The Owosso times., 1881-11-18
JACK--A MENDICANT.
From Belgravia.

A smooth haired, whitish-brown ter
rier it was, with cropped ears, a black
patch over one eye, and only half a
tail; a thin, shadOwy sort of thing that
used to grub about in the twilight in
the cutters, and in odd corners where
poor people throw waste and rubbish,
picking up its own living as best it
could. If it had not known how to
'fend for ITSELF it must have Jared
hardly indeed; for though it had mas
ter who loved it as he would have low
ed the sun in the heavens, could his
blind eyes have been lighted for one
moment by its beams, and who treas
ured it as he did the memory of his
dead wife, dead daughter, dead grand
child, yet he had nothing but his love
ito give it, and love, as W. all know,
though 1t never faileth, and is greater
than faith and hope, yet in hard times
cannot so much as buy an ounce of
bread; nor even get bone for dog.
Caleb had been blind for more than
twenty years. Once he had been a
strong skilful workman who had never
known a dinnerless table nor fireless
hearth. Things had gone well with
him in early life; he had married a
stOut young country woman, and had
only one child by her-a blue-eyed.
fair-haired darling, whom they had
christened Martha, but whom everyone
loved to call Matte. She looked as if
she had been born to a pet name, and
she stuck to it as right. Matte was
sent to school and taught embroideries
and needlework; she was not to work
hard, as her father aud mother had
done before her, but was to lead the
quiet gentle sort of life God so evident
ly intended her for; and if, by and by,
when father ard mother were getting
old and could no longer work for their
darling, some good honest workman
was to come along and offer to marry
her-weli!-then he should have her,
and Gods blessing go with her.
But before Matte was ten years old,
or there was any thought of father and
mother getting old, Caleb's great trou
BILE had come upon him. There was q
huge fire at the factory where he
worked, and Caleb, in his zeal to save
his masters property, was much burn,
about his face, arms and chest. They
took him to the hospital, where they
did the best they could for him, AM
| he came out of it in months time
with limbs patched, face sound though
SCARED, but eyesight gone forever.
How the stout young wife would
have wept over him if she had hat
time to weepi But time meant more,
in those days, and she set to work will
a will to get the daily bread No NOR
embroideries for little Matte; sewinl
and stitching will serve her in bette
stead new, for she can earn a shilling
here and shilling there, by plail
needle-work among her poor neigh
bors.
| And so things went on for ten year
or more. Caleb turned woman in tn
house, and cooked their small meals
and kept things straight and neat a
he could without his eyesight; and th
women turned men, as poor wome
often have to do, and brought In th
pounds and sbillings, or, failing til
pounds, the shillings. and the pennie
and even in those days had alway
wberewithal to help . brother or sii
ter less fortunate than themselves.
Then there came another chang
, fever set in in that neighborhood, an
J the brave strong mother was the fir'
to fall victim to 1t. Caleb was daze
with grief. Matte wept her heart on
! then set to work again, but this tin
with less Of spirit and courage. Frol
. house to house Caleb CROPPED his wa,
begging for work-he would do VIII
he could for sixpence day; he wa
30 he said, "a giant in strength True