Keeping His Word.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 74, 28 February 1885, Page 4

Keeping His Word.

me toilowing touching little j poem ;is by ,^rs. P-reston/ of >Lex- \ in^fr>n, Virginia: — . -' o-r ;;:•.; j> % a y i t >/ ; " Only a penny a box,"lhe said ; O But the gentleman turned away his head, . . , As if he shrank; .from the squalid i sight .. : .. . ,-„ ■.. Of thei^py who: stood m the falling %ht. „; .= .•■■■ Ck Oh ! sir," he stammered, " you cannot know "— '"•...... (And he brushed from his' matches the flakes of snow, j ,'. . That the sudden' tear m|ght, have chance to fall), ; "Or I think — I think you will take them all. and cold at our garret .pane J • ..: • • '/•■<: Ruby will watch till I come again, Bringing" "the lba£*' The"sun has And 'he Hash*t a crumb of breatfa'st yet. "One penny, and then I can buy „ the bread. 1 ' The .gentleman stopped. "And : you,' 1 he said. " I ?— l ; can put up with them — : hunger : arid cold-^-, \ But Ituby is, only five years old. "I promised our mother before she went—' : " ; ' . : ' ' '. She kfteVs; I would do it, and died cpntent-4"''. '•' .": ' •.. ' '•... ':./ rpromised lier, sir, inrough, best, through worst, I always would think of Ruby first. 1 ' Theigentleman paused at the open door ; ; ! ' '.'■ ' ' Such tales he 1 had often heard beButji^ fqm|)led his purse m .the "" :i ~\ twilight drear, ' : '. f .. ", j> " I' liave nothing less than; a shilling >: , l?ere," ._ „,..,.. • : -;.;_. : ,m -, „ " OOf!h f ! sir^ ,if yoii will oni)y takc| . the ""..pack ?i ' ,[[ ". _ . ' , ' . : ; .', ; . ".'. ¥il brliig. yp,u i t;he! eliange ma. mq- ., ,'nipnt back,,; ; ; «... Indeed ; yoUi^may . trust! , > me V ... " Trust: yo.u ?— rno j. ) : ;.,,., But there is the shilling take it and The gentleman lolled m his easy t ,chmT;i -> /:. ■'.'/[[ /'; ? : -i And watchedhis cigar wreaths v melt * in' the air, And smiled on his children, and rose .tQ;geei ,! J' ■'■■/ ;; , . .;. : 'l. The baby asleep on its mother's knee. ..v ; ,.;.,m £,-.;> -•:*> i( And now : it is ' nine by the clock,' 1 , he said, • ** Time that, my darlings y^ere all a- , .^. bed;_ , ; - ; ,■.,...,, it , i_t h i i .. i . ... Kiss me'. 'good} night,' and eaph Ipe sure When you're s,ay ing ;y<?ur prayers, , „r emember the poor." „ ; , Just theh"came a iriessage^— 4** A boy ■ ;vl W"tfi6 l iidbr' l -^ M '■*■■■■' ■■■"■■'■■■■ : >- Before, it was uttered he stood bn •''''lihefiobr,^';;:.;;^.;;;,:;-''' 1 ' |lalf , . j^reath^ess, ' bewildered^ . ; a^d " ' ragged and strange ;..-.. .'.{»' I'm itCvby — Mikds HfotK&r^ Tjoe " "^ike^, hurt, sir.; , 'Twas ■, d^rk : the snow made him blind, And didn't. take notice the train was : '.i -behindy ; ; . . '- .: . •Till hes slipped on '- -the. . track, 'and 1-' a :theh it whisized by — < ■// And'he?s>;homei;iirthe; garret. I ■■■ think lie will die. "Yet nothing would do him sir, notlußgc would' do. But out through the suow I must hurty^6you, Of his hurt he ;was/ certain you -wouldn'.t haye^eard,. . t '. . i^nd 1 so yoHl Shight ' thftik" WUcid broken kiszuiordti" When, the ganret, they hastily entered they ,saw. , „ ..]" Two arms,' nia^gledj shapltes, . ,oi|(---r stretched; ffomjthestraWf , '■',', " You did, it deap Jtvbii^Gfpd bless „,i yqu { , jie s^iid, •.;;,.',',,,) ' . " '[ And the igladlv,' smiling^ ink back, and was dead. — 'PhUadelpind'GatiiolicStand.ird. \