The Irish standard., 1890-08-16
THE SKY STONE.
Cow It Proved a Veritable Golden
Rock, After AL

dow It Proved a Veritable Golden
Rock, After AL
There was sadness in the home OF the
Morayian pastor of the little settlement
IF Hope Bay, Labrador. Five years had
the pastor Fiebiger labored among the
Esquimaux and the few white fisher
non and fur hunters that constituted
Ehe population of the vicinity. Success
in his field of labors had rendered hap
ov a lot which jewellers in a more IA
vored cline would consider a hard one.
The Esuuimaux crowded to his church
zach Sunday in greater numbers than
they had under any previous pastor, and
The brawls and quarrels, which had once
been SO frequent among the whites, had
almost ceased since his coming.
But now grievous trouble oppressed
him. His wife was sick, and the sur
peon of the man-of-war that had an
,hored in the bay at the beginning OF
the summer had told him, privately,
that she could not resist the severity OF
another Labrador winter. The poor
pastor did not know what to do. He
had no money with which to send his
wife back to Austria, their former home,
His salary was not sufficient to support
his family, and he only made both ends
meet by working in the pine forests in
the summer and hunting seals in the
winter. All his own and wife's rela-
lives in the old country were very poor,
and, besides that, it was already Au-
gust, and letter could not cross the
sea and bring back an answer before the
last mails for the winter had arrived at
Hope Bay. A Government cutter
brought the mails once month to this
remote corner Of her Majesty's possess
sions. The August mail had already
left; it would be another month before
he could send a letter, and the last mail
for the winter would come and go in
October. The pastor must either make
up his mind to see his wife die, or find
in Labrador the means to send her
home to Austria.
The pastor did not tell his wife of her
danger and his helplessness; but he con-:
aded every thing to his eldest child:
Moritz, bright boy of twelve years. It,
was best that the boy should be ready to
expect the worst; perhaps he could sug-,:
gest some means of procuring the re-.
Quired sum, and the father felt that he:
must share his grief with somebody
Every evening Moritz and his two little.
brothers gathered about their mother,
as she sat propped up by pillows in the
great armchair, that had been family
heirloom for generations, and listened
to many wonlrous fairy story of the
hills and rocks and streams of their ma
tive land.
The evening after Moritz had been
told of the trouble by his father, he went
to his mothers side as usual 10 hear the
bedtime stories. His little heart was
full to overfowing with grief, but had
he stayed away his mother would have
worried over his absence, SO he concealed
his grief and torgot it in listening to a
tale of how poor peasant was oppressed
by his brother, wealthy merchant.
how the rich brother was going to turn
the poor brother out of house and home;
and how, when the poor brother was in
despair, the elves, remembering some
past favor, caused a shower of gold to-
fall upon his farm, thus making him
richer than his wicked brother
When Moritz had hidden his mother
goodnight and found himself in his own
room, all the crushing force of his grief
returned, and he lay upon his bed and
sobbed for long time. At length he
arose and went out of doors. 1t, was a
clear, bright night. Wandering he
scarcely knew WHITTIER, he climbed the
rugged hill that rose behind his home.
Up the steep hill he climbed, paused to
drink out of great spring that wel1eu
up near the path, and stood upon the
summit and gazed about him. In the
bay lay a few fishing boats and the yacht
of a wealthy Scotch gentleman. Along
the shore ran the struggling line Of
houses of the village; behind him
stretched few miles Of barren, wind
swept heath; and then began the vast
forest of pine and birch that extended
on, uninterrupted, to the shores OF Hud-
sons Bay. Where in that desolate
country was there any relief in their
trouble? O! for some friendly elves
with their shower Of gold. he knelt to
pray and turned his face heavenward.
WHAT Was his wish realized! The
sky was full Of darling, streaming
sparks of light, that seemed to be rain
ing down upon the earth. All! the
shower of gold. Could it be that? The
poor little fellow, astonished at the
wonderful sight, did not doubt but that
it was yeritable shower Of gold, CLEAN
ing gold; but as minutes went on and
nothing fell, although the splendid
show continued. he began to think that
1t was an illusion and that his prayer
was not answered. Y.
Sad at heart he turned his eyes from
the sky and started homeWard, when q
series Of loud reports, like the discharge
5of cannon in the air above him ar
rested his steps. He looked upward,
/ and : large fiery object flashed past his
4 facs and tell into the spring with 9 loud,
plashing thud. He ran down TO the
i prinf and saw that # was concealed BY
! = 'laree cloud .ot steam. "a little gustsolf
MA blcss the olloud to one side and he
u, RESTING on 81 sand ottom of
y " lI1f ,Sn III Ia of som athinE,