Year: 1869




"Yes, Madame"


1t was an elderly woman upon
whose brow care had furrowed many
a wrinkle. She was dressed in home
ly garments, and the struggle between
penury and neatness which they evinced
would have been an interesting study
for philosopher. Her eyes were red,
as though she had been weeping; and
when she seated herself by my desk,
the pent up current of grief burst out
afresh.


'..What is the matter, my good wo-
man? you seem to be in deep distress,
/ remarked in the most encouraging
tone could command.


Il am, sir. They say the Lord is
near to them that are suffering, and ]
am sure he ought to be near me-"


81 dare say he is a'am. But you
know that Affections are sent to us for
our good, and we ought never to repine
at the discipline of life, however severe
it may sometimes seem to US"


| had heard an excellent sermon the
day before, as it was Monday, on trib-
ulation, and was just in the frame of
mind for giving others most excellent
advice, which, perhaps, l should have
been very unwilling to follow if the
dark waters of trouble had rolled over
me.


81 try to bear it as well as | can,"
she replied. wiping away her tears with
the corner of her apron.


~s.1 don't know as | am acquainted
with you, ma'am,'' ] suggested, for
the purpose of changing the topic and
bringing her to business.


81 don't know as you are," she re
piled; and she proceeded to give me a
very long and succinct account of
her previous history, beginning back
some forty years, when she was born
among the White Mountains in New
Hampshire.


| tried to check her, but it was no
use. | was as patient as the case would
admit, and mindful of the duty we
owe to the weak, the infirm and the ig-
norant; but my patience was sorely
tried. l will not punish the reader
with the long, fine-spun story she told
me, but few lines will suffice to in
form him of the material facts.


She was widow, her name was
Marche. She had an only son, Philip,
who was employed in the insurance Of
flee, and received three dollars a week
for his services. He was good boy
and loved his mother, as a son should.
Upon their united earnings they lived
very comfortably in an obscure street,
where they hired two rooms. Mrs.
Marches catalogue of her sons vir-
tues was certainly very edifying. He
never spent a cent upon himself, never
went out at nights, and attended church
forenoon and afternoon.


An evil day had come. On the Sat-
urday, three weeks preceding, Mr.. Car
man, the president of the insurance
company, as he declared, had sent
Philip with valuable diamond ring to
the jewelers. to have the stone reset
On inquiry the ring was found not to
have reached its destination. The Jew
eler had never seen it. To make the
case more complicated, the boy denied
having received the ring. Mr. Car
man had never sent him on any such
errand.


The boy had been arrested on a
charge of stealing the ring, and was
now confined in jail Mr.. Carman was
ready to swear he delivered the valua-
BILE article into the hands of the boy
with explicit directions as to where he
should carry it and what should be
done with it.


1t looked like bad case. The poor
woman was in the saddest distress
She was sure that her darling boy
would not steal. Ipitied her and prom
ised to do what could for her son.


When she was gone l called upon
Mr.. Carman. found that he was
one Of those dogmatic old fellows who
are never wrong-who find it impossi-
BILE to err, even by design, or to make
a mistake. l tried to argue the point
with him, but he would not say much.
He told me the story-was sure he
sent the boy and nobody else.


I ventured to suggest that he might
have been mistaken; that he had sent
the ring by some other person.


"Do you take me for simpleton,
sir2 Do you think l don't know what
am about?" he exclaimed, bestowing
upon me look of whitening contempt.
81 sent the ring with the boy, sir i
The boy has stolen it. Nothing more
need be said, sir"


And he turned to the newspaper he
had been reading.


was not much pleased with the in
terview. I was highly yexed at the
naughty bearing of the fellow, and
confess that my pique rendered me
tenfold more Jealous in my endeavors
tn clear nv youthful client.