Year: 1877

insisted ON providing for him. Whether
he actually did run away or not, he did
not tell ne, and I did not ask him.


81 be light this recipe for soap. At
first lLred man to go round with me
and take care of me, but that did not
pay. Then I went to hotel, and hired
a porter to dress and undress me. In
the daytime I took care of myself"


All this and much more-for I am
compressing long story into short one
with labored speaking; and labored
listening, too, for it was notalways quite
easy to tell what was the word which the
corkscrew brought up. Like an old
cork, it was broken, and often came up
in fragments. "I never expected to get
married; for I never thought that any
woman whom [ would have would have
me. But you know, sir, the old pro
verb Every Jack has his own Gill; !; ,
and found my Gill. And I don't be-
lieve there is man in New York that
has got better wife than I have"


The pride with which he said this
and the love that lighted up his eyes L
could easily believe him. It must be a
rare woman that could take such man
for her husband; one that she must
dress and undress to the end as she
would sick child. I resolved at once
that if I might I would know that wife.


"And don't you imagine that am
miserable, sir" he added. I" seem so
to you because you judge me from your
point of view. But l see many a rich
man, and strong man, and I would not
exchange with them. I have my advan-
tages, too. Society claims great deal
of you; but it never claims anything OF
me. am independent.


Oh, wise philosopher Is there any
philosophy like that of calm content :?


"And l enjoy life; because, don't you
see, sir, I have nothing to do but to
study how to enjoy it."


"Do you go to church ?" asked.


"Weil, sir, ! am member of the
Baptist church, but since have moved
away from the old church and gone
among strangers, don't go to church,
for it might create sensation, don't you
see %


Well. yes. I did see. I imagined
this creature shuffling up the broad aisle
of fashionable church, or even of an
unfashionable chapel, and thought he
showed consideration for the worshipers
and the preacher.


"There is only one thing want" he
added. "I would like to get into IL
brary."


"A library" said I. "What could
you do in library"


ooh, as q member, I mean, sir" said
he. 81 would like to get books out to
read"


II took down his address, and with all
the inimitable dignity of a gentleman, he
invited me to call. Then, with an apollo
gy for having taken SO much of my time,
and an inquiry-for we had exchanged
names-whether 1 was the ''historian"
Abbot" he sbuffled out of my door. 1
had hardly got to my seat and my pen in
hand, before heard him shuf1ing back
again. He peered round the corner of
the doorway, and with that curious jack
in-the-box motion of his, held up three
fingers. sHThird bell," he said, "ring
the third bell" and he was off again.


And sat down andthought; thought of
that poor woman who began two years ago
by selD g her thousand dollar piano, and
last VIC * was found with her clothes and
furnit7 re all pawned and her only flan-
mel garment, the remnant OF an old
blanket, wrapped around her; thoug hit
of that merchant who eighteen months
ago was contributing to the support OF
one of our great charities and is now de-
pendent ON it for bread for his family;
and here is this cripple, without the ri ght
use of legs, or arms, or hands, or voice,
supporting himself and his wife, "happy
as a king" and asking charity of no one;
and I said, I will leave the thread un-
spun on the editorial distaff until 1 have
written down this lesson for hard times.