Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-04-11
Temperance.
The ChiId's s Cry.
"An infant crying in the night.
An infant crying for the light.
And with no language but cry

An infant crying for the light,
And with no language but cry"
The world is filed with such voices.
From the drunkard's hove and the pau
pers garret they come. The wall of the
sick child, the moan of the hungry child.
the piteous sob of the hungry child,-the
world has not been so greatly renovated
rs yet that these have been silenced. Are
we ever Indifferent to them? Not perhaps
directly. Few such hard hearts and such
when such subjects of pity meet them.
But every great philanthropy Is an appeal
for the children. The missionary cause
cast into the Ganges, and for the Chinese
female infant about to G strangled
because of no use to its parents. The tenn
perance cause is a plea for the wretched,
half-starved child of the drunkard. The
cause of God is always the cause of the
children, to save whom Chr SITS arms were
so tenderly stretched out.
If we are ever inclined 10 be Indifferent
to these appeals, because in the happy and
comfortable faces of our own children we
see nothing 10 remind us of the misery of
the world, let us beware. All children
are ours to pity and to save, if we are
Christ's, In STOPPING down to rescue
another's we may be rescuing our own.
This is the great law of Christs gospel:
"Inasmuch as We did ii unto these ye did
it unto me;" and in doing it unto him we
do it unto our own household.
Let the following narrative, told by
plain man, declare its own moral =
my name is Anthony Hunt. am
drover, and live miles and miles away
upon the western prairie. There wasn't
a home within sight when we moved there,
my wife and and now we haven't m my
neighbors, though those we have are good
ones.
Zone day. about ten years ago, went
away from home to sell some fifty head of
cat:le,-fne creatures as ever l saw.
was to buy groceries and dry goods before
came back, and, above all, doll for our
Youngest Dolly. She had never had
store doll of her own, only the rag babies
her mother had made her. Dolly could
talk of nothing. and went down to the very
gate to call after me to "buy a big one."
Nobody but parent can understand how
my mind was on that toy, and how when
the cattle were sold, the first thing hur-
ried off 10 buy was Dolly's doll. found a
large one with eyes that would open and
shut when you pulled wire, and had it
wrapped up in paper, and tucked it up
under my arm, while had the parcels of
calico and delaine and tea and sugar put
up.
1T might have been more prudent to
stay until morning; but felt anxious to
get back, and eager to hear Dolly's prattle
ho, hor doll I al l1-
going old horse of mine, and pretty well
loaded Night set in before was n mile
from town, and settled down dark MS pitch
while l was in the middle of the widest
bit OF road | know of. could have felt
my way through, remembered it so we'll;
although, when the storm that had been
brewing broke, and peltcd the rain in
torrents. was almost five miles. or may
be six from home. | rode on rs fast as l
could
"But. all of sudden, heard little
cry, like childs voice. stopped short,
and listened. l heard it again. called
and it answered me- couldn't see
thing All was dark as pitch. got down
and felt about in the grass,-called again,
and again ! was answered. Then began
to wonder. I'm not timid; hat l was
known to be a drever. and to have money
about me. 1t might be a trap to catch me
unawares, and rob and murder me. am
not superstitious, s,-not very; but how
could real child be out on the prairie in
such a night at such an hourp 1t might be
more than human. The bit of a coward
that hides itself in most men showed
itself to me then, and was half Inclined
to run away.
"But once more heard that cry; and
said /, eff any mans child is hereabouts.
Anthony Hunt is not the man to let it die" "
searched again. At last I bethought
me of hollow under the hill. and CROPPED
that way. Sure enough found a little.
dripping thirg, that moaned and sobbed
as took it in my arms. Icalled my horse,
and the beast came to me, and mounted,
and tucked the little soaked thing under
my coat as well as could, promising to
take it home to nanny. 1t seemed tired
to death, and pretty soon cried itself to
sleep against my bosom.
at had slept there over an hour when
saw my own windows. There were lights
in them, and supposed my wife had lit
them for my sake; but when | got into
the door yard, l saw something was the
matter, and stood STILL with dread fear of
heart, five minutes before could lift the
latch At last did it and saw the room
full of neighbors, and my wife amidst
them. weeping When she saw me she
hid her face.
"Oh, don't tell him." she said ait will
kill himr'
What is it, neghbors?" cried
"And one said, Nothing now, hope.
What's that in your arms9'
"a poor lost child" SAID l. 81 found 1t
on the road. Take it. will youp I've
turned faint" And | lifted the sleeping
thing, and saw the face of my own child,
my little Dolly
at was my darling, and none other,
that | had picked up upon the drenched
road. My little child had wandered out
to meet daddy" and doll while her
mother was at work; and Dolly they were
lamenting as one dead. l thanked Heaven
on my knees before them all.
"It is not much of story; but think
of it often in the night. and wonder how
could bear to live noa0, if had not stopped
when 1 heard the cry for help upon the
road.-the little baby cry, hardly louder
than squirrels chirp."
1t is much of story. 1t is a story in
which the great moral of the worlds
redemption lies wrapped up. 1t is astory
which translates for US the deepest mean
ing of the cross. In exposing his life 10
danger this man found and restored the
life that was dearest to him. "He that
loseth his life shall find it."-Rev A. j
Gordon, in the Watchuord.