Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-12-30

evidently picked up In the streets The red
light cleaned up through the fractures INTO
the two pale thin faces as they warmed their
bony fingers over It, and Blaeit remembered
the shadowy faces. His own mothers, his
own boy face, his own poor little wee self!
There was only bit of a bone of meat,
some thrice-warned coffee, innocent of milk
or sugar, and very hard heel of loaf; but
they greedily ate and drank what there was
and lowered over the fast-fading fire. as if to
eagerly absorb into themselves all that there
might be of warmth and vitality before it
should shoulder into ashes; there was
world of care and want, of poverty and cold,
in the pinched and wrinkled face-old before
its time, bending SO yearningly over the boy.
Poor Mrs Blueit had been making some
shirts for Judge Handsaw, and had duly taken
them home that night; but the lady had not
had the change by her, there was little of
fire or supper in the Blueit attic that night
Mr.. Blueit heard her tell the boy, and re
| membered that his own wife had hidden a
poor woman ut his door that very night to go
away and come at more convenient season.
Dear, dear how the poor thing did cough :
as the woman and child laid down sether on
the crazy bedstead, and tried to club to-
gether what little there was of warmth and
life between the two.
joey! " said the womon, did you try again
if Mr. Jones wanted bundle boy to-day 2"
Yes mother" ans yers the little fellow /;
. but be wants genteel lads | was far too
ragged. | said | was mended up pretty we'll
and | would soon buy good clothes if he
would hire me and he laughed real ugly, and
said, On yes, soon enough I'll engage and
too soon too; and | went off and begged an
old broom ana swept crossings, but nobody
give me any thing; and the men wouldn't
trust me me with any papers to sell tonight,
either"
II wish Mrs. Handsaw would pay me what
she owes me- said Mrs. Blueit THE last
ones l took home she was out Of town, and
had 20 wait for weeks for my pay; and to-
night she hadn't the change. almost wish
she knew how poor ne are but I'm afraid if
she did she wouldn't trust me with the linen
God help Us, Joey, through this bitter win
teri" and the racking cough showed that
something was helping her rapidly through
her short lease of life.
joey rolled a billet Of wood in his little
| jacket, and put il under her head to raise it
and ease the cough, and presently they slept
There stole into the room sharper chill
and Il thin weird light as Of approaching day,
| smothering itself through the cobweb panes
| There was no coughing now, as Joey rubbed
| his eyes open. An, poor Jocy-it's no use,
| child-Ste won't have to wait on Mrs. Hand
saws pleasure. The widows Friend is right
7 ing all of her wrongs. There are no david
| ling delays there. oh, Joe how could YOU
| ever forget those sbarpened features, those
| elnaciated feet, that deadly chill of touch
| overmastering the December morningI
. On my God, for all my SINS have thou
mercy on me F." groaned BIueit and shuddered
through forty years of his existence, back to
those days winch were passing before him.
And the vision faded like cloud, and the
strange pair were once more in the street Ii
was still evening out OF doors, and BIueit
deserted his own porter, honest fellow with
his toes sticking out of his boots, as he pass
ed them hurrying home, Juggling a basket of
potatoes with Il bit of meat wrapped in a
brown paper stucl, in a corner of it. Rlueit
remembered that he had picked up and re-
stored to him that morning a teu-dollar green
back, for which Blueit had thankc. him.
Really, now, it was too bad-and his wife with
a Young baby at home to But Bill never
complained, and how was he to know how
things went on at home with ali of his men
He would never have known about the new
baby if he had not just happened 10 have
heard him telling Peter, the fireman of it,
Then they passed a miiliner's shop in MILL
nette Place. / pretty girl sat at the end of
the counter weaving a chenille net, and a fast
young fellow l0unged against the counter
sucking his cane and ogling the girl rs she
worked Presently she pricked her finger
and the exquisite dropped his cane to caress
the delicate injured digit, ummndful of bio
whiskered fellow vino had entered the Shop
and stood watching them both. Not that he
had much chance TO observe them either. for
the next Instant Mr.. Leroy Fayueant sprawled
on the floor beneath the substantial fist of the
big-whiskered fellow, in whom Blueit recog-
nized himself once more.
Served him right - was Blueits maturer
verdict on this youthful escapade, as the Wis
ion passed before him OF the fair coquette
vino, now safely nestled under his matrimo-
NAL wing, was pointed out on the Forest
Drive the . beautiful Mrs. Blueit with her
twO-tuouSand-dollar horses and carriage
BlUrit saw great many things IL that rus
" walk with his slender and geutlemanly
but mysterious guide He saw his cashier 90
into "a blind looking doorway, and he and Ba-
Zius crept after him; and the way the green
backs piled the tables, and the little white
winged ministers of evil flew away with more
than quarters salary at a sweep was eau
ton and a surprise to the unnitiated. His
confidential clerk, too came out at the
-rceuroom door OF the theatre and drove
Away TO a select supper with a few dramatic
friends chat sanity youth who would not so
much hear the niger MINISTRIES lest his
influence in Sabbath-SchOol should be lost
Bat dat was later still in the evening. Now
the streets were full of people, warmly and
handsomely clad, going in and out of the gro
GERS, the puuitererS, and the trultcrerS
piuchjug fat turkeys, selecting rich clusters
OF grapes, ordering groceries and good things
enough to satisfy an army, it seemed while
through the streets was blown. hither and
Wonder at the mercy Of the merry wind. the
rich fragrance of the hemlock and pine
5oUEhs with which the shops were decked
for the fastai season. Eyergreens everywhere.
Some miniature pines hurrying horne that the
Christ-chfd might hang them full of gifts
Refuse green's from churches and public halls
ground undertoot into the snow dust vet, like
faithful Christmas, giving forth the most
precious odOr under the yilest usage. You
could get glimpses of rich dark wreaths
around bright pictures on lofty walls of state
II houses ss YOU passed. ! GU could breathe
the incense of the - tir-tree, and the pine.
and the cedar together Is YOU passed
church, and the poor children dragged home
branches of the refuse 10 make humble lodg-
inGs gay with just bit of Christmas. There
went Blueit's sweeper now with a Bologna
sausage and pretzei III paper under his
arm and branch of pine 10 stick over his
window; and the cheap shop is hung with
pines and tri-colors, and even the carcasses
at .ne door wear them. There Is much good
in your pine and hemlock tree, however con
Sidered. There are poor women and SILVER
f.hT1,tr.sr, ranevfsfo~ xsiI,,y-