Page:Robert Carter- his life and work. 1807-1889 (IA robertcarterhis00coch).pdf/154

“One day a carriage came to the door of my shop, and a lady stepped out, and came up to me and took me by the hand, and asked, ‘Do you not know me?’ I said, ‘No.’ ‘You and I were schoolmates: don’t you remember Jean?’ At once I recognized her. She was the daughter of the hardest man in my native village. He was profane and intemperate, and his poor wife and children had a hard time with him. He took the dead from their graves, and sold them to the surgeons for dissection. On one occasion his poor wife went into the barn after dark and touched a dead man’s hand, and she became a raving maniac. She was sent to Bedlam, where she died. His daughter Jean escaped from her miserable home, came to New York, and after some time married a young German mechanic, who rose to be a prosperous merchant in a large city in the interior, where she had a happy home. She wanted to purchase McCheyne’s works for a gift to a friend. While I was conversing with Jean, a miserable-looking young man entered the store, He had neither hat, shoes, nor stockings. One of my clerks went to him and asked him to go out; but he said he was very desirous to see me. I went to him and inquired what he wanted. He told me he was the son of a parish minister in Scotland whom I well knew, and that he was starving and almost naked. While I was talking with him, an elder of our church entered, and I asked whether he could give him something to do. He employed a large number of men, and, after talking with him, he said, ‘Come to-morrow morning to my shop, and I will give you something to do, and gave him his address. The young man promised to go. I then got him some clothing, and gave him money to get underclothing, and he left me. Next day at twelve o’clock the elder came and told me