Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-03-11

PART I.-CoNrINuEp.
Despite himself, William was touched,
Knowing how frugally the doctor lived.
Dr. Bax was not blind to this better
mood OF his companion, but he did not
appear to openly observe it.''
"ls this your yearly customp" asked
William
1T is; and one of my bsst pleasures.
We must be off now.'
They had not far to go. The doctor
drew rein again at howell, from the
small window-panes of which single
rush-light could be seen burning. He
Knocked at the door.
who's there?" cried avoice.
"i'r. Santa Claus" replied the doc
tor, IN loud CHEEKY tone, with med
icine.''
The door was Immediately opened by
poorly-dressed woman, and the doc
tor entered with some parcels in his
hand. William remained outside, and
presently DIR. Bax beckoned him in,
saying the pony would stand still The
room was very scantily furnished. In
one corner, on an old wooden bedstead,
a man lay asleep, and by his side
child, also asleep. On the rail at the
foot of the bed, so fixed that the child's
eyes should fall upon it when she woke,
was wooden soldier, placed there by
the doctor; and the parcels he had
taken from the dog-cart were on bare
deal table. The woman, who had been
ironing, and who had paused in her
work to admit her visitors, was re-
garding the gifts with tears in her eyes.
Il wanted you to look at our child"
said DR.. Bax to William. .'Is she not
a little beauty?"
The mother turned down the cover
let with pride and affection to allow
William to see the pretty creature.
DIR. Bax stopped and kissed the child,
and William was impelled to do so like
wise.
Has your man complained much to-
day?" asked DIR. Bax.
''Yes, all day long; he's asleep now
from sheer WEAKNESS; it'd take deal
to wake him. His back has been pain
ing him dreadfully, and all the feeling
has quite gone out of his legs. He
don't know when / am rubbing them,
poor dear! Before he went to sleep he
was wishing for Christmas dinner; it
would be the last, he said. he should
ever be able to eat. / didn't know
what to say. Heaven only knew where
a Christmas dinner was to come from.
but 1 can give it to him now. God will
bless you, DOCTOR"
Come, William" said DR.. Bax,
hastily, 1--WE must be moving again.
Goodnight. Some time tomorrow 1
shall be here to see how your man is"
On the road the doctor said:
'Unless Il man chooses to walk
blindly through the world, he Can see
everywhere about him sacred and beau
tiful evidences of love. More among
the poor than among the rich, for,
from the very necessities of their con-
dition. self-sacrifice-the holiest form
in which love can show itself-is the
more demanded. The poor woman
whom we have just left has not been
treated by her husband with tenderness
or consideration. While he was in
health, he squandered his money at the
public-house. and never saved a penny.
Six months ago he met with an acct
dent to his back, which will soon end
his days. Since that time he has been
unable to move from his bed, and the
woman, without murmuring, has
worked increasingly for him and their
child. She will be up half through this
night, to finish the washing and IRON
ing she obtains from the neighbors;
and love will uphold her through all.
When her man dies, after her first pas
sion of grief at that lifting of q heavy
load from her, she will devote herself
to her child. whom she will work for
with patience and cheerfulnesS, CRATE
full for the burden love imposes upon
her"
DIR. Bax cast furtive glance at
William, but the young man lips were
fast set; and the downward lines on his
forehead showed that though the doc
tors words had reached him, their
meaning was lost upon him.
The first visit was the keynote to all
that followed. They went to places of
the existence of which William had
hitherto been ignorant, and saw scenes
of domestic life which would have left
deep impression upon him, had the
eyes of his mind been open to anything
but the contemplation of his own mis-
cry. But he was almost blind to them,
so dazed was he with grief. 1t GER
tainly was not the result of special de-
sign-for William was not his compan-
ion by generalization, and he had his
route carefully marked down - that,
wherever DR.. BaX stopped, he elected
poor and common people he visited
sparks of human love which shone with
a holy light among the ashes of mis-
spent and wasted lives. Even from
those who had fallen very, very low,
and who, snatching the gifts he prof
fered, threw them aside out of his reach,
and thanked him with assumed humil-
ity-even from crime. and shame. and
sin, that laughed in his face and Knocked
his tenderness-even from cunning in
gratitude, which said, as it accepted
his charity: 1--WE have taken what you
wished us to take; and now that you
have shown yourself, off you may GO
even from the worst of these he did not
depart without, with better cunning
than theirs, evoking from their gutter
natures some CLEANS of human good
ness which made them, if only for a
few moments, ashamed of their shame
and degradation.
But If DR.. Bax intended to convey
any lesson to his companion-and his
frequent anxious chances at William s
moody face evidenced a wish to do so
by admitting him as witness to
these scenes, his design was a failure.
Their course, though devious, lay with
in a narrow circuit, and whenever they
went they heard the church-bells CHM
ING the hour. Quarter after quarter
was proclaimed, and William became
more and more inattentive to the doc
TORS errands. and more and more I'M
patient for the coming of the moment
which was to make or mar his haPpl-