The Irish standard., 1886-12-25

tion and the execution OF any design IN
which his happiness was at all involved
-unsatisfed with ordinary means, and
still more 80 with ordinary ends, seeking
for higher, yet unequal to these-scru-
pulous to perfect exactness in all tran
sactions where his heart exercised NO
influence over his conscience, but fre-
qnently led into the widest and most
apparaa5ly dishonest practices. by mis-
taking the arguments Of passion and
feeling for those Of reason-sensitive,
even to fnery, when tried with noder-
ate and limited excitements, yet easily
capable of being wrought up into a saw
age disregard of all social and moral re-
straint when heated bya skilfully used
and violent impulse-suspicious in the
minutest triRes, yet ainging himself and
his fortunes with the most unguarded
confidence on the chance-honesty Of a
stranger whom his enthusiasm or his
weakness Of mind led him to select as a
friend, untried and unknown-proud,
fierce, and irritable, when any, even Of
those who might reasonably claim such
a right, attempted to assert natural
dominion over him, yet submitting
himself with a voluntary, and some
times almost a pitjable docility to the
guidance of man who was his inferior
in rank and education, and whose only
advantage, in point of intellect, was in
the possession of that quality which
Iago so aatteringly and falsely at
tributed to his Venetion dupe, Roderigo,
a firm and resolute purpose.
circumstances had contributed to
render the character Of the young man
more positive and confirmed, at the same
time that none OF its contrarieties had
been blended or softened down BY the
lapse of years and the growth of ex-
perience. His family, of which, as I
have before mentioned. he was the
youngest member, was numerous; and
being placed precisely in that rank Of
life in which appearances are con-
suited with the greatest anxiety, as one
of the tangible modes of rendering lis
position, with respect to the relations
OF society above and below it, less
squivocal, their humble means We're
tasked to al extent which made it ab
solutely necessary that mort1fying
privation should fall on some, or all.
Little Bob felt the influence Of this ne
cessity before he WAS able to remon-
strace against it's particular application
to himself. By a course OF reasoning
very pardonable, if not free from error,
his older friends and protectors mea-
sured his wants by their own estina-
ton OF bis claims, and they would, in
all probability. have laughed at The idea
OF. taking the little urchin's feelings
into account. 1t Was by no means,
therefore, considered either unwise or
unreasonable that Bob, about whom no.
body cared, should run barefoot, while
the extremities of his elders, who had
began to assume place in the con-
sideration OF their neighbors, were
vested in the shining luxury Of polished
calfskin and lambs-wool nor for the
same reason did any Of his friends
question the propriety of allowing Bob's
little bandle-cloth shirt to hail the light
Of day through the assures which time
had made in the elbows OF his coarse
frleze jacket, while the well~ironed and
neatly-frilled inner garments of his
brother were protected by yearly suit
Of glossy broad-cloth, illuminated with
rows Of the most resplendent gilt but
tons, and modelled alter the most ap-
proved specimens which the capital of
the country (the emporium Of all fashion
and taste i'll costume) could supply.
The very circumstance, moreover, of
the mortifyiug distinction which was
thus uuwarily drawn between him and
his brothers, subjected him to what
his boyish spirit felt to be still further
and bis ragged and ne
elected appearance seemed, in the eyes
OF his philosophlc friends, to afford good
reason for employing him in many
menlal Offices about the farm, which
would otherwise have been allotted to q
menlal, or shared with him by the
other members OF the household.
''Bob is not dressed, so he can help to
foot the turf. bob has no shoes nor
white stockings on, SO he can turn home
the COWS. ''-''Bub will run to the village
for" whatever it might be 'sfor no.
body will remark his carrying bun
de- were sounds no less familiar to the
ears than grating to the feeling of the
boY-although the custom which he had
been in from his infancy OF taking upon
trust the Opinions Of those above him,
and adopting them without considera-
ton, prevented his once entertaining
a., s,,icinu Of the iustlce of auV arrange