The Elk advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, 1866-04-19

| u Seu 10 DdTu WOlh anu suc Ddu W HOTk
so hard to keep the baby and me-"
Mrs. Lane asked no more questions,
Just then. She was thinking more seri-
ously than she had ever thought in her
life, remembering how she had been
born to ease and luxury, shielded all
her days from care-how her deepest
discomfort had been when some other
person's carpet was handsomer, or their
Indian shawl had deeper border. And
now she was going where hunger and
sorrow were tenants. Had she been
living all this time for herself !? She
questioned, with sudden pang of ter
ror and selt-reproach, whether ever in
her life she had done really one unsel
fish act-whether, if the great harvest
day were come she would have one
sheaf to show to the master She had
given of her abundance now and then,
of course, when charitable subscriptions
had been presented to her; but she had
thought it bore and a burden, not q
privilege. Of her own accord what
good had she ever done-what man,
woman or child was there to rise up and
call her blessed.
"Here we are, ma'am," said the little
child, breaking the silence.
1t was two-story, wooden house be-
fore which they had stopped. They
went up stairs, and the little girl open
ed door.
Mother," she said, ga lady has come
home with me to see you-a kind lady,
who has given me my breakfast and
brought you yours"
Mrs. Lane stood a moment on the
threshold of the room, and took in such
picture as in her young happy life she
had never seen before. The apartment
was almost bare of furniture-no carpet
was on the foor-there was only the
bed, the chairs and table. But every
thing was as neat as hands could make
it A; against the wall, at the foot of the
bed, hung a framed Photograph the
portrait of a man with kind, honest eyes,
! the features of which the child Ellen's
were almost a copy.
al have come," Mrs. Lane said, with
| the sweet grace which had made her a
welcome guest in far different scenes,
"to see if | could arrange something for
your comfort but, first of all, you must
have some toast and tea," and giving
her little guide some money, she sent
her out to procure fuel, and sat down
herself, in the meantime, beside the
beo where the sick woman lay, with heI
baby asleep upon her ann. The wan
9 pale face upon the pillows was moi
e beaitiful-Annie Lane could not be
t sentimental OF romantic about this Wo
a man-could by no means idealize hel
S into a heroine. Yet there was some
4 thing good and true in her expression
G and when she turned to place the baby
more comfortably, light GLOW of moth
er-love illumined her features until they
G were better than pretty. Mrs. Lane
:, was not long in learning her history.
r She had been used all her days t
Y self-dependcnce Before she was mar
d ried she had worked sewing machine
J. in shop, and she understood the busi
d ness thoroughly. But when Jane
It Stanton married her she had given it up
He was a good mechanic, carpenter
/" his wages kept them comfortably. The.
n had not laid up much, however, for dur
ing the eleven years of their marliag
l.. three children beside the two she hat
d lett now, had come and gone-poor
g feeble little things that cost great dea
=; for doctors and medicine. Then JUS
st before the last baby came, scaffoldin!
e had given way where her husband wa
at work-he had fallen from the fourt
T. story of house and had been brough
home to her dead. She had sold almos
lie al! her furniture, and got along by tha
1t means until she was able to be abou
r. and then she had left baby with Eller
1t and gone out to days work Of washin
d and cleaning. 1t was labor for whic
t. she was not strong enough, but 1t wa
s, the only occupation she could get, an
d after a while she had taken sever
Ip cold, and grown so i'll that she could ne
if 90 out at all. They had eaten up ever!
Or thing they had and this morning, ft
Sc the first time, she had sent Ellen OF
id to try to get something somewhere
h. keep them alive until she could wor
again. "And it must have been GoC
;" ma am, that sent her to you," she col
cluded
&c Mrs. Lane, helpless, pretty little thini
scarcely knew what to say. Her hea
u, beat with tumultuous throbs of pity-h'
ne eyes were full of tears in all her sum
I'D life she had never been brought in CO.
nd tact with actual, gaunt misery and dest
tuition. AT last thought occurred
'as her, and she uttered it eagerly
a }" If you only had a sewing machiI
.or now, you could take work home Wit
lrs you get better, couldn't you, and su
nd port yourself and the children so We
'as nicely%
The woman sighed a deep, unco
is scious sigh of heartfelt longing.
eyes, ma'am, l could, but you knc