Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1854-10-27


often quarreling. .gas ,'..
The yard was filed with all sorts Of
rubbish; the grass trampled down.
and boards, and stones, and bricks
scattered along the walks and over
the flower-beds. There, sometimes,
child not more than two years old
cried by the hour, without eliciting any
notice orcare. Sometimes ] seen the
man, whose name / now learned was
Moses, sitting listless at the window in
the evening, or trying to quiet the
child that seemed petulant always.
AS returned home from that little
shopping excursion, / pondered on
what | had heard and on my past OBJ
servations, and concluded that Moses
was poor mechanic, who had lately
lost his wife. and was trying to get
along with n family OF little helpless
children as besthe could. l saw clear
| ly. / thought, how injudicious friends
had bought and made mourning for
the children on the death Of the moth
er, thus increasing the perplexity Of
the father without benefting dead or
living. saw, too. how foolishly Caty
had drawn upon her fathers slender
means, and that she had gone home
without shoes or stockings-all the
money of a weeks earnings, perhaps,
expended for dress, as ill-selected as
they could have been.
Of course l felt new interest in
the residents Of the old house, and Of
ten seated myself at the window that
way.
About week after the purchase |
have mentioned were made, saw Ca
ty at play in the yard in her thin black
dress. 1t was stylishly made with
fiounces and ribbons, and the original
cost had evidently been added to a
good deal by the making. Caty SEEM
ed highly pleased with herself, and
walked up and down the yard to the
astonishment of her little brothers and
sisters, for while; but she seemed to
forget the dress in the course of an
hour, and fell to playing. Toward
night l looked from the window again
and saw the dress muddy and torn
AT the end of week it was quite un-
fit to wear, the hounces pinned to the
petticoat, and the ribbons dangling
loose.
Caty seemed to be sad romp, and
to require the constant supervision of a
careful guardian. Two or three diff
ferent servants would see about the
place in the course of week some
times, but from my observation could
not tell that one was more efficient
than another.
Moses continued to look worn and
dispirited. and sat idly about the
windows of evenings, unshayen and
untidy.
1t was, perhaps. three months after
my first acquaintance with Moses,
that | heard him one evening humming
a tune in his own yard; and looking
out | saw that he was brushing his
shoes as he sung. 1t did me good to
see his more cheerful aspect. though |
could not at first divine what could
make him hum tune, for he was sur
rounded by half a dozen dirty and un-
combed children, quareling and clam
orous. ra Y
He presently disappeared within
doors, but | saw him again standing
before a small glass placed on the sash
of the window next to our house, a
cup of steaming water on the sill, and
razor in his hand. After this came
a careful brushing and shaking of the
coat, which had been neglected so
long, after which process observed
that Moses was engaged with needle
and thread, stitching on buttons and
remedying otherlittle defects Of his APP
parel, RS l inferred. The man had ta-
ken new courage evidently. A few
days similar process was gone throu'
after which observed that Moses kis.
sed all the children and left the house,
comforting them, us II seemed, with
assurances OF an early return. / fur
thermore observed that the Grape was
gone from the hat.
These little scenes had frequent en-
actments, and all the while Moses grew
more and more cheerful apparently, sc
evidently SO that il was not unsual to
see him, after days work, join IN
the sports of the children. once OF
twice saw him jumping the rope,
But ali ut once the sport ceased,
and among the children | noticed thai
the baby was missing. There was q
doctors carriage At the door every
day. and an unusual number OF lights
at night, and Of strange PERSONS
Then | noticed that the window wa'
lifted. and that II was very still about
the house. Moses was Mt home al
| day, and the children 'huddled sorrow
fully together. making no noise. A
carriage was brought, and u little col'
fin was carried out. felt that th,
baby was dead, perhaps from want o
care.
There was another time of defect
ion, during which things seemed tC
grow worse and worse. For days
there would bo no servant about the
house, aud Moses would come early
from work; assist rs Il seemed tho
miserable attempt at house. keeping
made by the girl, Caty-bad work they
made. | judged, from tho troubled
aspect Of the man aud the untidy lool
of things. Coffee. grounds and egg
shells were strewed about, and th,
heads Of fishes, and cabbage.stalks
and bones finished up the garniture o
the place that should have been gar