The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1870-07-02


had come out this night with a wicked
purpose in her heart, because she could
not bear longer that they should starve
and how that when she spoke to Caleb
her own intense hunger oyercame her
and she was SO selfish, so wickedly selfish
and now she must 60 But Caleb
started up and called back the waiter and
gave him sundry orders very rapidly
and when he went away to fill them, put
his hand on her shoulder and told her to
sit quietly for few moments, and he
would 60 with her. And then she sat
down, like very child, as see was, and
told him the rest of the story. Poor
green Caleb had never heard one of these
stories before
They had been very poor, she said,
ever since her father died, and that was
when she was about ten years old. Her
mother had supported them q good while
with her needle, and then Josy-that she
says was her name, Josy Carroll-had
been able to sew, too; and thus they
managed to liye-but that was ALL And
then her mother had taken sick, and then
tho waiter came in with large covered
| basket, which Caleb siezed and after he
had paid the bill, he tucked Josy under
one arm and they hurried up the steep
saloon stairs and out in the starlight and
the glare of street lamps again. They
took car, and about twenty minutes
later were finding their way up dark
court yard, into narrow alley-way up
flights of rickety stairs, and SO to room
on the top floor of tumble down tene-
mcnt house, which was Josy's home.
There was no fire in the little stove /;
sputtering bit of candle burned on
rough pine table; and on the floor, upon
a mattrass, and covered with few old
quilts and rags, lay huddled the widowed
mother and the poor little brother.
Caleb dropped his basket, and saying
! that he would be back in moment, fed
to corner grocery which he had seen
boy about closing as he passed. Five
minutes later he was back in the room
with the boy following laden with coal,
wood and candles. Then he made the
/ fire with his own hands-for he had
learned that accom- plishment when he
was a boy at the old homestead.
The candles were lighted, the table
was spread, and the mother and little boy
were seated and when they were fairly
at work, and he saw how hungry they
were, then Caleb broke down. He went
and opened the window and looked out
at the stars but he didn't see them, for
his eyes dropped too many tears to see
through. And presently little hand
was slipped into his, and as he turned
around Josey said. ''Don't cry. you have
made US all SO happy, and you have saved
US from so much Don't cry %
! Caleb pressed her hand, then he looked
at his watch, and said he must go, but he
would come to them the next morning.
| And then shook hands with them all,
and went out with the blessing and pray
ers of the poor widow following him. It
was nearly daybreak before Caleb had
finished his Office work and got home to
his boarding house but at ten o clock he
was again in the tumble down tenant
house. 1t was nicely swept and bright
fire burning, and the few bits of furniture
made to look as home-like as possible.
/ And three smiling faces met Caleb as
he entered, and welcome that made the
young man blush for very shame. That
was the last day they spent in the tene-
| ment house.
Caleb, delighted to have some one to
spend his mony on, found them comforta-
Bile apartments, neatly furnished hunted
up some lady friends of his, who gave the
widow all the plain sewing she could do,
with the aid of a sewing machine, which
Caleb furnished her; got Josey a prof.
table position in public institution; and
what then
Well, then-that is to say, about six
months after, when the public institution
gave Josey fortnight's holiday, Caleb
took the whole family-the little brother
had been going to school all this time
out in the country to the old homestead.
And when the fortnight's vacation was
over Caleb wrote to the directors of the
public institution resigning Josey's posi-
tion and one bright summers morning
he tucked Josey under his arm once more,
and the widow, and Caleb's niother-also
widow-and Caleb's little sister, and
Jesey's. little brother, and whole troop
Fof uncle's and aunts, cousins and friends,
all strolled quietly down the quiet road
into the village church; and there Josey
and Caleb were married. And as the
two widows had become fast friends they
lived together at the old homestead, while
Caleb took his little wife-thin and pale
no longer, but plump and flushed and
happy as robin-back to the great city.
And surely Caleb never again should be
unhappy, or regret that he had taken to
the wife the poor, little half-starved girl
he found In the street.