Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1882-08-08
SOMETHING GLORIOUS HAPPENED
Detroit Free Press.

| Detroit Free Press.
A boy 10 years old pulling heavy
cart loaded with pieces of boards and
lath taken from some demolished struct-
ure-an every day sight in our cities.
Tired and exhausted he halted under a
shade tree. His feet were bruised and
sore, his clothes in rags, his face pinch
ed and looking years older than it should.
What must be the thoughts of such
child as he looks out upon the world
the fine houses. the rich dresses, the roll
ling carriages-the happy faces of those
who have never known what il was to
be poor. Does it harden the heart and
make it wicked, or does it bring feel
ing of loneliness and wretchedness-a
wondering if he rich mans Heaven is
not so far from the poor mans Heaven
that he will never catch sight Of their
pinched faces
The boy lay down on the grass, and
in FIVE minutes was sound asleep. His
bare feet just touched the curbs,one, and
the old hat fel from his head and rolled
to the walk In the shadow Of the tree
his face told story that every passer-
by could read. 1t told of scanty food
Of nights when the body shivered with
cold-of HON. without sunshine-of q
young life confronted by hooking shad-
owS.
Then something curious happened.
\ laboring mana queer old man, with
a wood-saw on his srm-crossed the
street 70 rest for moment beneath the
same shade. He glanced at the boy and
turned away, bat his look was drawn
again, and now he saw the picture and
read the story. He, too, was poor. He,
too, knew wha, !, was TO shiver and hun
ger. He tip,oed along until he could
bend over the boz, and then he took from
his pocket piece of bread and meat
the dinner he was To eat If he found work
and laid It down beside the lad. Then
he walked carefully away, looking back
every moment, but fastening out of
sight as if he wanted TO escape thanks.
Men. women and children had seen j, all,
and what lever it was The human
heart is ever kind and generous, but
sometimes there is need Of key TO open
it. 4 man walked down from his steps
and left half-dcllar beside the poor
mans bread. A woman walked down |
and left good hat IN the place of the
OLD one. A child came with a pair Of
shoes and boy brought coat and vest.
Pedestrians halted and whispered and
dropped dim, and quarters beside the
first silver piece.
Something curious had happened.
The charity Of poor old man had un-
locked the hearts of a score of people.
Then som ethirg strange occurred. The
pincbed faced boy suddenly awoke, and
sprang up as if ii were crime to sleep
there. He saw the bread-the clothing
the money--the score Of people wait
ing around 10 see what he would do.
He knew that he had slept, and he real
lied that all those things had come to
him as he dreamed. Then what did he |
do: Why he sst down and covered his
faee with his hands and sobbed like a
grieved child. They had read him SER
m OIL greater than all the sermons OF the
churches. They had set his heart to
swelling and jumping until it choked him.
Poor, Jagged and wIetched, and feeling
that ne was no more TO the world than
stick or stone-he had awakened to find
that the world regarded him as human
being worthy of aid and entitled to pity.