News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-07-08

retary and Treasurer (that well-known
phiIanthropist and amiable nah, Mr.
Kimberley, after he had taken care to
expatiate eloquentiy on the thousands OF
breakfasts the Association had given
during the past year, the number OF
affecting addresses he and other mem
bers of it had delivered to the break
fasters, and the immense amount of un-
perceived good which the breakfasts and
addresses must have done, came ut
length to the state of the finances, and,
having announced the deficit of nearly
twelve hundred pounds, appealed in
affecting terms to the meeting to know
whether it would, for the sake of such q
paltry sum, permit SO much necessary
and benevolent work to be impeded, ii
not stopped altogether His speech pro
duced Considerable effect.
He had scarcely sat down when Mr..
Litewait rose He said that, impressed
by the honorable treastirer's statement.
he had consulted with his wife and SON.
who were present, as to what, in face of
the facts it disclosed, was their duty,
and they had come to the conclusion
that, since Providence had blessed them
with an ample share of the good things
OF this world, they were bound TO de-
vote part of their superhuity to relieve
less fortunate peoples necessity. He
therefore desired to say that he intended
to give the funds of the Association q
! donation of five hundred pounds, and
| that his wife and son would give, in ad-
dltiOn, donations of hundred pounds
piece.
This noble declaration evoked immense
enthusiasm. Speaker after speaker
sprang to his feet to thank the LitewaIts
for their generous gifts, and to congrat
ulate the Association on possessing such
generous benefactors. So great was the
excitement that it for a time prevented
the transaction of any further business,
and fired several gentlemen present to
subscribe among them the remainder of
deficit.
After the consideration of the Hon.
Treasurer and Secretarys report the
meeting proceeded to the question of
contracts. Several of these were dis
posed Of when the most important one
was reached, 1t SO happened that the
articles referred to were such as Mr.. Lite
wait sold, and before the tenders sent
in were examined Mr.. Kimberly asked
the meeting if, when it remembered
that Mr.. Litewait was present, and wha'
he had that day done, it was necessary
to examine them. Would it not be
better to assign, without formalities,
! the contract for the next three years to
Mr.. Litewait, and leave the prices to
/ his own generosity and business The
proposal was carried by acclamation.
| AS soon as the applause had subsidized
| Mr.. Litcwait arose. His emotion was
such that for little time it prevented
him from speaking. When, however,
he had sufficiently recovered himself he
told the meeting how touched he was
by the confidence they had placed in
him, and how anxious he would be to
| show them 1t was not misplaced. He
had not desired the contract, but since
they so generously offered it to him he
could not decline it, but, in accepting
it, he would endeavor by every means
in his power to spare the funds and ad-
vance the objects of the Association
Perhaps the proposal to give Mr.. Lite
wait an contract open would not have
been carried so easily if it had emanated
from any other person thanMr. kimberley,
but that gentleman's high character
gave any proposition he made immense
weight among his brother philanthropy
lists. He was, ind ed, entitled to much
respect. He was very old man now,
and for fully fifty years he had given,
ungrudgingly, health, strength and for
tune to what he believed was the cause
of humanity. Some of the projects he
advocated may have been ill-advised,
but even those men who were most con-
vinced of this, and questioned most
strongly the soundness of his Judgment,
could not but respect the deep sincerity
and benevolence.
In the Association for Giving Free
| Breakfasts, etc., he was omnipotent.
| No one for moment ventured to oues-
ton the eXpediency of anything he sug-
gested, and it would have been regarded
as impertinence to endeavor to check in
any way his statements of the condition
! of the Association S affairs. Consequently
when at the close of the three years
contract, he declared himself qui salts
fed with the manner in which it had
been discharged, and moved that it
should be renewed to Mr.. Litewait on
| the same terms as before, the proposal
was at once and unanimously adopted.
1t was about this time that Mr.. Kind
erley's numerous friends became alarmed
about his condition. Hitherto he had
been remarkable for his cheerfulness
and spirits, which for man of his age
were surprising; but now his demeanor
suddenly underwent a complete change,
and he became as gloomy and depressed
as he was formerly light hearted 1t
was hard to find any cause for this
alteration. His health, it is true, was
not good, but still it was not so seri
ously disordered as to account for his
profound melancholy. Some among his
| friends attributed it at first to overwork
and induced him to take more rest than
he usually allowed himself; but the
change did no hing to restore his spirits.
Gradually those more intimate with him
were forced to explain it by startling
hypothesis: that be had been guilty of
some act which to his tender conscience
seemed a crime, and that the memory OF
it, haunted him day and night, was the
reason of his misery They tried over
and over again to discover what this
was, in hopes that they might be able
to offer him some consolation or suggest
some remedy, but in vain. Whatever
his secret was, he would not Tighten It's
pressure on himself by sharing it with
| friend
As the next annual meeting of the AS
sociation for Giving Free Breakfasts,
etc, drew nearer, he became more and
more miserable. His agony, when it
was mentioned, was so evident that his
friends began to suspect that 1t must be
| something connected with the Associa-
tion's affairs that was worrying him.
And his condition on the night before
the meeting was so shocking that his
old school-felow, John Hardy, a man
of rough manners but very kindly heart,
could not bear it.
"Look here, Kimberley" he said to
him resOlutely, what the deuce is up
with you2 You're not the same man
you were year ago. What's up with
you?'
Cup with me, John2" said Mr.. Kind
erley, starting nervously. why, no
thing. I'm not quite well, that's all2"
! Nonsense, man, said Hardy. "Whats
the use of saying that? Doesn't everybody
see you've something on your mind?
What is it2 Why don't you tell me?
Did ever refuse to help you? After all
these years have you no confidence In
mel"
Mr.. Kimberley sat pale and miserable.
| He was silent for q moment or two after
his rough friend had ceased speaking,
and was evidently engaged in painful
thought, uncertain what to do. At last
he made up his mind. Raising his eyes
| pitifully to Hardys face he sa d, 81
| Iobu aud for Sc