The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-11-11

2 And frightened a moment the tear stained face
OF boy who stood on the outer stair.
g Twas newsbOy Ben, who, listening there,
, Had heard each word his brother said
While, burdened with load of pain,
His heart lay in his breast like lead.
lie thought of IIarry's wounded limb,
The freless room, the lonely days,
The stinted food, the lack of friends,
And of the cold worlds heartless ways
The tiny sum he daily earned
Scarce served to pay for food and rent,
And no device one cent could save
From the meagre number that he spent.
But he dried the tears from his lashes long,
And entered the room with smiling brow.
"Wel, Harry" he said, "hello, old boy,
And how are you getting along by now?"
"Just regular, boss, the little lad cried,
"For I've thought Of something awful nice,
And Ben, this time it'll come round right,
For | know the Lord won't forget me twice.
"But there! | mustn't tell at all
Tomorrow night you'll understand
An when you see what I'm talktn' bout,
lOu IL NC CSIldln, sure W say, II > SIduu,
'All right, said Ben, 81 hope your plans
viii turn out now to be first-rate
But here's our supper, and we must go
To Betty's room, or We'll be late.
Kind Betty toiled out through the day,
But when her supper to prepare,
| She lit at eve her little fire,
She'd ask the boys its warmth to share.
| How arGently through dreary days
Poor Harry longed for this happy hour,
When cold no longer numbed his limbs,
And kind words robbed pain of its power
Tonight his pale face beamed with smiles
Which thought of the morrow wakened there,
While Ben's brain racked itself to find
Some means to answer the simple prayer.
But alas he thought and thought in vain,
And when poor Harry he bore to bed,
And crept himself meath the covers thin,
How sad his heart, and aching his head.
Then the tempter came and whispered him: geo
And rob the old rag-picker of his hoard,
You saw him yesterday counting coin,
And know where he keeps his treasure stored
Dul nc Caught one GldnCe Oh Ills lnOlller race
As he set his feet on the bare, cold floor,
And saw there stamped, in the pale moonlight,
The look, that in life, his mother wore,
1t brought to mind the teachings true
He'd promised her hed try to keep,
And sinking back with sorrowful sigh,
He sadly wept himself to sleep.
The morn broke cold, and bright, and clear,
And Harry woke with an eager brow,
But said when he saw the empty room,
"lll watt dear Lord, if you can't come now"
In the dreary course of the afternoon,
Three times he heard upon the stair
The tread of one who bore load,
And he waited with eXpectant air
But the footsteps passed, and the spark of joy,
Which lit his eyes at the thought of the coal,
Died slowly out, and DER his heart
cloud of dark disappointment stole
Tho twilight fell; Ben did not come;
The pain seemed very hard to BEAR
TIE cold crept in on every side,
And "Oh" he cried, ''God does not care"
Twas bitter thought to the faithful heart
"But how he sobbed, "can blame him much,
When | am so poor, and little and thin,
And can't walk at all without crutch?
"If was well and could run about,
And had long curls and pretty clothes
Like two little boys saw one time,
Perhaps he'd like me as we'll as them "
He was sobbing now with heartfelt grief,
His pale face hid meath the Covers thin,
When gruff voice said "Helo, little chap,
I've brung your coal, shall fetch it in!''
How his dark eyes blazed beneath their tears,
As he sat erect in his wretched bed,
And joyously thought, "The Lord does care"
While, "lf you please to the man he said
How sweet sound to his weary ear
was the fall of that precious load of coal,
And the cheerful fire the hired man lit
Brought joy he scarcely could control
Ana then came Ben with happy face
And a gay "hurrah' as he saw the fire,
While In his arms We're bundles piled,
Till they couldn't possibly have been piled higher
From among them he first handed Harry crutch,
which he Rugged to his breast in Joyous glee,
Then next paper of candies and nuts,
And package marked Betty pound of tea.
But the two large bundles he bore to the fir e,
Where he held up high in his brothers. sight
Two warm, stout suits and caps to match.
While he laughed aloud from pure delight
And here, he said, as basket he brought,
us dinner fit for millionaire,
" on Betty laugh when she sees these things,
And know how glad wen be to shareg'
i oouSntthe groceries, crutch and ALL,
Said Ben with modest pride,