In fact, to pass
through a fiery furnace! And how very few are they, that come forth,
unscarred, and purified!
"Remembering this, I exclaim, 'How was I saved?' And then my heart,
almost bursting with gratitude, forces the words to my lips--by God's
mercy alone!
"Taking with him a few favorite books--a change of linen--he bade
adieu to the home so laden with bitter memories.
"A day's weary travel brought him to the city of L----. Here, for many
days, until the autumn came on, he managed to subsist--doing little
chores, carrying a carpet-bag or bundle--earning enough to sustain
life merely, and sleeping in the depot or market-house.
"At length the cold days and colder nights came on; work was very hard
to find, and our poor boy's fortitude was severely tried.
"The day of his trial, his direst temptation, came! For twenty-four
hours he had not tasted food. A cold, bleak night was fast
approaching. One after another of his books had gone to get a piece of
bread. Now nothing was left but starvation or--the boy dare hardly
breathe it to himself--or dishonesty!
"He must have food somehow. Loitering about the depot, watching a
chance to earn a few pennies, he saw a gentleman alight from a
carriage, take out his pocketbook, pay the driver, and return it, as
he supposed, to his pocket.
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