SAVED FROM A CRIME.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1750, 26 January 1888, Page 2

SAVED FROM A CRIME.

INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF A WAIF AND STRAY.

Bt T. J. Babrabdo, F.8.0.5.Ed. (Continued.) Such m brief were the oaasea which plunged this poor obild into the vortex of oar streets.. It will naturally be aßbed, how had he subsisted there? He was" now nearly twelve years of age, and, as I have stated, slim m body, and Bhort of stature. During those three years he had lived ohiefly about the meat market, the fruit and vegetable markets, and the fish market. He had also occasionally sold papers and lights at railway stations and other places of public resort, bat with these last he had not been bo sucoessful, for older and stronger boys not unfrequently drove him away. But his convictions of ' tight and wrong were solidly grounded, and the natural firmness of hit character, mdi. eated by many signs and tokens, no doubt upheld him m his straggle against what he conoeived to be civil, and enabled, him to persevere, fighting all alone the item battle for daily bread, enduring with quiet self.. | restraint miseries and privations which would have. sorely taxed the heroism and strained the fortitude of older and stronger persont, When I explained to George that admission i to the Home meant School training, attend* ' anoe on Sunday at a place of worship and a Banday school, being taught to pray and read God's Word, and subsequently the knowledge : of a trade, the grntefal feelings of the boy knew no bounds. He willingly surrendered himself to my caw and charge, and proxniied with every evidence of sincerity to obey the roles of the house, and to be, as ha said " a-fust-rate boy." • Paat nsgleot had stamped m impress npon George's features whioh years of kindneM could not fully efface, but undtr the influence of good food, kind care and regular habits, the boy grew tall and strong, while hie hand* ' some appearance began to fulfil the earlier promise of his face. When he wai first introduced to Stepney Causeway his young companions called him Sally. With that ' quickness of perception which enables children of the slams to isolate' some distinguishing feature of an individual and convert into a nickname whioh exhibits to duller observers the idiosyncrasy noted, they considered that, with his effeminate* looking face and delicate features, and fair hair divided m the centre, he really wag not nnlike a girl m boy's olothing, and so they niok* named him Sally I George did not like this. What boy would ? But nevertheless the name stuck to him, and at length it grew to be so universally admitted that we all knew George M -better as " Sally " than by -any othet name, and he himaeU.leaTfißd4&ijS]Smn;*fo^f' 8 ® and answer thereto, with that good natnre whioh unfailingly characterised him. He manifested great diligence m sohool, and m the course of two or three years war oon* ' eidered fit to be placed m the brushmaking shop of the Institution as a "half-timer,! 1 and thither Sally repaired every afternoon when the time for morning sohool was over. The lad had now grown into a tall, fine, looking fellow of great promise. Ho was 'a universal favourite, merry m disposition good-tempered, generous, and kind-hearted. Who was more willing to perform a kindly office for a weaker boy than Sally? Who ' carried the orippledl lads to bed on his bade, making merriment all the way?— Sally of course. Who would go up half an hour before bedtime to see if the Matron \>f the ward wanted something fetched for her, or some little duties performed ? Sal'y alone thought of these things, and so he was not only the mosj popular member among the inmates of the Institution, but he was constantly painted ont to vibitors as one of the best lads m the Home. When the boy had been m our house about three years, and was nearly fifteen years of age, something turned .up. I received one morning a letter of application from an old and wealthy friend, a Miss Gordon, living m Kensington. She enquired if I could supply her with a nice.mannered, honest lad, as a page-boy and assistant m the pantry, under her butler, with a view to hia being thoroughly trained for service. I had known Mitts Gordon for several years, and our Home had ever and anon reoeived generous help from her kind hands. I was likewise an occasional visitor at her house, and Bhe took a lively interest m my personal welfare as well as m the work whioh God had given me to do among homeless children. I knew, what an admirable and well* ordered household hers was and that her oar- - vants were all of a superior class who had been with their mistress for years, and I felt how fortunate it would be for any boy of mine to obtain admission into suoh an excellent home oirola. I therefore replied at once, saying I had Beveral boys who I thought would meet her requirements, and that if she would tell me the exact age and height of the boy she required, and also give me a little JOBore information as to the qualifications she looked for, I would endeavor to select the most suitable lad I had for the post, In ft day or two I reoeived an answer from my friend to say that Bhe hoped to call herself at Stepney shortly, and she would let the matter stand over until she had had the opportunity of making personal inspection of four or five boys from among whom she could make her final choice. On the following Friday, Miss Gord M drove to Stepney, and I laid before her lor approval a list of five boys with a little outline of the history and oharsoteristies ol each attached. These boys she at once pro* eeeded to inspect. Most of them were at the time m the sohoolroom. She would not allow me to call them down, but insisted upon going to the sohoolroom unannounoed, and fbrming her own judgment there. She spoke to all the boys I had selected, and seemed somewhat favorably impressed with the ap* pearance and answers of one of them, whose name she wrote upon her tablets, but one ultimately added that she could not yet deoide. I then, at her request, took her over the workshops. In each she looked keenly at the boys, but no fresh name was added to her list. When at laßt we reached the Brush Shop, her quick glanoe went straight to Sally, as he was standing, busy as a bee, at the further end of the room. She appeared suddenly struck with his expression of countenance, and she as suddenly formed her determination, for, turning to me, she said, m the short, emphatic way babitaal to her, " That boy will do forme; I 7uon't have any other 1" "* I cannot deny that I was troubled at Miss Gordon's deoiaion.and this for two reasons:— Firstly — I felt that my young protege, Sally, required a much longer stay m the Home, for the development of the nobler traits of his character ; m other words, I was convinced that the aroh Bhould have the keystone of habitual good principle fitted m before the scaffolding was removed ; and, Secondly— -Up to that time my limited experience led me to form the theory that a child whose relatives were all of them dis* honest, must have somewhere about him latent tendencies to evil, whioh, if oiroum. stances permitted, would be sure to manifest themselves. Although I fully trusted Sally, and believed that m his early resistance to hia mother's vile solicitations he had exhibited a strength of oharaoter whioh augured well for hit future, yet I doubted the wisdom of plaoing him so Boon m a situation where temptations and opportunities for dishonesty abounded, as sorely they would abound, m a large establishment like Miss Gordon's. I did not, therefore, at onoe acquiesce m my friend's deoißion, I whispered : " Won't you wait a little while? I mast speak to you alone about this boy before anything is done." Miss Gordon pursed op her lips m a manner which indicated that her mind was firmly made up, and which meant, to all who knew her, " I will, of course, listen attentively to what you have to say, and if you like yoa may talk for a couple of hours ; but it won't affect my judgment m the least degre*, for I am sure I am right." I felt, from my knowledge of her character, ■ that it would be difSoult, if not impossible, to i alter her views ; but at any rate it was clearly my duty to toil her all I knew about the boy, before leaving the responsibility of action : wholly m her own hands. Accordingly, when we reaohed my private room, I told her frankly all I knew of Sally's history and antecedents. I may say here that during hia residence m I the Home, Sa ly had heard tidings of his brother, who was three years older than himself. He had been arrested m the company of burglars, and committed to a reformatory for a term of years. Of his mother and lister, Sally could find cut nothing, in' spite of hia attempts, except that they had long left the place m whioh they used to reside; ■ I spoke; as favorably as I oould, and that was very favorably, of his conduct during hia stay ia the Home, but, at the same time, I*- pointed out all the facts inoludefl m the news that had come to Sally's ears, emphasising my tus^ pioion that brother, mother aad |jit»; wore

