The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1882-09-21
Darkest Nearest Dawn.

iJOOh LII viz OtuCI POChCp, oOoi' -
haps you put it there by mistake"
And the young wife turned toward her
husband a face whose sudden wilderness
belied her hopeful words.
cts no use, Maria. tell you it is
gone!" cried the young man in tones OF
despair. "Gone, and the Lord only
knows what is to become of usl'
"What is the case, sir ?" asked one OF
the several gentlemen who left their
sea s to gather round the distressed fam
family, consisting of the parents and two
very noble and beautiful little ones,
boy and girl.
81 have been robbed Of all the money
that have on EARTH" replied the young
man, his lips quivering and his teeth
fairly cha ftering in. his head. And l
am bound for Iowa with my family. We
have none to help us; we shall starve, or
these will, before I can earn anything for
them"
"Oh, not so bad as that, my man"
quoth a venerable gentleman, with long
beard and gold headed cane; mot 50
bad as that; you must not so easily lose
your courage"
At this the pretty, weeping wife looked
up, and said with earnestness:
eff you only knew one-half he has
come through, you would not wonder that
this last misfortune is the drop too
much" and leaning her head on her
poor husbands shoulder, she sobbed
afresh.
81 would like to hold you on my lap,
my boy, may I have that pleasure?'
asked the old man of the little boy.
"Yeth thir," was the frank assent, and
the little fellow sat quietly where he was
placed, while Jenny looked mp with
smiles, into the benign face beside her."
"You must excuse me, SIR the old
man said. addressing the husband and
father, ''but feel very much like taking
liberties. Will you be so good as to re-
late so much as you may choose of your
history? 1 feel strangely curious to
hear it"
There was sympathy in every act and
every tone of the old man, and the sore
heart of the troubled young man was
very thankful to unburden itself.
His name was George Howard, he
said-that is, this was the only name he
knew anything about, for he was a
founding taken from the cold stone floor
of hall in public building one cold
autumn morning. He was then about
two years old, / ad been drugged and left
there to perish or to be picked up, as
the case might be. A kind gentleman
had found him and for six or eight years
he was cared for and happy. Then his
friend died, and he found himself cast
out on the mercy of strangers. He was
taken into family whore they were not
over kind to their own children--to him
they had den ed every pleasure and
every advantage. He could not obtain
time to 90 to school, but had managed to
get candles and study at night. Thus
he mastered book keeping and some
other things, and at eighteen years OF age
had obtained good place in store.
At twenty he had fallen in love with
sweet and worthy girl, and after two
more years of toll, in spite OF the oppo-
sition of her proud relatives, he had
married her, This was q mistake, he
supposed, at least everybody seemed to
consider it so. They ought to have
waited. But his salary was quite suff
Gent to live on, and what more did they
need? They we're very happy; but alas!
there came q change. A bank exploded
somewhere; then another and another;
then the merchants began to shake, and
like row of bricks sta-ding near to-
gether, when the first one gets blow,
down they all fell, and his employers
among them.
There was no getting situation. Hun
dreds of clerks and many merchants also
were ont OF business. George deter
mined to 90 west. Then he met with
manv misfOrtunes; he was long time
sick; he was several times cheated. and
once burned Gut; all that he took out
with him was soon gone.
What made the trouble 80 bad was the
fact that his family we're with his wifes
relatives. and he knew very well how
they all talked to her; he knew how hard
it was for her high and true heart to
bear to hear him blamed for everything,
and undervalued and condemned. So he
had striven, and earned and borrowed
money enough to go for his family, and
thew had started for home in the great
west. and now this blow had fallen upon
them, aud it was too much.
II am now without dollar in the
world" concluded George, and the poor
fellow let his head sink on his breast,
and two tears fell from his great sad
eyes.
Cheer up, my man " said the stran-
ger, ''you know tbs an old saying that
the darkest hour is just before the dawn.
And if q man ever trusts and hopes in
God. it should be when he most needs
to. And you are in that place now
Eyes; i think am" returned George
gloomily. "And it is very hard. 1 had