The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1872-09-19

touch here aud there, the orde
Z brought out OF confusion, the sulle
gloom and discomfort giving way t
a cheerfulness. Even the handful {
Z, Goals gave out a cheerful glow, q
s the merry kettle sung on the hob.
To elevate the lOwly, these ladie
felt it necessary that the poor shoul
be taught to help themselves. The
formed sewing meetings and eneoul
aged these women to make elOthe
4 for their husbands and children. The
T taught them to sew, and paid the1
r fair wages, while they were maxim
: garments for themselves. To teacl
5 self-respect and independence, the
] sold the women cloth at a small pric
= and allowed them to pay in install
) ments.
Going their rounds, the ladies cam
: to the home of John MOrey. 9TH
. destruction Of the poor is their power
I ty," was the expression on their lips
as our friends paused in front of tn
untidy dwelling. Heaps of cinders
T piles of garbage and filth, the aecu
mutation of weeks, were piled up il
all directions. The gutter was full o
stagnant water, decaYed vegetable
. and carcasses Of animals. The un
clean step-stOne was a type of tn
, house. In answer to the rap, a sharl
"cOme in" was heard. The door wa
opened, and the visitors found them
selves in the unwhOlesOme apart
ment of John Morey. The tea furn
ished a theme for animated cOnversa
ton. Mrs. Morey complained of he
hard lot and pOverty-stricken home
because you are poor, you neeC
not be unclean," said one of the Ia
dies. "Why do you sit mOping here
Why do you not put your room il
order, and clean up your children
and yOurself?"
"Why should I?r said the woman
"YOu should do it for your hus.
bands sake, and for the sake Of you
children"
al should like to know what JohI
does for me, that l should put my.
self out for him! He earns but little
and that he spends at the ale-hOuse
He brings me home abuses, curses
and blows. No; I will do nothing
that l can help"
"But you can reform him." said one
of the ladies.
"YOu should heap Goals of fire on
his head"
ayes, "said the woman, and burn
| his brains out. l would like to dc
| that"
A long talk followed. Mrs. Morcy
agreed for once to try the effect of a
clean home and a kind welcome OIL
John. She went to work with a will.
The ladies spent an hour in helping
her arrange her home. Before they
/ left, John would not have known the
spot where he took his homely
morning meal. His wife not only
made the inside of the house tidy, but
/ the step-stOne was cleaned and whiten-
ed. So unusual was the sight, that
the rude children of the neighbOrhood
left their play and gazed with wonder
upon "Marm MOTey's white STEP
stone" The children were trans
formed; and last of all, Mrs. Morey
trimmed herself and became, what
she really was, a cOmely looking per-
son.
Johns work came to an end quite
early that day. A carOuse was to
come off at the Public and the work
men were to be there. They separa-
ted early for the good time that was
looming. John FASTENED to his home
to make himself presentable. He
passed the Public without his usual
cup, knowing that he could make
amends in the evening. His wages
were in his pocket and he felt q de-
gree of independence, for he knew
that he could pay his way with the
| best. Full of the coming carOuse, he
/ Nhnrrrrlnf Of rlnf hfnpr All halted -,
front of the clean step stone. He was
amazed and began to doubt whether
he had not mistaken his own home.
! His wife, who was on the watch for
| him, threw the door open, and he
was more bewildered at her transfer
nation than he was at the exterior OF
house. He leaped over the whitened
step-stOne, lest he should soil it with
his dirty shoes. An unwOnted sigh
broke upon him a clean floor, a tidy
room, cheerful fire, his supper laid
/ in order and his wife cheerful and
! cleanIy to welcome him.
"Well, lassie," said the astonished
John, what does all this mean d!
WHAT fine company are We expecting,
| that all is so nice in John MOrey's
house. Ye must expect company to-
night, to be all fixed upr
mo, john" said Maggie, 'I expect
no company but you. You are hard.
working man, John. You have few
comforts. You do spend much time
at the ale-hOuse, and your money, that
would make your family comfortable,
with worthless men. But perhaps,
John, it is more my fault than yours
/ You are a good man in the main,
John, and so I thought 1 would sur.
prise you. You know the good words
| spoken to US at tea, and how it was
| said that Door folks could have many
comforts. And then the kind ladies
whom you know have told me how
I to do things that did not know, and
pII try to be better wife to you than
I have BEEN"
John listened with establishment,
as if some one had spoken to him
from another world. He laid his
hand gently on Maggie's shoulder,
and in tones which he had not used
! years, said:
"An' so, lass, you have done al
| this for me, a brute, that has spent
| his money in drink with bad men,
and left YOU to suffer with hunger and
cold and have not spared the ours
es to YOU. I'll see what do for you u
And away he went, leaping over the
step-stOne that he did not care to soil.
He soon returned laden with comforts
for his home, to which it had been
long a stranger. One chair was va,
cant at the carouse that night in the
! Public. From that hour John was a
changed man. Nor was his home less
changed for when good resolution,
Temperance and religion come in al
the door, want, poverty and woe fly
out of the window. The next Sunday
John took the hand of his little girl
attended her to the Sunday School,
and asked to be a scholar with hi:
child.
The clean step-stone has lost none
of its glow. 1t is a reminder. of dark
and sorrowing days. 1t cheers John
on his return from toll, for it is tht
symbol of well-ordered though hum
bic home, where quiet and comfort
| dwell,