probably all confirmed criminate, and that, m ftU likilihood, it was not his brother alone Who was then undergoing penal serTitnde. It was all, however, of no avail ; my friend had qnite made op her mind on the subjeo' ; &be was determined to have that boy and no other. la faot, she said she was sure that euoh a faoe could only be that of an honest boy, and she vowed that my narrative of bi3 parentage and of his past career bat increased her belief m his thorough nprightness. "Why," fche added, " I am surprised that one with yonr experience could doubt this dear lad'a honeity ! Such a lad is a real hero, and I Khali be prond to be the meanß of helping him en m life."

This left nothing for me to do bnt to $nbmit. I therefore rang the bell and Sally was ■ent for. The boy e&me m his working clothes, but with suoh^an altogether noble air about him, with such mingled sweetnsßS apd decision m his face as fairly took Miss Gordon's heart by storm, and I really began to fear, after the boy's delighted assent to the proposed arrangement had been given, that there was yet another risk to be encountered m sending him to such a mistress, namely, that she would be so proud of her handsome page as to gratify his every wish, and destroy those very incitements to self-restraint which m his ease were, I thought, especially necessary to the development of a truly noble ebaraoter. However, for good or evil, Sally was duly outfitted m a few days' time, and having taken leave of his playmates and work-fellows, went with unspeakable delight to his first situation as page-boy to Miss Gordon.

I Months rolled over oar hetds. I, occupied with constant claims of an enterprise among itreet obildran whieb every month was per* wptibly growing In extent and inflaenos, bad bat little time to think even of my boy Sally. I received daring that period one or two short notes from Miss Gordon m which she said, "Ctoorge watching famously,' 1 or "We are fell delighted with George," and so I fain hoped that my former fears on his behalf were groundless. I think a year, perhaps, must have passed when I yielded to a pressing invitation o! Miss Gordon's to dine with her. Seated to the left of nay hostess, I could not help observing that the servants appeared very assiduous m their attendance upon me,one young footman especially exercising the most nnoeaaing vigilance ever my plate, giving me, as I feared, rather more than my proper .share of consideration. My hostess smiled as she noticed the embarrassment that ! I experienced, and said, " You evidently don't remember George, or I suppose I ought to call him Bally to you." Turning my head, 1 1 reoognised, m smart footman's dress, the boy whom I had sent to her about a year pre. viously, but who had rapidly grown into a fine, tall fellow, quite a man although really only sixteen years of age. My hostess thereupon informed me that there being a vacancy for an under-footman m the house, and Sally having grown such an exoepionally fine fellow for bis age, and being too big for • page, she had advanced him to the post. Of course, this explained the mystery of the special attentions paid to me, for although I might have, at the moment, forgotten Bally, it was very evident his grateful heart had not forgotten me. In the course of the evening, I found opportunity to have a quiet talk with the iad, I was delighted to observe his modest, unas* luming manner, and to notioe that he had not been m the least spoiled by the oare, indulgence and consideration he bad received from his worthy mistresß. The latter was greatly attached to him, and had endeavored not m vain, to store his memory with the truths of God's Word and to excite a^jvely faith on his part m the blessed Saviour.

{To be concluded, m our next.')