Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1869-09-24

taken at by gone county fair, very mucI
$ as one surrenders an eyetooth, only becaus
one would feel infinitely worse to keep il
5 and Nell-not to be outdone-ofFered be
! ear rings, and found that they were pinch
beck.
1t seemed as if one and all were bent upo,
beggariDg Squire Suffolk, for on the frs
day of November the amount had reached
three hundred dollars, and the subscription
list was closed, except to the Squire.
Accordingly one afternoon Miss Poor,
put on her work of art, and taking her treas
ure with her, proceeded to the Suffolk place
1t was bleakt Autumn day, a forerunner O
sleet and storms and pinching wintry wealth
er, and Miss Poore, wrapping threadbart
shawl about her was glad at last TO find her
self before the blazing fire in Squire Suf
folk drawing room. Ii seemed to her al
first as if he would neyersallow her to com.
to the point. Either be had forgotten al
about the affair, or meant to wear out bel
patience; but that was simply inexhausti.
bic. In the mean time be entertained her
with detailed account of his estate, as II
he were the steward and she the master
with the increase in his crops and prices:
with the story of his youth and schooldays I;
of his first beaver and swallow-tailed coat
of his awkward first love; and when be
paused it occurred to Catharine that she
knew him perhaps better than be knew him
self She wondered at this strange famili
arity which was growing upon her. and
when at length she pulled out her subscrip
tion list it was with quaint reluctance of
manner, not at all like Miss Catharine
Poore's usual promptitude. Was she afraid
he would fail to fulfill bis obligation, and so
disappoint her hopes? Was it because.
having acquired sort of friendliness for
him, she feared lest he would prove the mig
gard?
Three hundred dollars, said he, 'You
have done finely.
1t plainly wasn't very stunning affair to
him, or he met an emergency with eonsum-
mate coolness.
Yes. | have it here in ready money.
Ycu shall count it if you will.
Three hundred dollars Why, child /
haven't so much on hand. She had feared
it would come to that II never keep it
about me, you know he pursued. 81
don't like to put premium on murder, to
make it worth the servants while to put
dirk through me any time after dark.
She left her seat then and prepared to 20
home. She was quite miserable at that mo-
ment. To be baked thus Six hundred dol
lars would have gone so far with the Hasents
they needed it so sorelyl Only yesterday
she had seen Thad's stocking peeping
through his shoes; and then the doctor had
ordered porter for the mother; but it was
one thing to be ordered and another to OBJ
tain. Here would have been porter and
plenty. She did not realize that all this,
bad enough truly, was yet not enough to
| make her so dispirited as she seemed. She
felt, as if some disaster had oYertaken her
which money in itself had no power to ale
viate
II will send TO town tomorrow, said the
Squire, and you will have the money before
night viii that do. F."
''DoP The tears steod in her eyes, the
reaction of feeling was so intense. You
cannot understand what it was to this wo-
man, who loved her neighbor as herself,
who made his welfare, spiritual as well as
material, personal thing, happiness, the
business of her life.
She called in at Mr.. Hasent's on her way
home There was no cheerful blaze in the
CRATE. Mrs Hasent sat bolstered up in bed
darning stockings, while her husband made
the toast and tea, and lighted solitary
lamp Miss Poore looked about her and
thought Of changes to come; of the comfort
ably clad children; of the warm winter fires;
of the new suit that should replace the shah
by black of her fathers; Of porter and part
ridges for the mother-and then she bid
them good night. and her pladness illumined
the path before her so that she seemed to
walk in MONDAY.
She went about her work as usual next
day. never allowing her gaze to wander out
expectantly, till a sharp ring brought her to
her feet, with her nerves all quiyering in
her flesh, as if the points of inumerable pins
we're stabbinr t"r through and through. 1t
was the money from the Squire, in crisp
bank notes, the full three hundred dollars
but what else? What was it that made
Miss Poorc' hand tremble like an aspen,
that sent the tears dropping slowly one by
one, and made her flush and pale before this
scrap of paper?
Ny Dear Mss Catharilse The stin-
giest man in North Grafton offers you his
hand and heart. As it is the first time in
his life that he has been guilty of such gen
erosity, pray encourage him and heal him
of his infrmity. JOHN SUFFOLK.
And so Mr.. Hasents heart and home
wore gladdened with the six hundred dol
lars, and this gladness rebounded upon the
Squire and Catharine Poore and there was a
great wedding, for North Grafton, in Mrs.
Hasent's best parlor, and everybody had a
new gown for the occasion, not excepting
the hostess herself, whose new gowns were
ike angels visits-few and far between. -
Harper's Nagazine
JOSH BILLINGS PAPERS.