Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1879-04-12
NOBODY'S STORY.
BY CHARLES DICKENS.

By CHARLES DICKENS.
He lived on the bank of mighty
river, broad and deep, which was always
silently rolling on to vast, undiscover-
ed ocean. 1t had rolled Oh ever since
the world began. 1t had changed its
course sometimes, and turned into new
channels, leaving its old way dry and
barren; but it had ever been upon the
flow, and was ever to flow, until time
shall be no more. Against its strong,
unbelievable stream nothing made
head. No living creature, 10 leaf, no
particle of animate or inanimate exist
ence, ever strayed back from the undis-
covered ocean. The tide of the river Set
resistlessly toward it. and the tide never
stor ped. any more than the earth stops
its circling around the sun.
He lived i'll very busy place, and he
worked very hard to live. He had no
hope of ever being rich enough TO live a
month without bard work, but he was
quite content, God knows, to labor with
a cheerful will. He was one of an i'm
mense family. all of whose sons and
daughters gained their daily bread by
daily work, prolonged from tneir rising
ND betimes until their laying down at
night. Beyond this destiny he had no
prospect and he sought none.
There was Over-much drumming,
trumpeting and speech-making in the
neighborhOod where he dwelt, but he
had nothing to do with that. Such clash
and uprOar came from the Bigwig fam
lily, at the unaccountable proceedings oil
which race he marveled much. They
Set up the strangest st.tues, in marble,
iron, bronze and brass, before his door.
and darkened his house with the legs
and tails of uncOuth images OF horses
He wondered what it all meant, smiled in
a rough good humOred way he had, and
kept at his work.
The Bigwig family composed Of all
The noisiest) had undertaken to save him
the trouble of thinking tor himself. and
to manage him and his affairs. why
truly" said he, 81 have little time upon
nv hands, and if you will be so good as
to take care of me in return for the
Money pay over"-for the Bigwig fam
ily were not above his money! shall
be relieved and much obliged. consider
ing thatyou know best" Hence the drum
ming, trumpeting and speech making.
and the ugly images of horses which he
was expected to fall down and worship.
II don't understand all this" said he,
rubbing his iurrowed brow cOnfusediy;
..but it has meaning. maybe. If L could
find it out"
1T MEANS" returned the Bigwig fam
ily,suspecting something of what he said,
"honor and glory in the highest to the
highest merit"
aOh p' said he. And was glad to hear
that.
But when he looked among the images
in iron, marble, bronze and brass, he
failed to find rather meritorious coun-
tryman of his, once the son OF War
wickshire wood dealer, or any single
countrvman whatsoever OF that kind.
He could find none of the men whose
knowledge had rescued him and his fam
ily from terrific disfiguring diseases
whose boldness had raised his fOrefathers
from the condition OF serfs, whose wise
fancy had opened a new and high exist
ence to the humblest, whose skill had
filled the working mans world with &C
cumulated wonders. whereas he did f1no
others whom he knew no good OF. anC
even others whom he knew much ill OF
'.Hump," said he, II don't quite I'M
derstand it,"
So he went home and sat down BY hi;
fireside to get it out of his mind.
Now, his fireside was bare one al
hemmed i'm by blackened streets, but i
was a precious place to him. His chill
dred stunted in their growth, bore trace:
OF unwhOlesome nurture, but they hat
beauty i'm his sight. Above all othe
things, it was all earnest desire OF TIL
mans soul that his children should b,
taught. at am sometimes misled,
said he, "for want of knowledge, at leas
let them know better and avoid my
mistakes. 1t is hard tor me to reap the
harvest of pleasure and instruction tina
is stored in books, let il be easier to them.
The Bigwig family broke into viOlen
family quarrels concerning what it wa
lawful to teach to this mans children
Some of the family insisted on such
thing being primary and indispensabl
above all other things; and the Bigwi
family, rent into factions, wrote pamph
lets, held convocations, delivered charge:
orations, and all varieties OF discourse:
impOunded one another in courts La
and courts Ecclesiastical; threw dirt, tx
changed pummelings, and fell togethe
by the ears in unintelligible luminosity
Meanwhile, this man, in bis short ever
ind snatche- at his fireside, saw the dt
mon Ignorance arise there, and take hi
children to itself. He saw his daughtt
perverted into heavy, SCATTERING drudg
he saw his son go moping down I'll
WAYS of low sensuality, to brutality an
crime; he saw the dawing light of int
Iigence i'm the eyes OF his babies :
changed into cunning and suspicion thi
he could rather have wished the
idiots. -
~ don't understand this any better
said he: s.but / think it cannot De RICH
Nav, by the clouded heaven above me
protest against this as my wrong!"
Becoming peaceable again flor his pa
sion was usually short lived, and his N
ture kind, he looked about him on Su
DAVIS and holidays, and he saw no
much monotony aud weariness there WI
and thence how drunkenness arose wi
all its train of ruin. Then he appeal
TO the Bigwig family. and said: ave a
laboring people, and have a gimme
inc suspicion in me that laboring pc
ME. of whatever condition, were ma
Eby higher intelligence than yours,
Ipoorly understand ito be in men1
retreshment and recreation. See VIII
we fall into, when we rest without
Comet Amuse me harmiessly, show L
something. give me an escape !"
But here the BigwIg family fell into
state of uproar absolutely deafenin
When some few voices were faint
heard. proposing to show him the wo
ders OF the world, the greatness of ere
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