The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1872-07-18
THE ATTIC IODGER.

The tailor lived on the second floor, AMI
did his best to make 4 living for his wife
and four children.
Down stairs the small tobacconiot lived
in a state &C perpetual anxiety about the
ta'ior's rent, which he generally gave up
piccrmcal and with grcauS as people give
up their teeth. not because he did not wish
to pay all his bills, but because Of 4 short
ness Of funds common to many people.
Up in the attic lived the single lolscr,of
whom no one knew anything. His name
was Smith but what did that tell, when
1t was so common? lie WAS lean and hal
hollow checks AMI anxious eyes. What
his business was, or if he had any, no one
Lna~ Perhaps he wore linen, only no
sig" VI ~ -"e r., o~i'.,"'o. may uis0
hope that he Wore stockings. The poor
apothecary of Romeo and Jnlet put the
tobacconist in mind of his attic lolgcr when
having been presented with tickets by a
theatrical lolser, he went to spenl an even
ing with Shake'pearc.
''Iie amt like in his face, though" said
Mrs. Tobacconist, chs clothes fit too good
Mr.. Smith, that all
1t was an acute remark; Mr.. Smith
clothes did fit him ''too good" inasmuch
rs they were few sizes too snail for him.
As for business, he seemed to have none
At noon he went out for 4 loaf of bread and
pitcher of beer. After twelve o'clock he
disappeared until midnight, when he let
himself in with latch-key and went to
bed without a candle.
"-Anl for all he toll any one about him
self, said the tubacconists wife, 'hc might
have been a ghost
But he's civil Spoken said the tailor $
wife, to whom he always said, "ExcaSc me
ma am, when he found her ATOP on the
staircase, in puddle of soap and water,
which always ma IL the black b,arls blackcr
than before, and was obliged to wade
through the flood with bread and beer
And the taior's wife, who had lived at
service in her youth, even ycnturcd TO hint
to her husband that she thought Mr..
Smith WIS a gentleman. However, this
fancy the tailor crushed with a curse,
"Gentlemen don't wear any such coat as
that, Sally
Poor little tailor, h. sat crosscd-leggcd
on his board and stitched and measured
men by their coats. II he had measured
or even mended more coats, it would have
been better for him and his brood. Times
seemed to grow worse, custom less, the
money harder to get. When the little man
read in his mornings paper Of men who
! had shot themselves, or taken laudanum,
he wondered whether they had four chill
drcn with hearty appetites, and pros
pect of having nothing for them to eat
some day. Not that he thought of KILN :
himself; besides, he had been told by hi.
clergyman that suicide was wicked; but h'
couldn't help thinking. And that civ
loiser in the attic, how did he fare? One
night whea Sally, who had been mendlng
and washing and ironing and patching the
family rags and patches all day, was econi
mically using up the fire by baking a loaf o
| bread in the stove oven, she heard tn,
lodser come in. lie went up stairs anC
! paced the hoo-. lie came out in the en-
try and creaked on th. stairs. lie seemed
as restless as Gagged tiger, and be ha,
behaved just so for three nights, instead oi
rctirin. at once, as the tailor family knew
he generally diI by the crcaking an,
swapping Of his bedstcad.
What can all him ?? said Sally, rs she
took her bread out Of the oven and pickei
it with a straw, finding it done. "Wha
can all him? l hope he amt sick no
nothing; he's so civil, poor dear"
Then Sally listened again.
L declare he's coming down she said
'lle must be SICK and there he is knock
ing-law =
Then she opened the door.
The lid of the stove was of, and the re
light flashed spon hungry face With hol
low checks and sunken eyes. 1t allnos
frightened the tailor wife.
The gaunt hand sire tcheI itself out cd
voice said family
Madame, know you have a kind heart
| am SO hungry. It's three days since
ate anything, AMI don't want to die
Law. | should think not, said tn