If
'TvS-y If 1 1
VOL. XIII.
NEW I3XjOOMB1IIGIj33, !P., TUESDAY, NOVEMBEE 18, 1871).
NO. 47.
"will
THE TIMES.
in Independent Family Newspaper,
I PDBLI8HB D SVSRT TUBSDAT BT
F. MORTIMER & CO.
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WE CAN MAKE HOME HAPPY.
Though we may not change the cOtlage
For a mansion tail and grand,
Or exchange the little grass-plot
For a boundless stretch of land
Yet there's something brighter, dearer,
Than the wealth wo'd thus command.
Though we have no means to purchase
Costly pictures, rich and rare,
Though we have no sllkon hangings
For the walls so cold and bare
We can hang them o'er with garlands,
For flowers bloom everywhere.
We can always make home cheerful,
If the right course we begin,
We can make Its Inmates happy,
And their truest blessings win
It will make the small room brighter
If we lot the sunshine In.
We can gather round the fireside
When the evening hours are long
We can blend our hearts and voices
In a bappy, social song '
We can guide some erring brother
Lead him from the path of wrong.
We may fill our home with music.
And with sunshine brimming o'er,
If against all dark intruders
We will firmly close the door
Yet should evil shadows enter,
We must love each other more.
There are treasures for tlio lowly
Which the grandest fall to find,
There's a chain of sweet affection
Binding friends of kindred mind
We may reap the choicest blessings
From the poorest lot assigned.
THE FOUNDLING.
w
ET and dreary. It is mid-winter
the scene is Ktrkllngton, on the
London and Northwestern ; the time,
10-45, just after the night mall had
flashed through without stopping
bound for Liverpool and the North.
The railway officials pointsmen, sig
nalmen, porters, plate-layers are col
lecting preparatory to go off duty for
the night.
" Where's Dan ?" asked one of the
crowd upon the platform.
" I saw him in the hut just after the
10.45 went through. Can't have come
to any. harm, surely."
" No ; he said he'd seen something
drop from the train, and he went down
the line to pick it up."
And Dan had picked up something.
It was a basket, a common wicker bas
ket, with a lid fastened down by a string.
What did it contain ? Refreshments ?
Dirty clothes ? What? '
A baby a child half a dozen weeks
old, no more. A pink and white piece
of human china as fragile aa Dresden,
and as delicately fashioned anj tinted as
biscuit or Hose Pompadour.
" Where did you come across it ?" In
quired one.
" Lying on the line, Just where it fell.
Perhaps It didn't full, perhaps it was
chucked out. What matter ? I've got
it, and got to look after it, aid that
enough for me. Some day maybe I'll
come across those as owns It, and then
they shall pay me and take It back."
" Is there nothing about him ? Turn
him over."
The little mite's linen was white and
of fine material, but he lay upon an old
shawl and a few bits of dirty, flannel.
All they found was a dilapidated purse ,a
common snap-lock bag purse of faded
brown leather. - ' .:
Inside was a brass thimble, a pawn
ticket and the half of a Bank of Eng.
land note for 100.
" What good's half a bank note to
you ?"
" Haifa loaf's better than no bread."
" Yes ; but you can eat one, but you
can't pass the other. Won't you catch
It from your wife? llow'll you faoe
her, Dan ? What'll she say ?"
"She'll say I done quite right," re
plied Dan, stoutly. " She's a good sort,
Ood bless her."
"Bo are you Dan, that's a fact, Ood
bless you too," said more than one rough
voice in softened accents. Perhaps the
brat'll bring you luck after all."
Winter-tide again six years later, but
this season Is wet and slushy. Once
more we are at Ktrkliugtou,a long strag
gling village, which might have slum
bered on in obscurity forever, had not
the Northwestern line been carried close
by it, to give it a place in Bradshaw and
a certain Importance as a junction and
centre for goods traffic But the activity
was about the station. All the perma
nent officials had houses and cottages
there ; in the village lived only the field
laborers who worked at the neighboring
estate, or sometimes lend their hand for
a job of navylng on the line. The poor
folk had a gruesome life of it, a hand-to-mouth
struggle for bare existence against
perpetual privation, accompanied by un
remitting toil.
A new parson Harold Teffry had
come lately to Kirklington. He was an
earnest, energetic young man, who had
won his spurs in an East End parish,
and had now accepted this country liv
ing, because it seemed to open up a new
field of usefulness. He had plunged
bravely into the midst of his work; he
was forever going up and down among
his parishoners, solacing and comforting
preaching manful endurance and truth
fulness to all.
