Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-05-10
A SONS FAITHFULNESS.

h"PPoNU hO0 lod7 oSo LII viz OHiOo
of Russell Sage, the millionaire.
Years ago, when Mr.. Sage lived in
Troy and represented that district in
Congress, before he knew much of |
Wall street, and before he was noted
for his money, he had in his employ
man with whom he had been a
school-fellow and for whom he enter
tanned feelings of warm friendship.
But temptation fell in the clerks
way and he was not morally strong
enough to resist. The ambition to
become rich suddenly overcame him,
and, sitting honesty's instincts, he
turned thief. His crime was not de-
tected till, goaded by his shame, he
himself made a clean breast of the
whole story, and pleading for COM
passion upon bis, wife and child,gave
himself wholly up to Mr.. Sage. Sey-
eral thousand dollars had been en-
bezzled and every cent of it was gone
-frittered away in short-sighted
speculations. The mercy he asked
in the name of his wife and child was
given. Russell Sage was never call
ed hard man in those days, and the
innocent woman in danger of suffer-
ing through his sin had been one of
his childhood's playmates; thus, for
the sake of the innocent, the thief
was forgiven and his wrong-doing
never exposed. He promised much
in the way of reparation he would
pay back to the very last cent, he
said, the money that had been stolen.
But his pledges never bore substan-
tial fruit. He did seem to struggle
hard for a time to regain the lost
footing, but endeavor brought no
satisfactory result, and within a year
the appetite for strong drink had laid
a heavy hold upon him, and from bad
to worse he went headlong till the
end was a pauper's grave. Mr.. Sage
and others provided for awhile for
the support of the widow and orphan
left behind, but friendly assistance
was not of consequence to the brok-
en-hearted woman. A fever, whose
fires were klndled by shame and sor-
row cracking in her proud soul, did
its work quickly. The husband had
not been dead month ere grave
was needed for her also. A child,
the son Of dishonest father, waif
without relative in the world, was
left behind-left with burden other
than his own support to bear, charg-
ed with duty pointed out by a dying
mother, the duty ahead of all other
things, of repairing the wrong of his
erring father. And the child's word
was given as he wept in his boyish
fashion alone with the brave woman
for another's sin was overcome and
sacrificed. The lad, scarce in his
teens, gave his word solemnly. One
thrice his age could not have realized
more fully than he seemed TO do the
grave words Of the mother as she
told the tale of his fathers wavering
his speculations and their sequel in
his downfall, and when she conjured
the boy to bear always foremost in
his purposes the aim to make gooG
the bad record of the past, his 81
will'' had the ring and the fervor OF
truest manliness in it.
This was many years ago. Rus.
| sell Sage soon lost sight of the strip.
ling. A farmer near Troy gave him
5 home for time, but in a year OF
two he drifted away. What became
of him thereafter nobody ever coult
say. He himself made the mystery
plain the other day. Johnnie Nc
Cam, Mr.. Sage's private secretary,
was holding his regular matinee in an
outer office with throng of put and
call brokers, when stranger intrud
ed, asking to be shown into MI
Sage's private office. The put and
call army leered Sec. McCann ex
planned that Mr.. Sage was very busy
but there was an earnestness in the
> callers manner that induced specia
consideration, and as he was turning
e away, the secretary volunteered te
take in his card if it would be fa
vor. The visitor wrote a name upor
bit of paper. Evidently Mr.. Sag
did not recognize the name as tina
;. of anybody in whom he had the
. slightest interest, and Mr.. Mccain
t was obliged to explain that Mr.. Sag
had too much business on hand tt
: permit of interruption. At o'clocl
the millionaire buttoned up his over
coat and made ready to 60 to his fiftl
> avenue home; but he had not takel
e more than step or two in the out
h side stairway when he was brough
to halt. The visitor who had beel
IS denied admittance during the bust
= ness hours had waited to intercep
. the magnate homeward bound.
/. 81 want to see you for a littl
y while said the stranger. "You hav
o forgotten my name, suppose, bu
g you remember John Blank, of Troy
who was your clerk.
Eyes yes! y calculated the puzzle
speculator.
J. "Well,' was the calm remark, S
# am John Blanks son, and I've com
|; to pay you his debt
Russell Sage was late at Dime
| that nioht Hours went nv as he ss