Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-12-31

then kindled fire in a cracked stove of some |
bits of limy laths and a scrap of wood or two,
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 Blueit 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 warmed coffee, innocent of milk
or sugar, and very hard heel of a 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 pnched and wrinkled face-old before
its time bending so yearningly over the boy
Poor Mrs. BIueit 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, so there was little of
fire or supper III the Blueit attic that night
Mr.. BIueit heard her tell the boy, and re-
membered that his own wife had hidden a
poor woman at his door that very night to go
away and come at a more convenient season
Dear, dear how the poor thing did cough
as the woman and child laid down together on
the crazy bedstead, and tried to club to-
life between the two.
"Jocy!" said the women, did you try again
if Mr.. Jones wanted a bundle-boy TO-DAY ?"
Yes, mother" answers the little fellow:
g but he wants genteel lads | was far too
ragged | said | was mended up pretty well,
and | would soon buy good clothes if he
would hire me and he laughed real ugly, and
| SAID, Oh yes, soon enough I'll engage and
too soon too; and | went off and begged an
old broom and swept crossings, but nobody
give me any thing; and the men wouldn't
| trust me me with any papers to sell tonight,
either"
q wish Mrs. Handsaw would pay me what
She owes me" said Mrs. Blueit. ''The last
| ones | took home she was out of town, and |
had to wait for weeks for my pay; and to-
night she hadn't the change. I almost wish
| she knew how poor we are but Pm afraid if
| she did she wouldn't trust me with the linen.
! God help US, joey, through this bitter win
teri" and the racNing 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 it under her head to raise it
and ease the cough, and presently they slept.
| There stole into the room a sharper chill
and It thin weird light as Of approaching day,
smothering itself through the cobweb panes
| There was no coughing now, as Joey rubbed
| his eyes open. All, poor Jocy-it's no use,
| child-she won't have to wait on Mrs Hand
saws pleasure. The widows Friend is right
/ ing all Of her wrongs. There are no david
ling delays there. Oh, Joe ! how could you
ever forget those sharpened features, those
emaciated feet, that deadly chill of touch
overmastering the December morning!
g Oh my God, for all my SINS have thou
mercy on mel" groaned Blueit and shuddered
through forty years of his existence, back to
those days which were passing before him.
And the vision faded like cloud, and the
strange pair were once more in the street. 1t
was still evening out Of doors, and Blueit
deserted his own porter, honest fellow with
his toes sticking out of his boots, as he pass
ed them hurrying home, Juggling basket of
| potatoes with Il bit of meat wrapped in a
| brown paper stuck in a corner of it. Blueit
| remembered that he had picked up and re-
stored to him that morning a ten-d0llar green
back, for which Blueit had thanked him
Really, now, it was too bad-and his wife with
Il young baby at home to But Bill never
complained, and how was he to know how
things went on at home with all of his men !?
! lie would never have known about the new
baby if lie had not just happened to have
heard him telling Peter the fireman of it,
nctte Place. 4 pretty girl sat at the end of
J the counter weaving Il chenille net and a fast
! young fellow loungcd against the counter
sucking his cane and ogling the girl as she
worked. Presently she pric!led her finger
and the exquisite dropped his cane to caress
| the delicate injured digit, unmindfll of big
whisllcred fellow who 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 Fayneant sprawled
! on the floor beneath the substantial fist of the
| big-whiskered fellow, in whom Blueit recog-
nized himself once more.
D." Served him right ~ was Blueit's maturer
verdict on this youthful escapade, as the Wis
| ion passed before him of the fair coquette,
| who, now safely nestled under his matrimo-
NAL wing, was pointed out on the Forest
Drive as the " beautiful Mrs. Blueit with her
| two-rhousand-dollar horses and carriage"
Blucit saw Il great many things in that gus
ty walk with his slender and gentlemanly,
but mysterious guide. He saw his cashier 90
into Il blind looking doorway, and he and Bla-
zius crept after him and the way the green
backs piled the tables, and the little white
winged ministers of evil few away with more
than quarters salary at Il sweep was a eau
ton and surprise to the uninitiated. His
confidential clerk, too, came out at the
gracnroom door of the theatre, and drove
away to a select supper with a few dramatic
friends; that sanity youth who would not so
much us hear the niger MINISTRIES lest his
influence in Sabbath-school should be lost
But that was later still in the evening Now
the streets were full of people, warmly and
handsomy clad, going in and out of the gro
GERS, the poulterers and the fruiterers;
pinchim9 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
boughs with which the shops were dec1ed
for the feStal season. Evergreens everywhere,
Some miniature pines huIrying home that the
Christ-child might hang them full of gifts
Refuse greens from churches and public halls
ground underfoot into the snow dust, yet, like
faithful Christmas, giving forth the most
precious odor under the vileSt usage. You
could get glimpses of rich dark wreaths
around bright pictures on lofty walls of state
ly houses as you passed. You could breathe
the incense of the " fir-tree, and the pine,
and the cedar together" as you passed
church, and the poor children dragged home
branches of the refuse to make humble lodg-
ings gay with Just bit of Christmas. There
went Blueit's sweeper now with Bologna
sausage and pretzel in a paper under his
arm, and branch of pine to stick over his
window; and the cheap shop is hung with
pines and tri-colors and even the carcasses
at the door wear them. There is much good
in your pine and hemlock tree, however CON
| sidered. There are poor women and SILVER
! ing children peering in at the windows of the
| oyshop, where richly-dressed dolls, swinging
to and fro in the warm light, Knocked with the
air of stolid comfort, the shrill whistle of the
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