The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1885-06-13

care. The little one slept some hours on q
bed irnprovised from Mr.. Vernon's over
coat. Meantime he noticed that the mother
looked SO disconsolate that he could not re-
frain from Offering to be of service. His
overtures were declined in tone of de-
spairing resignation.
"No, thank you, nobody can help me-"
However she told her pathetic story very
simply and briefly:
"We're like thousands OF others-the
war ruined us, though it came about in
strange way. Jim and me had our pretty
home on the outskirts of Detroit. He's q
carpenter and had made everything nice
for me. wouldn't let him go to the war,
and there's folks that thinks what happened
was punishment on me, though Pm sure
he has the worst of it.
"There was barracks near us all through
the war, and one morning early we heard
a great shouting, and looking out. we saw
three soldiers chasing another, and throw
in clubs after him. Jim let him into the
house and shut the door, when he fired a
revolver and killed one Of the soldiers out
side, and when the trial come into court
| they all swore twas Jim done the shootin',
| so he was put into prison for life. You see
twas three against one, and justice amt
| for poor folks any way. The Governor
won't listen to me. He saws he'd have to
let everybody out of prison if he took their
wives stories, SO l can't do anything only
| just go and be near him. I've been stayin'
with my folks in Chicago and they believe
that Jim's guilty, and couldn't stand that,
so Pm goin' to jackson to stay somewhere
in sight of the prison as long as he lives.
The life's wearin' on him, he can't last long,
and 1 ought not to be sorry when he's
gone," she concluded, with a pitiful re-
pressed sob.
Fred Vernon believed every word of this
narrative, as might have been expected OF
| Cd IN, with criminals
and as it happened this statement was
true. "A cunningly devised fable" would
have been as readily credited, for at this
stage of his life he had great faith in hu-
mainly, particularly in the unfortunate
down trodden classes. After-experienct
forced upon him the knowledge that with q
portion of them their misfortunes are theil
stock in trade.
| Now his chivalrous nature was fully
aroused; he felt sublimely indignant with
the Michigan Governor, whose name h
could not recall, and he registered vow
that that dignitary should attend to thu
pale little woman's petition. Thinking o
luxury and shielded from trouble, made hin
more than ever tender and pitiful to all les
|, fortunate women. He soliloquized: Ii
the sad vicssitudes of life my darling
may sometime need a champion If l wer
not able to protect and care for her,"
/ w ueu INC tfulu SJOppcu ut SaCkSOu u
escorted the convict's wife to carriage
paid the driver, gave the little girl tw'
twenty dollar gold pieces, then, strange a
. | it may seem, within week he utterly for
got the existence of these unfortunates
and year passed before he remembers
them again. The encounter, however, ha
served to restore him to his usual Endl
interest in humanity.
The train sped on through the brigh
summer evening, over flower bordere
/. streams, through meadows adorned wit
newly-cut grass,l bearing this passenge
toward the calamity that was already pre-
I jecting a shadow over his life.
1t is startling for comparatively ric
man to be suddenly confronted by poverty
as Mr.. Vernon learned when his uncle
: death disclosed the fact that the bushes
4 had somehow gone to ruin. Still he was nc
/. so much dismayed as might have been ex
pected. Making his own way in the worle
the inexperienced man anticipated, woul
: be quite easy, and he felt strong enough
the tidings Of reverse quite bravely, an
had an unreasoning faith that everythin
; would eventually turn out all right.
Mr.. Vernon might have retained poz
J, tion of his fortune, which had never bee
s invested in the business, but his high sens
of honor forbade that subterfuge, an
), everything was given up, even to the hous
| IuTulSneQ WIFI lOVl0k caro- us DTlu'
This exceptional manifestation of integrit
: produced quite Juror of admiratio
( among the creditors, but their enthusiast
h did not take any practical form. 1t wa
not convenient for any of them to offer th
: ruined merchant suitable situation
: Some of them were sure that "such o mob
: young fellow as Vernon, who had Away
been helping everybody" was sure
prosper; while others expressed the opinio
that the Lord would reward him, whic
r was q comfortable and easy way of a
}, quitting themselves of obligations to off
q a helping hand to fallen man. Each or
expected some generous action OF b
e neighbor, so it happened that nobody di
< anything.
J. The man to whom everything desirab
had hitherto come could not readily gras
!. the means of helping himself, so the tw
!, young people, who had no care in the worl
= beyond buying everything that they migl
2 happen TO desire, soon found themselv,
= confronted with the very serious probes
y of life.
Two years after the interruption of the
wedding tour, Mr.. and Mrs. Vernon hs
y removed to the Western city where the 4,
y tai telegram had reached them. The
= were both considerably changed by tin
z and circumstances. They had cherisht
= an exceptionally lofty ideal of life, b
u their minds, which were to have been g,
l pdnucu ulo SOuuy VI anu uOcTdOuT
- had become partially engrossed in the col
y sideration Of petty economies; and the 9,
. istence which was to have been so graz
= and free, had of necessity become crampt
= by the limitation of poverty. 1t was, pc
- haps, too early to estimate the effect of Il
= transformation upon their characters, b
i. neither of them had grewn selfish, as mar
g kindly deeds to others more Vi
:. fortunate than themselves testifie
y BY some fatality they had be,
- requited by moro than the average sha
- of ingratitude. They had lost out of the
~ lives something of the sweet romance tn
they always meant to cherish.
n "But when from youth the dream depar
a II takes something from our hearts,
!. And 1t never comes again."
- Still these young people were not hop
;s less nor comfortless. Any life shared I
= gether held compensations, and they we
still young enough to expect a favorat
turn in fortune. Their most importa
~ service had been in securing the release
70 the man unjustly condemned for murds
n By the time Mr.. Vernon recalled Il
Il events of that strange journey, ne
ar Governor had been installed in Michiga
"a. u - IA