Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1859-01-08


have also a relation, young man who live
IN the family, and who is, fancy, littl
insane. In word, there is a plentiful
growth of wormwood in that house,
But now, sec, we are at the Great Quar-
ter. Now light your lantern, good Jacob
because the moon does not light the step
Of the Quarter, and we must not break on
legs if we can help idr
The clcrgyman's servant, the respectable
Jacob, who attended his master and mis-
tress, did as he was desired, and they as
cended the steps, Professor Methodius en-
deavoring the while to initiate the clergy
man into the first principles of his system
for the Improvements Of society, to which
word
The narrow wooden steps led to q land.
ing, on which were several doors. Mimmi
opened one of these, as an old acouaint.
ance, and the party entered into large
long room, in which.no less than six fanli-
lies resided, one in each corner. and two in
the middle. The room was lighted by the
moon and one single small tallow candle.
before which a middle-oged woman sat on
broken stool, mending old clothes upon
bench near her sat two children busy
sorting rags. The boy was handsome.
well grown child; the girl, whom MiuImi
called Nina, had nothing remarkable abont
her, except pair of bright blue eyes, which
seemed to look lovingly and gladly forth
from sickiy, pale, and meager counte-
nance. No one could have imagined, from
her expression, that her legs and feet were
withered, and that she was compelled al
ways to remain in one place, or to move
herself along upon her knees
That lis our best little girl in the infant
school, said Mimmi Svanberg, in an under
tone to the clergyman and she has a
voice which makes it Joy to hear her
Besides, she is such a good aud contented
child When any Of the other poor children
have food in the school she never begs any
OF 1t, her large eyes only look so beseech-
ingly that it really goes to my heart when
there is not sufficient for her to have some,
or when it is not her turn, for it is GER
tainty that she gets no dinner at home.-
The mother-Good evening, Mrs. Gran
berg, you see that l have not forgotten
you, and you shall have the boots either to-
morrow morning or the morning after, SO
that you can then sit ont in the market to
sell your things without your feet being fro.
zen; thank you, thank you, Mrs Gran
berg. Here is our pastor come to see you.
and would like to know how you manage to
provide for yourself and your children.
just tell how you contrive'
Poor Mrs. Granberg, whose eyes spar
kled with gratitude in her pale, emaciated
countenance, said humbly-'uow good you
are TO inquire after poor creature like
me ?
She seemed embarrassed, and it was only
after she had heard the familiar remarks Of
the pastors wife about health and sickness
&c, that she by degrees became more com
municatiye.
'Ah,' said she, then, how fortunate they
are who do not know what sickness is, and
now 1t deprives one of ones power /! Ma
ny time have | cried because | was not
able to work and earn bit of bread for
me ana my children, as l used formerly !;
but that has not been the case for some
years. One trouble / have that | shall
carry with me to my grave, and that got
before the girl was born. 1t was in the
depth OF Winter, and we lived outside the
town. 1t was bitterly cold and snowy
Winter, and we suffered great want. Gran.
berg had been away for fourteen days, and
L did not know where he was. For three
whole days we had not had a morsel of
bread nor bit of meat inside the house.
The child cried; | spun, and when | got
very hungry and weak laid me down to
sleep, Anxiety and hunger soon awoke me
again. But | would not weep nor yet give
in, because Of the child to which | should
soon give birth, aud for its sake deter
mined to keep in as good heart as l could.
l sat down again to my spinning
AT length could bear up no longer |
took my homespun jacket, the only thing
had left belonging to better days, and went
to Fetter'S Anna, and asked her to take it
to Stenboms to put it it pawn, and bring
me back something to eat for we could not
so on tamishing any longer.
Stlna went, and soon came back again
with two cakes of bre0d, six-peuny worth of
meal, and herring. And we cooked, and
we ate, and how good they were But
Stina had met Granberg as she was going
out, and told him how badly off / was at
home; and he knew it well enough, and
that was just the very reason that he kept
away; he knew that there was nothing to
be had
Some days afterward we heard that
Granberg had sold the jacket at public
house for eight rix-dollar But / knew
nething aboHt it of a certainty, before he
came one day drunk into the rsom. and
threw upon the floor sack which held half
a bushe of peas, aud exclaimed, "See
there you have your jacket |" | then an.
derstood the whole thing. there was a noise
in my head, rending pain in my body and
l tainted away After that little Mnna
was born-a poor little creature, such as
she is now, aud have never since then had
a day free from pain
Poor Mrs. Granberg 7 sald the pastors
wife eompassionately, bat in an under tone,
as she sighed, My God my God
She aud her husband then turned to the
little girl with bright, cheerful eyes. They
asked her if it was not Uearisome to be al
ways sitting,
Oh, yes, she replied, it would be a deal
nicer if l could run and jump about, like the
other children but l can always amuse
myself as it is.
Che Il, al,ro a.. 90 oboo. III Al -.