The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-02-18


looking out early, Hannah beheld
young man cutting path fit for prin-
cess through the sparkling drift.
H1t's our neighber, true as you live,
Tilly," said she; "the young man who
lives over the way, in the third story
front; / have seen his light there late
nights If he would only bring his
coat in. / would sew up that rip IN the
elbow"
She went down to the door to thank
him, and asked him in to warm his
hands and such is the freemasonFy of
kind hearts, that before he had gone out
again she had discovered that he work
ed in machinery days, and spent his
nights in devising improvements and
inventions; that his fortune was his
head and hands; that his mother lived
in Pennsylvania, and his name was Da-
yid Thorpe.
Somehow. said Hannah, repeating
1t to her sister, FTmy heart warmed to
the poor young man; il seemed to me
that he might have been my own son."
"Does he make much in his work %
asked the practical Matilda.
"What he makes is spent in material
for inventions, L judge. He had his
luncheon in his coat-pocket, Tilly; the
paper tumbled of, and couldn't help
TiIly-nothing else. / would have Civ
en- a good deal to have had bit of good
cheese to put in; it would have been
like the boys luncheon in the fairy tale,
where the crust turned to bread and
cheese, and the bottle of cider to sweet
wine, when he agreed to share with an
other"
81 suppose he pays rent over there ?"
returning to plain facts and probabili-
ties. $40
"Oh yes; Mrs. Reed spoke of it the
other day he is somatimes behindhand.
shc said dare say she plaques the life
out OF him. What q blessing it is, Til
ly, to have house of your owni"
eff it wasn't for taking off her lodg-
err" suggested lilly.
"What then? Pm in the dark"
'.Well, there's that empty room up
stairs"
"Oh, 1 couldn't take cent of that
child's money, if starved for it."
"Who said anything about money?
/ don't mean that. mean that there's
the room doing nobody any good. What
If we let him take it for nothing? 1t
would be sort of handy having man
in the house, in the case of sickness or
fire. He could do us an errand now
and then, not to feel under obligations,
when we are rheumatic; and he could
make paths. You see, it would be a
help both ways, to US as well as to
him."
'1'm glad you thought of it; you're
worth a dozen such as me, lilly. I'll
speak to him about it." And so it hap
pened that, after much persuading and
many assurances that he would be a
help instead of hindrance, David
Thorpe took up his abode and cast in
his lot with the old Misses Knight.
"When we are gone, you shall be our
heir" laughed Matilda, once.
Goodness sakesi" cried Hannah,
don't raise a body's expectations; this
old shanty is all we own"
"You forget about our money in the
Savings Bank"
Claw, SO I did, never think of it
once a year, any more than if it didn't
belong to us. Father put it in before
we were fourteen years old there were
eight of us then; we each had twenty
five apiece; now we are only two"
turning to David. ats in the Bulwark
Savings Bank, deposited when the char
ter was first taken out, in 1919. It's
kind of comfortable having something
in reserve, you know, if it's ever so lit
tie; something for rainy day, as father
used to say"
"And it will need great stress of
weather before we take it out, / reck-
on" said lilly.
Thus they found certain comfort,
these poor old women, in befriending
and being befriended by this lonely
youth; his presence was the door
through which they entered into their
lost land of hope and happiness; he
told them his plans in the long winter
evenings; explained to them the magic
of machinery, as he perceived it; he
made their paths in the light snow, ran
their simple errands, and lightened
their sad home with his genial ways
he set the broken window-panes in his
hours of relaxation, readjusted the era
Zy latches, the truant knobs, listed the
doors, and was always at hand to repair
and attend while they cooked his meals,
and made a dime go further for him
than q quarter had gone under his own
culinary regime, mended his clothes, and
interested themselves as much in his
success as If they had been akin by
blood. If he caught cold, they cosseted
him if he overstaid his working hours,
they were concerned; if he was dispir-
tied, they encouraged him. In the
meantime they followed their usual
livelihood, which consisted of knitting
mittens and hosiery, disposing of them
at the neighboring stores, in order to
keep the fire burning, the tea-caddy fill
ed and the bread-basket replenished.
''If any one of us should grow too i'll
for work" said Hannah, one day, "why
we needn't worry about it; there is the
two hundred, safe and sound in the
bank, as a last resort" And so they
slipped theiD tea, and told David about
the gay times the old house had known
when Plenty laughed in the face of
Want Once, when they had been
speaking together about love-making,
and Hannah had gone into the pantry
after goodness knows what-for there
was little enough there-Matilda said,
pursuing the theme:
"You would never guess that our
Hannah has had her romance" Never
having had any herself, she was reason
ably proud of Hannah's superiority.
.'Why not ?" asked David "allwomen
have something of the kind TO remem-
Der, and Aunt Hannah"
"Whistl Don't ever mention it, prayi
She couldn't bear to hear it. / remem-
Der the day as well as if it were only
yesterday, when the news of Delilah's
marriage came. She was q cousin of
ours, and it was she who worked all the
mischief between the two, in order to
marry him herself. Hannah had never
suspected her, though, and it was
dreadful blow. She was just coming
up Oub VI tHc C6IldT Win IH0 Jelly IOf
tea-mother used to make the best jel-
lies in the world; it would do your
heart good to see them, let alone tast-
ing-and father, he comes in at the OPP
posite door, and blurts out, Well, they
are married; nothing more than I ex-
pected.'
"'Whor says Hannah, as unsuspect-
ing as an angel.
tDelilah,' says father again."
"Delilahl" repeated David, "why,
that's the name Of"
ayes, it's the name of SamsOn's wife,
of all the deceitful, aggravating women
that ever lived, 1 believe; but there,
whist! Did you set the trap, Hannah
The rats are getting as bold as lions"
But the winter of 1868 proved a mem
| orabie one for these poor momen not
that it was bleaker than other winters,
If SO bleak; nor that they were grown
older as well as their house; not that
fuel and provisions were higher, nor
that the world turned colder shoulder
to them than was its wont. But MatiI-
da was losing the sight of one eye,
which made her incapable of adding
her mite to the maintenance as hereto
fore, and Hannah had been laid up with
rheumatic attack, which had had the
effect aff0OafhaP IF ..a6neipor THAR fuan