieS Of the women and children pierce the
heart. and might perhaps in the long run sow
encouragement among the troops. An old
JewesS, Of a very advanced age, is the only
one who amid the general CONSERVATION man
ages to look after her own interests and prof
its by the occasion. She goes by the name of
Sarah, and is a fortune teller. The door of her
house is open from morning till night, and the
many Of the former being of high rank, who
come to consult her on their future lot. She
derives an immense profit from this source,
especially since her predictions OF the death of
officers in one IN two cases, and promotion in
one or two other instances, have been verified.
Ii is even Siitf.rhat Osman Pasha himself has
not diStained fto consult the ancient Sarah,
who has predicted for him a most brilliant flu,
ture, provided he Is not made prisoner before
the 18th OF December"
LEARNING THE SKY.-It is a strange thing
how little in general people know about the
sky. 1t is the part of creation i'm which nature
has done more for the sake of pleasing man,
more for the sole and evident purpose OF talk
ing to him and teaching him, than in any other
OF her works, and 1t is lust the part In which
We least attend to her. There are not many of
her other works I'm which some more material
or essential purpose than the mere pleasing of
man Is not answered in every part Of their Or
ganizatiOn; but every essential purpose of the
Sky might, as far as we know, be answered, IL
once in three days or whereabouts. a great,
black. ugly rain cloud was broken up over the
blue, and everything well watered, and so left
blue again until the next time, with perhaps a
film Of morning and eveningtnist for dew. But ,
instead Of this there Is not a moment Of any
day OF our lives when nature does not produce
scene after scene, picture after picture, glory
after glory, working still upon such exquisite
and constant principles OF the most perfect
beauty that It Is quite certain 1t Is all done for
us, intended for our perpetual pleasure by the
Great Being who made all, an w0rlds.-(Ar-
COSY.
Thou shalt not be found out {" is not
enc Of Gods commandments, and no man can
be saved by trying to keep it.-tDr. Leonard
BncOR.