The morning news., 1892-02-21

mine are suspended over the yavning sbyss
| OF starvation, almost ready to drop from It's
| verge into the dismal hole OF eternities |
Will ask its aid with all the sincerity
and earnestness Of my heart, and il /
fell but stop in my reading OF the clear
traced lines upon the strained face, and
watch two merry AID happy souls, two an
gels they seemed. indeed. Ia their rich and
! glittering beauty. Happy smiles wreathed
I their bright faces ike the sunrise uDon the
llly, and the song OF love and comfort was
b5ing,ns baaE,a ,,,,l always in their warm
Christmas bell In the childish
bosom. Their laugh was as the birds
music in May time, and they glided along
| with the grace and enchantmeut Of young
elhsh fawns over the grassy fields OF flowers
damp with the morning dew. Their ex-
uoerant warmth and beauty took the points
from the winds keen daggers and placed
upon them fresh rosebuds instead. Surely
their tender and sympathetic hearts will be
| touched by the drawing music surely
| their sparkling eyes will see the pale beg
gar as they pass by. But no; their slender,
gloved hands were not drawn from their
muhs Of otter fur in charity TO drop a coin
into the little box, and they passed
on as happy, as gay and bright as
though the world was one vast par
adise and not one Of all its million souls ever
wept and moaned not heart ever bled and
| ached. Perhaps the eldest Of the two may
have looked down and caught a hurried
glimpse OF the grovelng worm, but it was
glance or Jest, for some me,unkind thrust of
wit was whispered into the ear OF her com
panion. and they both laughed gayly as
| they hurried along. Could 1t be, thought,
and had only to look forW ard into the pale
face OF the humble beggar, suffused with
tears. to confirm my fears. The words, in
nocently enough spoken, had reached his
! and ht,rt, al
| gimlets OF fire driven into them. These
arrows have always their points Of poison,
| and never miss the mark at which they are
aimed. They may, perhaps, this very night,
| / thought, nestle their coy heads upon
noble lovers bosom and gently chide him
| for his niggardIiness in subscribing himself
| upon their perfumed list on rich satin, while
they have passed gaylY by this humble soul
hanging upon the very brink Of despair and
hunger.
But let us widen the canvas Just q little
| and give it just one more touch from the
brush, and think that il this noble lover is
| not as true as he would seem, and his kisses
and caresses are but the envenomed bon
| oons OF deceiving, unfaithful love. What
If his smile was that Of Eden's serpent, and
IN long after years. when the eover-confiding,
| trustful Eve has drunk so long Of them she
| at last awakes, after the poison has
long since passed her lips, and there is a
repetition, sadder and more bitter one it
is. OF the old tradition scene in paradisel Is
| 1t possible, that In some distant day, Just
the lapse OF few short years, which to US
| frail mortals means so much, that one or
| both of them, may become a beggar, a
| shivering, starving outcast, and IL may be
upon this very streetl Archangels have
lost themselves and been hurled from the
utmost nights of heaven into dark damna-
tlons; kings aud queens have lost their
| thrones " hair
and misers have lost their gold
indeed, ne who plucks the rose
| az earlyl H-fmorning all needless
OF the thorns, must some day drink the Bit
| ter poison concealed in the tender throat of
its corolla. But let each generous hand
help me to draw the veil over the sad pict-
ure; let us hurl the brush away, throw the
paints and cups to the cold winds and con-
tent ourselves with gazing upon the bare
easel. 'Tis enough to look upon the billows
of snowy white that floats about the
heaven and bear with the pale shadows
they sometimes cast across our path, and
not stretch our necks peering over the
horizon hunting darker ones.
The wind, like the enraRed lion, had
whipped itself into quiet fury, and was
singing soothing lullaby as It rolled along
the streets, almost zephyr-like in its gentle
ness. The bright setting sun threw a SHIN
mer of brilliant mellow light over all, and
soon the street was shadowed with hurry
| ing figures in bright and somber furs. isstl-
| ing forth like plumed birds from their
rendezvous after the winters storm has
swept by. But all this bright sunlight and
| whispered soughing Of the winds added not
to the monotones from the little organ, but
made them drearier, and no coin jingled in
the empty cup. Two stately figures with
queenly carriage, rich robed, walked by,
| their faces mature with years, wrapt in ear
nest conversation. A little child, the merest
tot, with golden ringlets flowing in wild
| profusion over her little shoulders, her
chubby cheeks and bright blue eyes beams
ing upon the world, grand play house to
her, held one of the gloved hands and ran
along prattling in her childish glee. Her
little ears ana bright, happy eyes heard and
saw and she tugged at the fingers she held
in her little palm, but she was drawn on,
the generous impulse in her childish bosom
all unheeded. AS the towering figures,
IN their polished, impressive dignity
seemed lifted above the world, passed me
upon the street corner, l caught the words:
| John winces a little at the heavy drafts
am drawing upon him." and a slight smile
played over her face, "but Gertrude must
come out, you know, and shine, too, as
others have not shone,n and an In ward pride
seemed to make the tall figure taller than IL
| was.
YES, yes," her distinguished companion
replied, Aleck fretted and frowned little,
too, when we were fixing Julia for her debut
last season, you know, but told him that
we must, and what mattered it IL we did
spend a few thousands, or even tens. you
know, for"
A sudden gust of wind with new fangs of
| ice swept the words from my ears, and /
turned to look again upon the poor beggar
across the street. The tears were streaming
| down the blanched cheeks, and the shiver-
| ing hand that turned the little crank seemed
to tremble In its tireless revolutions and
there were jerks aud halts in the monoto-
nous notes. The day was fast dying away
and the winters twilight hurrying on It's
heels. Already some brave little stars we're
peeping out through the skies aud the din of
the busy city was lullinR itself into its brief
slumber like the roar Of the distant thunder.
/ walked across the street and stood be-
side the poor beggar shivering with cold,
his teeth chattering in dismal accompani-
ment to the notes of the little organ. He
looked up with a start, as IL expecting to
| receive a command to move away, but was
reassured by my kindly, sympathetic look.
and scrambled to his feet as best he could
with his wooden crutch and shivering joints
stiff with the cold. placed my arm gently
around him and supported him as he stood
before me.
my man, what misfortune is 1t that
| forces you to play this way upon the
streetsF' asked. drawing him affectionately
/ s~..1w Vs. Ill g..