Year: 1866

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The Uncle Maurice Ny thoughts ir-


resistibly revert to him. / see him agsiH
with his benign expression, half smiling,
| half tender. l hear his voice always soft


and caressing as a breath of summer wind
His memory both exhilarates aud forti-
fies me. There was at once saint and a


martyr without glory and without TenoWn.


To others it. has been given to trace the


eagles ezultant flight in air, to him it


was accorded to adorn a seQuestered path


through desert world. And I, / write


his histOHy-nOt for Others-fOr myself /,


that, as the sight Of Apollo made every
one rise and stretch his body to its most


diguifed proportions,a view likewise of


this sublime soul may I'LL me with ire


sistibIe aspirations toward the divine


A ray of the rising sun rests across the


table where I write The breeze brings


to me the OdOrs of mignORette and viO-


let, and the swallows dart with joyful


tWitteTiBgs past my window, Here shall


the image of Uncle Maurice have its place


amid song, light and perfume. a8t


His infancy, shOrn Of all graces. was


alike destitute of all pleasures. Reared


in poverty, ignored on account of his fee


bIeness, rallied at for his defOrmity, the


little hunchback in vain stretched out his


arms to the world, aud the world passed


by pointing the finger of scOrn.


But his mother lived, and into her


heart the child poured all the confidence


of heart repressed. Happy in this ref


uge, he attained the age when a man takes
his place in the world. and was compelled


to content himself with what other per


sons would have scorned. His education


had prepared him for en- honorable bus
mess. He became Office keeper of one of


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trance to his native city. Shut up In this


enclosure few feet square, he had NO


other distraction between his entries and
calculations than reading, and the visits


of his mother. Blessed mother In beau


tiful days she came and sat at the door of
the little cabin, vines clustered on the


wall, flowers bloOmed at the door way,
the sunlight streamed in on a nicely sand
ed floor, and Maurice's heart was open to
all that lived or blossOmed beautiful in
the world-fOr was not has mother by his
side 2 All the words from her heart were
full of the wisdom of the celestial j esus,
though she was lowly in intellect and
could not boast of this worlds ogifts-
When she was silent it was his pleasure,
to hear the cielao of her knitting needles,
and to observe the sweet sad profile Of
which told Of affections
cOurageOusly sustained, and now and then
to lean a hand caressingly upon her
shoulder exchanging with her a smile
But Maurice was to have instead of hap
piness blessedness. The mother fell sick
with a disease which within few days
preeluded all hope. Maurice, distracted
at the idea of a separation which would
leave him henceforth alone In the world,
abandoned himself to grief without meas
ure Upon his knees, by the couch of the
dying, he called her by most endeariug
names, and chung to her as if he would by
force retain her among the living. She
made feeble effort to return his caresses, /
to respond to his Words,-but fell back
her hands were already cOld-sound died
on her lips in a WhIspe per--she could but
touch her lips to his forehOad-she sigh
ed and closed her eyes forever. They at
tempted to remove Maurice, but he re-
sisted, and they left him alone there


Dead I cried he dead she who was
always with me, and who alone OF all this !
world loved me you my mother Alas,
what then remains to me here upon earth
A voice suppressed snsWered-GoD
Maurice raised his head, alarmed Was 4
it then the last sigh of the spirit just fed
from before him, or was 1t the voice of his
inner soul which had responded? He
cared not to know. This was his answer
and be accepted it, His crushed and
sluggish life still crept on. He took up
his role with resignation. He sought not
the worlds grace, but accepted it when
freely given with the charity and thank
fulness of a beautiful spirit. Abandon
ment and disdain we're equally we'll met,
and upon this cross Of lite, where the ig-
norant and coarse had appraised him, he I
looked down with benignant smile and
repeated-Pardon. my Father, they know
not what they do No other
showed such zeal aud diligence,
but those who could have appreciated his
value felt rrepelled by his deformity. It
was as if the people said-Here, stand
back, you have no part with US. Be
thankful that your hideous physical de-
formity has moved US to pity you, and to
give you that whereby you may be able to
sustain it, Here, too, he rose sublime
He lifted his eyes to Him who seeth as
poor distorted human eyes see MOTTO
Him who is never deceived He dwelt |
with many other tenants In q riekety
mansion in the suburbs. In the attic of
this house dWelt young girl named Toi- 4
nette, pale, silent and without beauty
without anything to recommend her butll
her resigned misery, The rain and the
wind beat into her little garret which was
without comforts, and where she followed /
the employment of dress making for a
scanty subsistence. No one spoke to her, |
no one visited her, and no song was ever
heard to issue from her lips. Sadness OF
a mysterious nature shrouded her like a
cloud and to even Uncle Maurice's kind
words she responded with brsvity. 1t WAS
plain she did not wish TO be disturbed
and accordingly she was left alone. But !
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