He is now paying a round of parochial
visits, accompanied by an old college
chum who Is spending Christmas with
him.
"Yonder," said Teffry, pointing to a
thin thread of smoke which . rose from
some gaunt trees into the sullen, wintry
air, "yonder is the house If, indeed, it
deserves, so grand a name the hovel,
rather, of one whose case Is the hardest
of all the hard ones In my unhappy cure.
This man is a mere hedger and ditcher,
wne who works for any master ; most
often for the railway, but who 1b never
certain of a job all the year round. He
has a swarm of young children, and has
Just lost his wife. He is absolutely pros
tratedaghast probable at the future be
fore him, and his utter Incapacity to do
his duty to his motherless little ones.
Jack !" cried the parson, stopping short
suddenly, and looking straight into his
companion's face. "I wonder whether
you could rouse him ? If you could
only get him to make a sign; to cry or
laugh, or to take the smallest interest in
common affairs. Jack, I believe you're
the very man. You might get at him
through the children that marvelous
hanky-panky of yours those surprising
tricks a child takes to you naturally at
once. Try and make friends with these.
Perhaps when the father sees them In
terested and amused he may warm a
little, speak perhaps, approve, perhaps
smile, and in the end give in. Jack,
will you try it ?"
Jack Newblggln was by profession a
conveyancer, but nature had intended
him for a new Houden or a Wizard of
the North. He was more than half a
professional by the time he was full
grown. In addition to the quick eye
and the facile wrist, he had the rarer
gifts of the suave manner and the face
of brass. He had even studied mes
merism and clairvoyance, and could
upon occasion surprise his audience con
siderably by his power. They entered
the miserable dwelling together. The
children eight of them- -were skirmish
ing all over the floor. They were un
manageable, and beyond the control of
the eldest sister, who was busied in set
ting out the table for the midday meal;
one other child of six or seven, a bright
eyed, exceedingly beautiful boy, the
least were not nature's vagaries wall
known likely to be born among and
belong to such surroundings, stood be
tween the legs of the man himself, who
had his back to the visitors and was
crouching low over the scanty Are.
The man turned his head for a mo
ment, gave a blank stare, then an im
perceptible nod, and once more he glow
ered down upon the fire.
"Here, little ones, do you see this con
jurer ? he's a conjurer. Know what a
conjurer Is, Tommy?" cried the parson,
catching up a mite of four or five from
the floor. "No, not you; nor you, Sa
rah, nor you, Jackey" and he ran
through all their names.
They had now ceased their gambols
and were staring hard at their visitors
the moment was propitious; Juck New
blggln began. He had fortunately filled
his pockets with nuts, oranges and
cakes before leaving the parsonage, so
he had half his apparatus ready to
hand.
The pretty boy had very soon left the
father at the fire, and had come over to
Join in the fun, going back, however, to
exhibit his share of the spoil, and de
scribe voluminously what had occurred.
This and the repeated Bhouts of laughter
seemed to produce some impression on
him. Presently he looked over his
shoulder, and said but without anima
tion. "It be very good of you, sir, surely;
very good for to take so kindly to the
little chicks. It does them good to
laugh a bit, and Hain't much they've
had to make 'em laugh, lately."
"It is good for all of us, now and
again, I take it," said Jack, desisting,
and going toward him the children
gradually collecting in a far off corner
and comparing notes.
"You can't laugh, sir, if you're heart's
heavy; If you do, it can be only a sham."
While be was speaking he bad taken
the Bible from the shelf, and resuming
his Beat began to turn the leaves slowly
over.
"I'm an untaught, rough country,
man, sir, but I have heard tell that these
strange things you do are only tricks,
ain't it so?"
Here was, indeed, hopeful symptoms!
He was aroused, then, to take some in.
terest in what had occurred.
" All tricks, of course, it all comes of
long practice," said Jack, as be proceed
ed to explain gome of the processes,hop.
ing to enchain the man's attention.
" That's what I thought, sir, or I'd
have given you a job to do. I've been
in want of a real conjuror for many a
long day, and nothing else'll do. Bee
here, sir," he said, as took a small, care
fully folded paper from between the
leaves of the Bible ; " do you see
this?"
It was half a Bank of England note
for 100.
