Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1869-07-31
IFrom the Youths Companion.l
THE TOWN PAUP ERS-
By MRS. c. w. FLANDERS.
IN TWO CHAPTERS CHAP.

to the kitchen to ask if you viii
please tell mea a story. 1t Is 50 dnIf
up stairs-everyb body reading and
sewing.n
81 can't tell any stories tonight"
returned Margie, seizing the poker.
and making a dash at the Goals. 1t
is an awful night, miss there's the
wind bowling out there in way
that always sets my teeth a chatter
ing. There, there sit down, child
What are you staring at ?''
Il hope you are not sick, Margie,
L said, going toward her, ana placing
my hand upon her shoulder. Are
you tired ?''
a bitter laugh broke from her
lips.
II wish it was tired l apl-I wish
it l0dS, miss but If the day was "a
week long, and it was all a Monday, ).
l couldn't work hard enough to make
meso tired that l would sleep on
such a night as this"
''It is terrible" said, 1.-The wind
that comes shrieking dow II the
chimney aud mamma says there
are poor pcoplc-little children such
as I-out in the cold streets. Do you
think they can live there all night,
Margie? =? or that we could find such,
X we went to look for them ?''
"Ah, ha ! wouldn't it be rare sport
to zee the rich leaving their warm
rooms and soft carpets, to save the
miserables who are dying in the sleet
and ice, o, child, the good master
knew what he was saying, when he
cried, How hardly shall a rich man
enter the kingdom of heaven y
'fiease don't Margie-it makes
me shiver when you look and talk
i'll that wild way"
Shiver, indeed, miss 1t Is very
comfortable shivering here by the
red-hot range, clothed in rose-color-
ed wool and embroidered aprons
Wait till you find yourself in the
street, without u friend in the world,
frozen through and through, until
every tooth and bone rattle like cast
anets then you'll know what It is
to Sh5Ucr.n
but you weren't ever il: the streets,
Margie: You never was hungry and
cold ?n
''I WANT was |? Well, you We're
asking FOR story, miss, and here IS
one; and much good may ii do you.
Margle paused a moment, as II
dreadinS TO begin f; and as | looked
at her more sattentively, | was sur
prised To see how old she looked
how wrinkled and pinehed her face
had become since the last time had
come to her for stories ; for Margle
was generally genial and talkatlve,
and willing To amuse me out OF her
store OF strange experiences. L was
not old enough to understand what
inroads Il few hours of anguish can
make upon beauty.
"Gou see, miss was born way up
north, almost To the Canada line
We didn't have nice places for poor
folks to go to, as you have here in
the city. We were just bid off, like
so many slaves and the man who
bid us oft calculated to make the
most of us.
"There wasn't but two ofus-Lucy
and L. L was older than she, going
on five years so that when father
and mother were both dead, l had
the care % her all to- myself. Our
folks were always poor, and if they
had any relations they kept them
selves out OF sight after mother was
dead. And so, as We we.e small and
Lucy was delicate and nobody want
ed us and We had to be bid off with
the towns poor, who were all bid off
once year to the lowest bidder
Il think likely l might have Jared
better If | had not stuck to Lucy in
the way l did but | amt sorry that
| did
There wat Nh old farmer, with
crazy kind of& wife, who bid us all off
IN lump that year, as he had the
poor Tor several years before and
We wan | idle much, / tell you. 1t
was work, work, work, from morn
ing until night; and IA l used to
I IL Il
tlred enough when night came. 1t
was hard enough at first but when
the cold winter set in, it was awful.
on see, miss, up there where /
liNed, the snow would tall three or
Iour feet deep i'll few hours, and
cover the fences, sheds and low
houses, until every thing looked like
white level plain. Little things
Ike Us had To wade pretty deep to
get over the road and, as we were
the youngest in the house, all the
chores, and running, and odd jobs
fell 10 our lot.
Late one afternoon, after 1t had
been showing, and the wind had
come up IN perfect hurricane, and
blown the light snow into great
heaps, Peter SnIkes, who always had
rheumatic when there was stor ~,
"a SAAN NclN NOtst DSal
me, miss but you ought 10 have
heard. You never heard any yelling
like that i'll your life. AS luck would
have 1t, there weren't nothing in the
house 10 relieve him; and somebody
must so 10 the store, a mile and
half away, for liniment, which was
, his standing remedy.
The keeper tthat was what We
called the MASTERY came into the
kitchen and a crosser man [ hope
] may never see again. Now, when
ever tie shadows fell upon lis face,I l
tried To keep Lucy in the back
grEonj; for he had disliked her
from The moment he found how help
less and feeble she was, and that he
could get no good from her little
hands, which grew thinner and
smaller with the hunger and cold.
| So when he came in and glared at Us,
| motioned Lucy away. But il was
| too late.
Here he said, iinging her bit
| of silver and a bottle, go to the store
and bring old Skies some liniment !;
and look here. you sly mink, see
fthat you don't be gore long, or I'll
4 lick x-nu within ON ipafv Of vonr