Splitting Himself

John Junkit wa tlie son of honest oouuü-y folks, who had a large famiïv to bring up, and but Eomt meaus where with to do it. John spent Lis cailiest days in weeding, ai:d orow Bcariog, and such occupations, according totlieeeason oftheyear; butjiis lie grew up, and fainily circinnstaticca grew tigliter and tighter, he thought lie might do bitter for himsell and h8 faniily ty souking his fortuue away from lioiuc. Of lsarning, poor John Lnd littlo or none; but hu liud good heaitb, and h pair of stout arras, with legs to match. He was souud iu wind aud limbj and he tliought the world might find room for hitn as well asother folks. v e navo Deen particular in stating that Jobfi Junkit was sound in wiüd and limb ; for to be so was all-important iu tlie navvy profeesion, nto which ha propoíed euleriug. Moreover, if any one had esaniined John borse faahkro, by lus teetb, they would have declared that he must bave a fine consljtution ; for thero was not a speek on oue of them, top row or bottoni ; and to pee all tliis iyory, wlien John uncovered it for tho purposa of a broad grin, was not a thing to ba forgotten, aa if it could bo sten cvery day. Not but that John had some troublc with those teeth ; only it was of a private charaoter ; und therefore need ouly be binted at, qs we pass on. It was B matter of frequent trial to tho owuer of these teeth that they ere not alw: fuü work ; they vere reudy to undertake tnuch more than i'ell in ttieir way; ,'uid partly (o forard tbeir interests'in lile, iud partly bis family's, forth wetit John Jun!;U"mto tlie world. lleuda, or iit!inr arüis. likfl Johu'fetime on a railway, of wliieh he hanrd, o ho found no difficulty in getting cmploymunt. The pay was good, thougb ;he vrk was bard, sp our friend put bis two rows of ivory ou full time ; aud, with plenty of hcalth ar.d moiey, though himself as happy es a kni. And, iu truth, John JunHt might ivith these two blessings have been happier than maDy a kiu bad not some íhing come in the way, as is alffays sure o be the case. Fcr awiiile Jobn did very well ; he kept sober and stoady ; be remembered ihat ho had startcd frem hom not to break the bearts of tho oíd folka there, buj to rcjoice them as soon as he bad sho opportunity. Bad companiong, howsver, ere long got hold of John, and of TVir'c frtn +( ei t cli en 1 Ir ni nnntan f. tbemselves with a man liimself; Ihey must have wbat he hza got aleo. Accordingly, the iittle saving wliich tlio poor lad had made was soon squaudtred If it had been put into the "saviugs" bank it rnigbt have been safe, but now it went io the J' losings:' bank - one of whfcli is to be found appareutly doing a iliriviog business at the corner of ahtos'. every street. There is a peculiarity in tho "losings' banks, wbich gives tliem a. great advantage over the "savioga' ones; it ia this - that whereas you must go to tho "savings" bank, tho "losiugs" bauk will come to you, as John i'ouiid from tho potman'd frequent visit; that individual never cauio with his winning cans, without taking away Bomethiog shiuiug out of poor Joh u's pocket. É'rom bad to worso went poor Johu Junkit, and under tho influence of beer and bad couipanions, homo and father and mother beoamealinost forgntten. - Meanwhüe, tho the navvy was growing, aud had by the time of which we now write bccomo a stalwart man - one whose beard it wás no joke to share on a Satuiday Dight, wlien sueh a lusury was indulged in from time to time. Not a re-I friend had tho navvy met from the (ay ho lcft his home, uutil at last tiiü city misïiouavy found hiin out. It was coming ou dinuer time tbc first day of Johu Junkit's employment on some uew worka, when, hearing an unwonted noitc amougst his mutes, and sceiug them etop woi'k for a moment, the navvy looked arouud him toseo what it was all about. Preseutly he saw a man with a billycock hut uud a browo paper paroel, appareutly coutaining oewspapers, makiog bis way to them, tbrough the slush and stones as betst lie could. It was tho missiouary. As soou as he was fan ly within rcaeh, thsre was trenieudous shaking of hand.j, in which, to keep as close to tha real state of the casu as ]iosriil)le, not only was the " good man í-h-ken as regarda nis band.