"Now, sir, could any conjuror help
me to the other half ?" 1
"How did you come by it?" Jack
asked at once.
" I'll tell you, sir, short as I can make
it. Conjuror or no conjuror, you've
got a kindly heait, and I'm main sure
that you'll help me if you can."
Dan then described how he had picked
up the basket from the 10.45 Liverpool
express.
" There was the linen ; I've kept it.
Bee here ; all marked quite pretty and
proper, with lace round the edges, as
though the mother loved to make the
little one smart."
Jack examined the linen ; it bore a
monogram and crest. The first be made
out to mean H. L. M., and the crest was
plainly two hammers crossed and the
motto, " I strike" not a common crest
and he never remembered to have seen
It before."
"And this was all."
" 'Cept the bank note. This was In a
poor old purse, with a pawn ticket and a
thimble. I kept them all."
. Like a true detective, Jack examined
every article minutely. The purse bore
the name Hester Georgian in rude letters
inside, and the pawn ticket was made
out in the same name.
" I cannot give you much hope that I
shall succeed, but I will do my best.
Will you trust me with the note for a
time?"
" Surely, sir, with the greatest of
pleasure. If you could but find the
other half it would give Harry that's
what we call blm such a grand start in
life ; schooling and the price of binding
him to some honest trade."
Jack shook the man's hand, promised
to do his best and left the cottage.
' When Jack Newblggen got back to
the parsonage he found that his host had
accepted an invitation for them both to
dine at the " Big House," as It was
called, the country seat of the 'squire of 1
the parish.
, They were cordially received at the
" Big House." Jack was banded over
forthwith to his old frlends.who, figura
tively .rushed into his arms. They were
London acquaintances no more of the
sort we meet here and there and every
where during the season, who care for
us, and we for them, as much as for
Bouth Bca Islanders, but whom we greet
with rapturous effusion when we meet
them in a strange place. Jack knew
the lady whom he escorted In to dinner
as a gossip dame, who, when his back
was turned, made as much sport of
him as of her other friends.
" I have been lighting your battles all
day," began "Mrs. Bltwell.
" Was it necessary ? I should have
thought myself too insignificant."
" They were talking at lunch of your
wonderful knock In conjuring, and
some one said that the skill might prove
Inconvenient when you played cards,
for Instance."
"A charitable Imputation 1 With
whom did it originate ?"
" Blr Lewis Mallaby."
He was shown a grave, scowling face
upon the right of the hostess a face like
a mask, its surface rough and wrlnWed,
through which the eyes shone out with
baleful light, like corpse candles In a
sepulchre.
"Pleasant creature I I'd rather not
meet him alone on a dark night."
" He has a terrible character, certain,
ly. Turned his wife out of doprs because
she would not give him an heir. It is
this want of children to Inherit his title
and estates which preys upon his mind,
they say, and makes him morose and
melancholy."
Jack let his companion chatter on. It
was his habit to get all the information
possible about any company in which he
found himself, for his own purposes as a
clairvoyant; and when Mrs. Bltwell
flagged he plied her with artless ques
tions, and led her on from one person to
another, making mental notes to serve
him hereafter. It is thus, by careful
and laborious preparation, that many of
the mysterious feats of the clairvoyant
conjuror are performed.
When the whole party was assembled
in the drawing-room after dinner a
chorus of voices, headed by that of the
hostess, summoned Jack to his work.
There appeared to be only one dissen
tient Blr Lewis Mallaby who not
only did not trouble himself to back the
invitation, but when the performance
was actually begun was at no pains to
conceal his contempt and disgust.
The conjuror made the conventional
plum pudding in a bat, fired wedding
rings into quarter loaves, did all manner
of card tricks, and juggled on conscien
tiously right through his repertoire.
There was never a smile on Blr Lewis'
face ; he sneered unmistakably. Finally,
with an ostentation that savored with
rudeness, he took out his watch, a great
gold repeater, looked at it, and unmis
takably yawned.
Jack hungered for that watch directly
he saw it. Perhaps through it he might
make its owner uncomfortable, if only
for a moment. But how to get it into
his handB. He asked for a watch; a
dozen were offered. No, none of these
would do. It must be a gold watch, a
repeater. Bir Lewis Mallaby'a was the
only one In the room, and heat first dis
tinctly refused to lend it. But so many
earnest entreaties were addresoed to him,
the hostess leading the attack, that he
could not In common courtesy eontlnue
to refuse. With something like a growl
he took his watch off the chain and
handed it to Jack Newblggln.
