A Noble Revenge

The coííin was a plain une - a poor miserable pino ooíliu. No flowers on its lop, no lioiog of' roso wliite satín for tho palé brow; no smooth ribbons about tlio coarse shroud. The brovvu hair was laid decently baok, but there as uo erimpled cap, with its noat tin booeath the chin. The suflerer fiom eruol poverty smiled in her sleep ; ahe had found rest and health. " I want to sec my mother," sobbod a poor child, as the city undertaker screvved down the top. " You ean't - get out of tho way boy why don't somebody take the brat ? " " Only let me seo her oue niiuute!" eried the helpless orphan, clutching the side of the charity box, and as he gazed into thfit rough face, anguisbed tears streamed down the check on which no childish bloom ever lingcred. Oh ! it was pitiful to hear hiin ery " only onco let me see my mother, ooly once ! " Quickly and brutalíy the hard-hearted monster struck tho boy away so that he reeled wilh the blow. For a moment the boy stocd panting with grief and rage ; bis bluo eyes üashed, his lips sprang apart; a lire glittered through his tears as he raised his puny arm, and with a most unchildish accent screamed, "when I'm a man I'll kill you for that." Thero is a coffiu and a heap of earth betwuen the mother and the poor forsaken child, and a monument stronger than granite built iu his bony neart to the memory of heartless deatli. The Uourt-house was crowded to suffocutioD. " Does any one appear as this man's counsel ? " asked the Judge. There was silenco when he finished, until with lips tightly pressed together, a look of strange intelligence blended with a haughty reserve upon his handsome face, a young man stopped forward with a firm tread and kindlingeye, to plead for tbe erring and frieudless. - Ho was a. stranger, but froin bis first seufencc theru was sileuce. The splendur of bis genius ontrancod and eonvifited. The man wbo could uot find a friend was acquitted. " May God blcss you, sir, I cannot." " I want no thauks," replied the stranger with icy oolduess " I - I believe you are unknown to me." " Man, I will refrcsh ynur memory. Twcnty years ago you struok a brokenhearted boy away from his niother's coifin. I was that poor, miserable boy." The man grew livid.