Weekly Trinity journal., 1870-04-23

again. but still silently. And then, after little
Caleb got her story out Of her
How she crying because she had a
widowed mother aud little brother at home
who were just as hungry as she was, and who
would not have any kind friend to give them
food aud how she had come out this night with
a wicked purpose in her heart, because she
could not bear that they should starve; and
how that when she spoke to Caleb her own u-
tense hunger overcame her-apd she was so selfish
so wickedly sel6sh-and now she must GO 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 go with her. And then
she sat down, like very child as she was, and
told him the rest of her story. Poor green Ca
leb 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 for good while with her needle, and then
Josey, that she said was her name, Josey Carroll,
had been able to sew, too and thus they
managed to live, but that was all. And then
her mother had taken sick, and then-the waiter
came in with large covered basket, which
Caleb seized and after he had paid the bill, he
tucked Josey under one arm and they hurried up
the steep saloon stairs and out into the starlight
and the glare OF street lamps again.
They took ear, and about twenty minutes
later were finding their way up dark court
yard, into narrow alley-way, Hp flights of
rickety stairs, and so to a room on the top floor
of tumbe-down tenement house, which was
Josey's home. There was no fire in the little
stove IA spuluttering bit of Il candle burned on
II rough pine table and on the floor, upon II
mattress, and covered with few old quilts and
rags, lay huddled the widowed mother and the
poor little brother.
Caleb dropped his basket and saying he would
be back in Il moment, fled to a corner grocery
where he had seen Il boy about closing us 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
be had learned that accomplishment when he
was boy at the old homestead. The candles
were lighted, the table was spread, the mother
and little boy were seated aud 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
tears too many 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 ! 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. Aud then he
shook hands with them ALL and went out, with
the blessings and prayers Of the poor widow fol-
lowing him.
1t nearly daybrenk when Caleb Ind
finished his Office work and got home to his
boarding house but at ten o clock he was again
in the room in the tumble-down tenement house
1t was nicely swept and bright fire burning,
and the few bits of furniture made to look AS
u 0l.V sl,,,..
met Caleb when he entered, and u welcome that
made the young man blush for very shame.
That was the last day they spent in the tenement
house.
Caleb delighted to have some one to spend his
money on, found them comfortable 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 II sewing machine
which Caleb furnished her got Josey prohta-
bic position in a public institution and what
then2
Well, then-that is to say, about six months
after, when the public institution gave Josey Il
fortnight's holiday, Caleb took the whole family,
the little brother had been going to school all
this time out into the country to the old home
| stead And when the fortnights vacation was
over Caleb wrote to the directors of the public
institution resigning Josey's position and one
bright morning he tucked Joscy under his arm
once more, and the widow, and Caleb 5 mother,
also a widow, and Caleb's little sister, and
Josey's little brother, and whole troop Of Ca
leb's uncles and aunts, cousins, friends, all
strolled quietly down the quiet country road and
into the little village church aud there Josey
and Caleb were married. And as the two wild
ows 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 any robin, back to the
great city. And surely Caleb never again should
be unhappy, or regret that he had taken to wife
the poor, little, halfstaryed girl he had found in
| the street.