-, but hia vvholo body from bcad to fout. I'rescully the ganger sliouted, "Yo bo I" Every tooi was in a moment thrown down, handkerohiefs full ot din ner appeared ; aud some women put in appearance also wi diuuer lor one here and there. Tben the city missionary set to work, and, uiounled ou a wbeelbarrow, read out to an atteutive group, amongst fhom wzs our frium' J , And tí at roadiag did John Jupkit good, and before it was over his ejea wero iilled with teare, which, quick ;is thought, he wipcd away with the sleeves . of his shirt ; but not so quickly as to prevent 'their being seen by the missionury For wasn't that aian lookin out 8 fortears always? Why, a tear, ofpecially in a man'8 eye, was a pcarl' of ; great price ; aud now he didn't intend e to let the uavvy'a tear day p without i his. knowing moro about it if ho could. So the m;m witü the Lillycock liat, wlien lio had danc readiug, and liad said just about six aentenpes of a prayer, (tmt a very grcat deal ho got into that little gpaee), slippcd round by Jolinas he weut away, and suid lio expected he was iiiw n thosa quarters, but that he Would stand his friend. And so thb missionary did ; he talked so homeüke to Johu, and looked so lovingly into his great hairy face, and kept holding hiui so long by the hand thitt the navvy thought if he and ího missionary had beeo bom twina they couldn't like eaoh other more. For all tliis kindncss of tho man in tho billyccck hat drew out poor John's very ininost heart, so that as ho himself said, after lbo first visit, if the missiooary had only stayed two minutes more he wouldu't have left Lira any inside at all. Day after day the frkndship of the navvy and the mi?ionary increased, until at last the fruits of it began to be very visible. John Junkit fouud his soul i to be his body's best friend, as every man will who vul only let it be what God made it. And that ifc eau be, no matter bow low it has falleu ; for the ivord of Chr6t can reaew a soul, and the Holy Spirit can give ifc new hopes and ainis and thoughts, such as a rúan ought indeed to have. The bells of the neighboring clmrcli were ringing out a merry peal onc dny, wben, haring finished bis bit of dinner tbe oavvy wan lyjng half stretchod on a dry bit of board. Ho was alone, for tbe rust of the gang had shifted farther on, and he had been left to finish a few smal', tliings whieh had to be done. - And with the tiukling of tho bells stolo bim thoug'utBof home, and the village ohurch, and New Yc-ar's time; for that very peal he haii often rung himself on Kew Years moruicg. xnd theu he thought of iather and tnother acd sisters and brothers ; he had wondered if Nancy Cowslip were married, and if not, whether she'd ever listen to somebing he wantod to eay to her if only he uet her by tlie oíd mili once again. lic vautcd oucc to eay somethiiig lika it hen he was a boy; but he feit soroiroat-like, end tbat hot in the cheeks at he chdn't know but that he was gcog into a fever, and ran away home as ast ae he oould. A spksliing step in tlis mud woke un ie navvy from Eis thoughta ; and the raun with the billycock hat stood beside ïiiu. "Dreaining, mute ?" eaid lbo raissiona7- "Dreamiiig awake," nswered the navvy, and ho told bis tyend all about )ia home aud New Year thoughts - all, except iha part about tho maid of the nill. "Nów, mate," naid tlio rniesionary, ip your mind 65 ' fío'home neicf iTear's Evo. You've attended to what . said about other thingf, and you're ïow yoll clothed and lodged and fed ; ou've puid all your debts ; and go atid ee the old folks, and the youug ones oo; 'tvvill fresheu ou up." 'But I havo nothing te tr.ko theni," said tho navvy. '■'Tis ooly April now," said the misionary ; "you come with me lo morrow, vhich v;ill be pay day, and begin to put y in tho Post üffico Savings Bank. - You can draw out your money whorever 'ou are, and you will have enough to ake sometliiug good to the old folks, and have plenty foryourself bewides." "I wish I could split inyself up inio 'our quarters,': suid the navvy ; "and wouldn't I make every quarter of myelf work bard to make up for the time ind money whieh are lost I" "You'U do bctfer ns you are," said he missionary. "There's a good bit of you left. You do what 1 say, and l'il ell you how tj split yourself in New Yenr's week." Much did John Junkit wonder how ie was to be split ; but, in full faith that ;lial operation would ba done succes8ui!}', h6 worked and saved, and had a idysuin when the year's end carne. Arrsyed in a good pea-jacket and a clean shirt, and decent from head to bot, the navvy was drinking tea with he ruissionary on tho eve of Lis start. 'Now, John, l'm going to teil you how o split yonrself into f'our. You lay out that half of your suvings on your family ; take fatber a pair of boots, and mothcr a shawl ; and when you get to the vilage go to the butcher's and buy souie ribs of beef, and to tho baker'n and get a couplu of cjuarterns of bread ond some lour, and to the grocer's and buy somo tea and sugar and raisios and currnuts, and wliatever strikes your fancy there as being likely to suit the old folks' tsto - a bit of bacon, or the like ; and v,-hen you knook at the door of the old house there wil! bo four of you - John Junkit the draper, and John the butcher, and John the grocer, and John tho baker ; that's the way to split yourself into four. In due time John found Limself at bis old village, and great vvaa the tsurprise of the various tradusmen on whom he called. Tfaey woic not only ustonished at seeing the developmeut of tho crow-scarer into such a formidable-looking fellow ; but was this man, with a pocket well Clled with money, tho