News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-07-08
A QUEER STORY,
COMMERCIAL CHARITY,

| hr. NLCouemuS Lltewalt was as pious
as he was successful, and as benevolent
as he was pious. When he first opened
MS now celebrated stores, neither his
capital nor his credit was large; but
under his judicious management thev
both rapidly increased. To the injury
ana, In not n few cases, ruin of his
rivals, he quickly acquired a roaring
business, and his balance at the bank
| became larger than those of all the
other Graders within half mile of him
coElbined. This extraordinary success
he attributed exclusively to the favor of
! Providence and the ready-monev sys-
TEN.
He was, as has been said, as pious as
he was successful. When he first BEGAN
business, he and his newly married wife
| Jolned the nearest AMI wealthiest Dis
sentlng congregation - the Rev. Mr..
SWeetly's. For several years they both
! continued members of it, winning the
good will of the clergyman and his
mock by their activity in good works {;
but, after a time, it was rumored that
Mrs. Lltewatt intended to secede, and
the report turned out to be true, for she
broke her connection with Mr.. Sweetly's
congregation and joined the Anglican
Church In the neighbOrhood. Her hus-
band explained to Mr.. Sweetly and his
| ellow-deacons Lis position. The lady
1or long time past had shown marked
hiking Tor moderate Ritualism. He had
attempted to reason her out of it. but in
vain; and when, at length, she resolved
TO gratify it and JOIN the Anglican
Church, much as he depIored her mis-
taken course, he felt he had no right to
oppose it. What, was he to interfere
between her and her conscience 2 He.
properly he thought, contented himself
with praying that she might vet be
brought to see the error of her wav.
MIR. Litewait's statement was SO touch
ing that it quite removed the bad i'm
preston his wifc's conduct was calcula-
ted to excite among Mr.. Sweetly's
people. In fact, henceforth they were,
If anything, more friendly toward him,
| and more constant customers at his
establishment.
Meanwhile; Mrs. Litewait behaved
herself at the Parish Church with the
same earnestness as she had displayed
at MIR. Sweetly's. There was no move
ment connected with the church for the
mutual benefit of Its members or the
good of the elapsed masses" of which
she was not leading spirit Her en-
ergy won golden opinions from vicar,
curate and people, and obtained their
patronage and good will for her hus-
| bands business; SO that if he, spiritu-
| ally, had reason to regret his wifes
| backsliding, he had no cause to lament
it from worldly point of view.
| AS their only son frrnW nm tbnra
much speculation both at the Parish
Church and at Mr. Sweetly's as to
whether he would follow in his fathers
or mothers footsteps. During boyhood
his parents had taken him alternately
to their different places of worship, and
both had declared that when he arrived
at years of discretion he should be al
lowed to choose freely which of them
he would adopt. When years of dis
cretion came to the amazement of every
body he choose neither. He joined, in
deed dissenting congregation, but it
was not of his fathers denomination,
though it would be hard to say why it
was not. The elder Nicodemus was for a
time much perturbed by his sons pcrver-
sity but gradually the lads good conduct
as he told Mrs. Sweetly recOnciled him
to it. Indeed young Nicodemus soon
became as remarkable in his congre-
| cation as his father and mother were in
| theirs for activity and earnestness; so
remarkable, in fact, that its minister
and members felt it their duty to en-
courage such youthful plety by giving
their support to the business which, on
his fathers death or retirement, would
be his.
Then all the Litewaits were as benevo-
lent as they were plOus. Besides con-
tributing literally to the funds Of their
several churches, they were quite ex-
travagant in their donations to all man
ner of societies and associations for
benfting people IN different ways usually
against their will
Of all the associations with which Mr.
| Litewait was connected there was none
whose operations were of so extensive a
character or in which he took so deep an
! interest, as that for giving Free Break
fasts to Habitual Thieves and Drunk
ards. This was a really benevolent un-
dertaking. When times were bad with
| thieves, when the carefulness of house
holders or the vigilence of the police
prevented any chance of burglary, but
for this most useful association no one
could tell what might have become of
! the poor burglar. His life hard enough
Mt the best, it is clear, would have been
unindurable, and it is fearful to think
of the dreadful expedients to which his
! destitution and misery might have fore
ed him to resort. In the last extremity
he might even have had to work. From
| such fate this noble institution saved
him. And in the same way. through
its exertions, the habitual drunkard was
enabled to devote, without fear of
starvation, his whole cash to PURPOSES of
intoxlcatiOn. What became of his wife
and children the Association cared as
little as he did. 1t is no wonder, then,
that this noble and useful institution at
| tract the good will and contributions
of many kind-hearted ladies and gentle
| men.
MIR Ltewait as has been said, took n
deep interest in it, and, therefore when
he saw an opportunity at one of its
annual meetings of doing it an immense
service, he at once availed himself of it
The way it arose was thus. The Associa-
tiOn for Giving Free Breakfasts to Habi
tual Thieves &C.. like other charitable
associations, never thought of limiting
its expenditure to its income. During
the previous year it had spent thous,
and pounds and more which it did not
| possess, relying, like any other spend-
thrift, on the hope that when its friends