A curious, old-fashioned watch it was,
which would gladden the heart of a
watch-collector all Jeweled and enam
eled, adorned with crest and inscription
an heirloom, which bad probably been
in the Mallaby 's family for years. Jack
looked it over curiously, meditatively,
tben suddenly raising his eyes, he stared
intently into Bir Lewis Jfcillaby's face,
and almost as quickly dropped them
again.
" This is far too valuable," he said,
courteously ; " too muoh of treasure
to be risked in any conjuring trick ; an
ordinary modern watch I might replace,
but not a work of art like this."
' And he handed it back to Bir Lewis,
who received it with Ill-concealed satis
faction. He was as much pleased, prob
ably at Jack's expression of probable
failure In the proposed trick as at the
recovery of his prowrty.
Another watch,however,was pounded
up into a Jelly and brought out whole
from a cabinet In an adjoining room,and
this trick successfully accomplished,
Jack Newblggln, who was completely
on his mettle, passed on to higher
flights. He had spent the vacation of
the year previous In France as the pupil
of a wizard of European fame and had
mastered many of the strange feats
which are usually attributed to clalr
voyance. There is something especial
ly uncanny about these tricks, and
Jack's reputation rapidly Increased with
this new exhibition of his powers.
Thanks to his cross-examination of Mrs.
Bltwell at dinner, he was In possession of
many foots connected with thecompany,
although mostly strangers to him ; and
some of his hits were so palpable happy
that be raised shouts of surprise, follow
ed by that terrified hush, which not un
commonly succeeds the display of super
natural powers.
" Oh, but this is too preposterous,"
Sir Lewis Mallaby was heard to say, ...
quite angrily. The continued applause
profoundly disgusted blm. "This is
the merest charlatanism. It must be put
an end to. It is the commonest impos
ture. These are things which he has
coached up in advance. Let him be
tried with something which upon the
face of It he cannot have learned before
hand by artlfleial means."
"Try him, Blr Lewis; try him your
self," oried several voices.
" I scarcely like to lend myself to such
folly to encourage so pltlfnl an exhibi
tion." But he seemed to be conscious that
further protest would tell In Jack's
favor.
" I will admit that yew ha ve consider
able power in this strange branch of
necromancy If you will answer a few
questions of mine."
" Proceed," said Jack, gravely, meet
ing his eyes firmly and without flinch
ing. " Tell me what is most on my mind
at the present moment."
" The want of a male heir," Jaek re
plied promptly, and thanked Mrs. Bit"
well in his heart.
"Pshaw I You have learned from
Burke that I have no children," said
Bir Lewis boldly, but he was a little
taken aback. "Anything else r
"The memory of a harsh deed that
you now strive In vafo to redeem."
"This borders npoti impertinence,"
said Blr Lewis, with a hot brush on his
obeek and passion in his eyes, u But let
us leave abstractions and try tangible
realities. Can you tell what have In
this pocket?" He touched the left
breast of his coat.
" A pocketbook."
" Bah I Ca va sam dire, livery one
carries a pocket book In hh poeket."
"Buttioyou?" asked several of the
bystanders, all of whom we growing
deeply Interested In this strange duel.
Bir Lewis Maltoby confessed that he
did, and produced it an ordinary mo
rocco leather pone and poeket boo kali In
one.
" Are you prepared to go on ?" said
the Baronet haughtily to Jack.
" Certainly."
"What does tbia pooketbook con
tain f"
" Evidence."
The contest between them was now a
outrance.
" Of facts that must sooner or later
come to light. You have in that pocket
book links ia a long chain of circum
stances which, however carefully con
cealed or anxiously dreaded, time, In Its
Inexorable course, must bring eventual
ly to light. There is no bond, says the
Spanish proverb, which is not some day
fulfilled, no debt In the long run that Is
not paid." '
" What ridiculous nonsense I I give
you my word, thls'pocketbook contains
nothing absolutely nothing but a
bank of England note for $100."
" Stay l" cried Jack Newbiggin, fac
ing blm abruptly, and speaking in
voice of thunder. " It is not so you
know it it Is only the half !"
And as he spoke he took the crumpled
paper from the hands of the really stu
pefied baronet. It was exhibited for in.
spection the half of a Bank of Eng
land note for one hundred pounds.
There wan much applause at thin