The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1854-11-24

| VINO mas not wept over inc cONy " i've
Shirt Who has not sympaihised with The
lenan, Of the gaIret-
| Ia poverty, hunger and dir,
Sewing at once with double thread
A shroud as well rs q shirt -
until The very name, needle work and
needle women, became associated with
poor half starved creatures, doomed by their
employers TO sit in foul atmosphere, chained
to their seam by the constantly piled needle,
like galley slaves 10 the oar! And yet this
continual ringing the changes on
Seam, and gusset, and band,
Band, aud gusset, and scam,
is mol such scarecrow 10 all - is not nj.
WAYS so fatal in lis consequences and,
though i, may be tho exception which
proves the rule, in an instance we are about
10 mention, this stitch stitch stitch was
preferred nay, as absorbingly asa pas.
sion for music, or love Of painting.
Annie Linton was the best sewer in Mrs.
Rows school; and her mistress declared,
on inspecting the frs, shirt she made for her
father, (. that the Duke Baucceuch himsel!
might wear H. This was high praise for
little Annie, who was only eleven years oi
age, and she never forgot il. Her work
was the nea,es, and cleanest ever seen.-
Then she did II so quickly, her mother could
no, keep pace with her daily demand for
something TO sew
al wish Annie would take 10 her book, I"
said Mrs. Linton 10 her husband. But il
was quite clear that Annie never would
take TO her book; she had little reading and
less spelling; and yet she could mark,
(wiih co,ton) all The letters Of the alphabet,
as il she was very miracle OF learning.
Something 10 sew! eagerly demanded
Annie.
"Will any moving come Of this sew.
ing," asked her father, with very natural
attempt at pun.
nThose who do no, sew shall not reap"
said little Annie, cleverly taking up her IA.
theirs meaning, and her work bag al the same
time, as she whisked past him in fear OF
being TOO late TO school.
"Annie Is learning 10 be a scholar" ="
said Mrs. Linton, three weeks afier; "no
more demands for sewing" That afternoon
Annie came bounding into the house from
school, sat upon her fathers knee, opened
her work bag, which hung over her arm,
and, putting screwed up paper into his
hand, said -" There Is the moving"
Her father undid the paper, and found
four half crowns.
"Annie." questioned her father, "where
did this come fromi"
"From the sewing" answered Annie,
laughing delighiedly ut his surprise, rs she
escaped from his knee. aud ran out of the
room, to delay linle longer the solution OF
the riddle.
"wiEe," sa;d John Linton, "ii 10 imPos.
sible thai Annie could earn all this by i,he
sort OF child's play, girls call work; and
whom did she earn II from? IN afraid
there 5 something wong" And, 10 tell
the truth, Annie Linton was practising n
little disguise nor had she given her "a.
,her all the money she had earned. The
sum originally was twelve shillings. This
was all designed for her father alone; but q
prior claim had come in the way. II was
cold winter weather, and the children Of the
school brough, :he forms, in sort Of square,
round Mis-. Roy's fire. Annie, who was n
iayori,e Of the misitess, always occupied a
warm corner close TO her own big chair
On the day in question, Mrs. Roy happened
to be out Of the room
81 III change seats with you, Jessie Viii.
son, If you re cold" said Annie, address.
ing lille girl, very book-room, who, clad
in a threadbare printed cotton gown, sal
shivering over her lesson.
Jessie, thus invited, came little nearer.
"You should put on WOODEN frock like
mine, and warm yourself well OF your
mothers fire before you como TO school these
winter days." said Annie, scruiinizing the
poverty struck appearance OF the girl.
Mother says" replied Jessie, "tha,
she d rather do wiihou, fire than my
schooling, and she can't pay for BOTH" I,
"Has your mother no Gre ut homo this
cold weaiheIl" asked Annie, in amaze.
ment.
"No," said Jessie al wish dared bring
her with me here 1T 8 warmer than nj
home. And know mother is i'll, though
she won't tell me.n
"Sit there" said Annie, placing Jessie
in her warm corner; land don't SO out OF
school without me.'
Tha, afternoon the two girls went hand
in hand TO Jessie's door.
"Have you plenty 10 eat, II you We no
fire, :" asked Annie.
"Tbis is the first day mother has been
forced 10 send me 10 school without any
breakfast said Jessie, hanging down her
head, rs II ashamed Of the confession.
Here" said AnSie, aiier slight pause,
un,wis,ing the paper in which were depoos-
tied her first earnings; o. won't 60 in with
you, for mother might not like TO take !,
rom little girl like me; but"- and she
put two shillings into Jessie's hand -",hal
IS 10 buy'someihing TO eat, and fiIe; and
IL your mother can sew as well rs | can"
said Annie, with pardtnable vanity, can
toll her how 10 set plenty Of money 10 pay
for both.
No wonder Annie's riches increased; the
first investment was good one. Neverihe-
less, the concealins il from her parents she
knew 10 be wrong; she feared they
would disapprove; and added 10 her
liule prayer nj night, after the usual ending
Of God bless father and mother - aud for.
gire me for keeping secret that helped Jes.
sic Wilson Could The Recording Angel
carry up purer prayer TO Heaven
or course MIR. and Mrs. Linton vcry soon
discovered that Mr.. Seamwel, of,he ''Ready
made Linen Warehouse" was the source
os Annie's wealth. He said there was no
one who could work like her, and that he
would give her eighteen pence each for The
fines, description Of sh.rt.making. This
was no great payment for Annie's exquisite
stitching - and, thirty years ago, ], would
have brought her three and sixpence shit.
But Annie is OF the present, not ofihe past
and rs she could complete n shirt q day,
her fingers flying swiher than weav.
ers shuttle, she earnei nine shillings a
week. r.