The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-10-07

/ turning Us if 70 address one behind
! him. Sweet Charity. attend upon this
/ boy. Mayhap. sir he continued meek
/ ~, God hath blessed me with little
i knowledge o what Is possible. but ]
/ speak OF q time before guilt had sored
| him. lie was officer OF a great bank
/ let Us say IL Boston. Some thought
i him rich. bat he lived high an princely.
/ an / take it. sor. his income was no
f greater than his needs. 1t was 4 proud
race he belonged to-grand people they
were. all o them. with houses an
lands an many servants. His wife
was dead. sor. an he'd one chila-a
little lad o two years an beautiful.
One day the boy went out with his
nurse. an where farther nobody knew.
lie never came back. Up an down.
over an across. they looked for him
night an day, but were no wiser. \
month went by an not sight or sign
o. him, an their hope failed. One day
the father he got note-I remember
reading il IL the papers. sor-an' il was
a call for ransom money-S1o0,00o."
kidnapped" Troye exclaimed, with
much interest.
HE was, sor.'' the clock tinker re-
sumed. The father he was up TO his
neck in trouble then, for he was unable
TO raise the money. He had quarreled
with an older brother. whose help
would have been sufficient. Well. God
save us all. twas the old story o. pride
an bitterness, lie sought no help o.
him. \ year an Il half passes an a
gusty night o. midwinter the bank
burns. Books. papers, everything Is
destroyed. Now the poor man has lost
his occupation. a week more an his
good name is gone. A month an he's
homeless. A whisper goes down the
long path o gossip. Was he thief an
had he burned the records o. his crime?
The scene changes. an let me count the
swift, relentless years.
The old man paused a moment, look
ing up thoughtfully.
''Well, say ten or mayhap n dozen
passed. or more or less it matters lit
tie. Boy an man. where were they?
Oh, the sad world, sor! To all that
knew them they were as people buried
in their graves. Think o this drown
ing in the flood o. years-the stately
ships sunk an rotting in oblivion.
Some word of 1t, scr, may well go into
thy book
The tinker paused q moment light
ing his pipe, and after a puff or two
went on with the tale.
''It is winter day in great city.
There are buildings an crowds an
busy streets an sleet in the bitter
wind. | am there. an me path is one
O. many crossing each other like-well,
sor, like lines on slate. if thou vert
to make 10000 o. them an both
eyes shut. l am walking slowly, an
10, there is the banker. | meet him
face to face-an i'll clad, haggard. cold,
forgotten creature l speak to him.
"'The blessed Lord have mercy on
thee said.
"'For meeting thee?' said the poor
man What is thy name?
frederick Darrell
.'.An' T. said he sadly. am one o
the lost in hell Art thou the devil?
"'Nay, this hand o mine hath open
ed thy door an BACKED thy boots for
thee often said L. 'Dost thou not re- !.
mem ber?
"'Dimly 1t was a long time ago.
be answered.
1--WE said more, scr. but that is no |
part o. the story. Very we'll. l went |
with him TO his lodgings-a little cold |
room in a garret-an' there, alone with |
me, he gave account of himself. He |
had shoyeled an dug an lifted an run |
errands until his strength was low an |
the weight of his hand "a burden. What !,
hope for him? What way to earn a |
living?
"Have courage, man. said to him. |
Thou shalt learn to mend clocks. It's
light an decent work, an one may live
by it an see much o the world
There was an old clock, sor, in a |
leap o. rubbish that lay in a corner. I
.ook it apart, and soon he saw the Of
ice of each wheel an pinion an the
nfirmity that stopped them an the
surgery to make them sound. l tarried
ong in the great city, an every even
ng we were together in the little room.
bought him a kit o. tools an some
1rass, an we would shatter the clock
works an build them up again until
,e had skill, sor, to make or mend.
"'Me good friend said he one even
ng after we had been a long time at
work, 4 wish thou couldst teach me
low to mend a broken life. For Gods
AXE, help me. L am fainting under a
,reat burden
".What can dog said to him.
.'rhen. sor, he went over his story
With me from beginning to end. It was
n impressive, Il sacred confidence.
~. boy it would be dishonor to tell
hee his name-but his story. that l
nay tell thee. changing the detail so
may never add a straw to his bur-
len. / shall quote him in substance
nv an follow the long habit O me
'En tongue.
We'll ye remember how me son
vss TAKEN said he. I could not raise
he ransom. try as / would Now.
arge SUMS were in ne keeping an /
ell. / remember that day. All, man.
he devil seemed TO whisper to me.
But. God forgive. it was for love that
fell. Little by little / began to take
he money | must have an cover its
Ibsence. J said to meseIf, some time
II pay ii back-that ancient sophistry
: the devil. When me tl1Ieving had
zone far an near its goal the bank
,urned- As Gods ne witness I'd no