vcry aini! who (it socinod almost mily yesterday) u.cd to como for half-pennpyworths of ono thinjjand anotlier '! John Juukit relisbed their astonishmout uueommonly, and thcir ucw civilitieSj too ; 'twas i'uiiüier to liim lln.ii anjrlic had neen in any of the London sights, or daring bis travel ever eince he lift bis home. !. was a good idea, too, tho offer of tito trndesnien to seud tho thioga for him ! Jolin Junkit luid boen used to carry bis own things for many a day ; no pne had thought it worth bis whilo io ask him if "he sbould like them sent." But now ho was asked Ibis, and he tbought be ebould just like it uocominonly - that ho should. It would be something new, and, moreover, thought John, as he m;idc bis first purchases ai the grocer's, if they all seml, sure euough it will make four of us at tha door ol the old hourio all together. Accordiugly, having made h3 purohase?, our friend marshnled hts boys together, aud proudly stalked a]ong at the head of thom - ho as hippy :is even the city missionary could wish hiou to be aud tbey appurently enjoying themselves uncommonly at thu novelty of tbo tiou, for they werc grinning from car to car ; and with suoh a grin did they draw j up, headed by thö navvy, at hs parents' i door. Immonpely tickled waa John Junkit at t lie idea that in point of faet he had been split irito four. A man is not to be eetiraated only by the nutnber of iuches he mcasures, or the number of pounds lio weighs, but by the good or evil he does; nud thus John took to measuring himsélf this New Year's Eve. Not that lio was proud or wanting to make hinasi'lf out anybody - oh, duar, no ! h frieiid in the bülycoek hat had taugh hitn somothing better than that; bu thero was no denying that he liad coni honie four times bettor off evory wa' than he had iefi, . What was that baker's boy with ti ílour and the quarteru loaves 'i Wa not he for iho timo being, so to speak, part ofJuni.it himsolf y And what wa tho grocer's lad with ail that toa anc sugar, and those currauts, and nob dy knows what and that buteher'i? boy with those ribs of beef? Tbey were just John himaelf over and over figain, for what were they doing thero but carryiug his gooda ? They were juit his arms aud iegs, until these good thiogs weru deposited upon the cottage floor. And there slood tho original John iaiself, with no end of things on a buudle over bis shoulders, and when ho knocked, and wasasked, "VVho's there ?" he laughed fit to nplit up his big sidei hen be 6:iid, ''Thore be íour of us, euro "enough." And as John Jnckit lay awake that nijht iu láá o!d corner, he kept thinking what a fine tbing it was for a man thus to muttiply himself, and beoomo as it wore four uitín for good. "Ay," said he to himself, "and what an awful thing it is that somo folks becomo four times themselves ior evil ! - ay, twenty times themselvtís ; for wherever a man sets anoüier on to evil by his example there is liviug and moving liimself ; p.nd thus," said he, "a mau may be split up into what will be in all í'uur quarters oí the world at oue time - in Europa and A.ia and Afiica.jand America too." And was not that, indeed, a happy New Year for tlie Junkit family ? Aud wcisü't John trua to his principies of being now a split man, hero and there nd eveiywhere lending a Lana to everythicg, and doing all tho good ho could ? And didu't (ho villnge barbe? spuii two razors on biin on New Year's inorning? And wasn't John a fine-kokiog fellow in his good clothea at church ? And didn't ho meet Nancy Cowslip- all ' by aocidont, of cour..i, - near the mili, on bis way froui óburob, and all by accident ask her if she wouldu't como aud havo a cup of tea with the old peoplo ? And wben tho Ne Year's eveniog tea Kjinilfe-tfroft hit liru,V.;i':. -_íiu lh{" UH D hió father's hands and ono in riother's ? 80 Naney Cowslip tbought and she remembered her motber used to eay, "Nanoy, a good son will make a good msband too." Sho was an orphan now ; and John thought she looked "wonder'ui nice pouricg out the tea." Ay, he thouglit no ono had ever pourod out tea so üioely, evun thougb once sho poured 60111e of it on the table nstead of ir.to a cup, the reason of which John Junkit night have guessed, had he uot been a vory simple mun. 'Twiis a fine ti;ht to see tbo big navvy kueel down that evening and offer up a prayer. The Juukit family had been moral, respectablc people, but they had no reallj' thought tnuoh of religión, or honored God by worshiping Him in the 'ainily; but now John brougbt this good matter of family worship home with bim amongst other good things ; ind, goino; straight to the point at once ie asUed God fúr all thcy needed, body and soul, and ihanked llim for what they had. And that, too, made Nancy Dowsüp ihink : aad sho feit that th ere was some security fora happy b.0111,0; andja kind of thought crossed her mind, when the evening was over, tbat if John ovar should sDeak to her airairi ste would cot say ''!