Year: 1874

BY NJ. III. RATHBONE.


The breakfast things had been
cleared away, and the young people
ofthe family were rejoicing in the pros
poet of happy country walk, afford
ed by the leisure of New Years day !;
butt was so intensely cold that Rob.
ert Markham, the father seemed un-
willing to stir out, and he stood at the
window in an unusual gloomy mood.
True 1t was that he was very poor
man, though he often acknowledged
that many alleviations were granted
to him, and he gradually allowed
himself to fall into a discontinued
reverie, as he gazed on his rich,
next door neighbors, who wrapped
in furs and velvets, were setting off
in handsome coach.


"The rich can have everything
they wish for, l think" he muttered
half aloud and that moment, TO his
surprise, small man, clad in gray,
stood beside him, and replied:


"Follow me-" and gave him a
pull, which, though gentle, he felt
could not be resisted and quitting
the cellar, they entered the very
house which Markham had been
looking.


Here, in an inner chamber, paced
to and fro an idiot girl, whose vast.
ed lovellness, and the traces of supe.
rior intelligence still visible in her
countenance, showed that, though
thus suffering for years, the time had
been when she had been the life and
Joy Of the domestic circle.


Her mother sat in the chamber,
quietly weeping bitter tears, and on
folio wing the handsome coach, Mark
ham, by the aid OF his guide, could
see that the hearts of all within were
every one more or less bowed down
by the great trial to them of sister
and daughter so afflicted. Before he
could ask any questions his guide
had entered another wealthy abode,
where around late breakfast sat a
family in great distress ; for letter
had just been received conveying
the unexpected intelligence of the
sudden death of very dear relative,
and while the elder members were
absorbed in deep sorrow, the young.
er ones were lamenting among each
other the sudden disruption of all
their schemes for a merry day and
various joyous evening festivities.
In the next house was a widowed
mother, young girl and two old
ervants-the latter busily engaged
in packing up for the departure, by
at nights mail of an only son, who
seated between his sole parant and
only sister, vainly endeavoring to
console them under the melancholy
loss Of his support and the comfort
of his society during a ten years So
journ in the Indian tropics.


"Alas / dare not think we shall
ever meet again in this life, my son
my only son % was the sole'respense
of those whose distress no human
aid could soothe.


Markham, surprized and ashamed
by all he had seen, would willingly,
even now, have foregone any further
inquisition behind scenes in rich
houses. But the gray man gave him
no time for parley, and fourth man
sion exhibited the hitherto unknown
yet bitter suffering of little girl,
snubbed hourly by fretful, self impor-
tant, tyrannical nurses, and daily
tortured by the painful and undue
partiality shown by her parents to-
ward her brother the heir of their
noble home.


AS they left this place, Markham
heard the little girl murmur to her
self ::


"Oh dear, I wish I was Nancy
Dormer, the te-keeper's child, for
she loves her girls as well as her
boys every Bit"


SIN the adjoining square resided a
large family, who were quarreling
like 80 many cats and dogs, their
unyielding tempers and perverse
dispositions effectoally barring out
any enjoyment of the holy holiday
which they might have enjoyed,
when the rich, toiling merchant had
shut up his counting house for once,
aud had leisure, though he seemed
to have no inclination, to be happy
with his wife and children. Their
next door neighbors were q rich
couple, who had only one child, q
grown up son, subject to epileptic
| attacks be had had one that morn.
ing, and the rest of the day was be
ing spent apart from all friends and
festive gatherings by the anxiou:
parants, in sorrowful expectations ot
q second fi, and in that most painful
of all states, suspense, which could
neither be avoided nor fastened.
Again the gray man traVersed the
snow-laden streets, and introducing
Markham To the artists home, who
an eminent teacher, had just saved
enough to establish his elder son, and
to give his daughter dowry on her
marriage, but who had just received
letter by the postman to say that
all his savings which had been lent
out, apparently, on good security,
were entirely swept away by the fail
ure of the gentleman to whom they
had been entrusted.


"Stay," said Markham, "you are
merely picking out the worst CAGES ;
it should be the average let me
choose for myself"


His guide coldly sssented, and in
q moment they entered an abode
which Markham selected at random,
here servants, wife, friends, and chill
dren, were anxiously awaiting the re.
turn Of the head of the house 10 or.
der TO sit down to aluxurious dinner.
He had gone out to make call on
an old acquaintance, and no one
could conceive what delayed him.
He came at length, looking pale and
agitated, and with difficulty related
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