Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-11-14

vine elixir which gives to the most
wretched comfort and coDtentment-
Curious to get at the secret Of their hap
piness, the stranger asked the old wo-
man about her history. 4,
Twenty years before, she said, her two
sons and her husband had died, leaving
her destitute and alone with one remain
ing child-a little daughter. Too weak
to work and unwilling to beg she then
hours of daily toll, managed to support
herself and bring up her daughter. At
twenty the latter married worthless
fellow, who broke her heart, and then
cast her penniless upon the world with q
young son, the little boy who was then
setting the table. The old woman took
them In, and about this time also adopted
the little girl, who was the orphan child
of poor neighbor. ..I -..ss.
"And were you able to support them
all by vending apples T' asked the gentle
man. eng '"' .....
mo, Sir,n she answered. "I tried to;
but i couldn't. My darter was sick, and
couldn't do nothing, and we soon got
into debt, twenty dollars. Then, as If to
make bad worse, / was took down with
the rheu1natics. was down with them
for fortnight; and when Igot up, could
MT get round like 1 could afore so, not
KNOWN what to do, / went with my
basket onto a bench nigh the Frog Pond.
Folks come to me amazin' that day, and
at night i had two dollars clear profit
Then / saw the Lords hand he know'd
I couldn't make living going round, SO
he gave me the rheumatics, to show me
it was best to open stand on the Com
mon."
"And since then have you made both
ends meet ?"
"Yes, Sir; since then I've been pros
pered wonderful. I've paid off the debt
and now when want to L can lay in u
stock of ten dollars, and that, you know,
brings apples cheap"
"But have you no fear for the winter?"
mo, Sir. It's two months off; can
make thirty dollars afore it comes, and
that, with what sewing and washing l
can do, will take US round to warm
weather."
"And how old are you ?" asked the
gentleman, looking at her furrowed face
and white hairs, which seemed to say a
century.
"Seventy next Christmas. But We
wouldn't think it to look at me. feel
almost as peart as when l was thirty"
"And at your age, and in such power
ty, can you always look hopefully at the
future?"
"Yes, Sir. THE Lord is my shepherd,
1 shall not want. He maketh me to lie
down in green pastures. lie leadeth me
beside the still waters"
The stranger looked at her with won-
der. He had heard those words before,
but now they had to him a new sound
and new meaning. All at once it
dawned upon him that 1.-THE poor are
blessed" because of their faith which,
of itself, Is the Kingdom of Heaven"
Drawing roll of bank-notes from his
pocket, he handed one of them to the
old woman. She took it, held it up Curl
ously to the candle, and then said, with
smile that made her ugly features abb
solutely handsome:
"It's more money than / ever saw at
once afore 'twould take us clean through
the winter. Ye is agood gentleman, and
| thank ye; but we can get along, and
while we can don't like to take money
from nobody"
This she said in gentle way, as if she
feared to wound his feelings. He made
no reply, but putting the note back in
his pocket, rose and bade her good
evening"" When he re41hed the door
he turned, and sayingS"I forgot the
children" took both of them up in his
arms, and kissed them. Then he went
down the long stairs, and walked slowly
homeward., He had CROPPED in the dark
for thirty years, and this olDNwoman had
given him his first living revelation.
After that he kept his eye upon her
Every morning and evening he passed
her stand on the Common, and he never
went by without saying cheerful word,
or pausing to ask after her sick daughter
and the children.
rha nl, 10 N
and Elizais is as well as could be expected" /"
was her almost invariable answer. But
one sultry day i'm August she said: 'She
seems to be sinking fast, Sir. Way up
where we live we don't get none but hot
air, and the sun dotet come in tih into
the afternoon. Pears to me we need
sunshine as much rs the plants and the
flowers" b.. p
Thenext day thegentleman went home
earlier than usual, and as he came near
the old woman's sand he caught sight
of the invalid daughter, seated in ahand.
wagon, propped up by a pillow, and
shaded blythe big umbrella. The atten-
tion of th6old woman was engrossed by
juvenile customer; but the daughter
noticed his approach, and called to him
as he made as if he would go by without
speaking. ..i.- -
"Sir, Sir" she said, "please to stop, !
want yoysto see! l shall soon be well
for now + can go out every day in fine
weathern ...I.I. ......
"And who got you down the stairs, and
upon the Common ?" ai
1.-THE man that lives on the lower floor
he carried me down; and Tommy
drawed me here before school time" a..
"And aOhO sent us the wagon ?' asked
the old woman, her ugly face lighting
up with the smile that, to this man, al
ways made it handsome. is-,. ....
"The Lord, suppose. All good things
come from him; and this seems to be q
good wagon" answered the gentleman,
taking the vehicle by the wheel and
shaking it as if to test its quality.
The old woman looked at him for a
moment, without word. Then she
said, "The Lord will say to them on his
right hand, 'Ye did it unto me, insomuch
as ye' did it unto one of these, my poor
children.'n .. ..--,s.-.'. .s. ...
The man turned and walked away, in
his eye tear, and in his soul another
revelation. He had learned the whole
of religion-faith aud good works-at the
cost of carrying an old woman's basket,
and buying for her daughter cheap
hand-wagon.
Every pleasant day for month after
this he found the sick woman seated
there in the wagon under the old um-
brella. She always had smile for him
and he ALWAYS fingered a while to gel