Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1872-04-13

GOLD BEADS.
CONCLUDED FROM YESTERDAY

CONCLUDED FROM YEsTERpAY.1
''Tell madame that l was abliged to
leave while it twas daylight, it you please. y
"But don't you know that Mrs. Shoddy
wants her dress tonight ?"
Mrs. Shoddy must wait; y and Lizzie
closed the door after her, and picked her
way through Starvation Lane, mounted the
stairs that rocked under her, and found
Miss Wade lying in bed to keep warm.
''Fve come to take you home with me" !"
said Lizzie. "Can you walk P"
''lf you're one of the ladies from the
Home, can't"
mo, | am one of the girls who sew for
Madame Bias. I've got nice room of
my own, where am often very, very lone
some; and l heard of you, and thought
perhaps you would like to come and keep
me company.
"Bless you, so l would. never
thought of it before;'' and without much
ado they went off to Meander Court to-
gether.
Lizzie felt as if she were really at house,
keeping when she spread her light-stand
for tea-table, toasted her bread, and
made the coffee, adding plate of iumbles
in honor of her guest, whose appetite fire.
| quent fasts had sharpened. She had never
known the luxury of playing hostess be-
fore. Wasn't it quite equal to wearing
gold beadsP''
"And what shall do for my board p''
asked Miss Wade, the spirit of independ-
ence still Pickering.
"fou shall keep the fire blazing, if you
please, and water my mignonette and put
the tea to steep. Oh, we will be happy as
larks."
"If1 only hadmy eyes, she made moan,
"what pictures l would paint would
paint you. They say could have the
cataracts removed for fifty dollars; but.
law sakes they might as well ask five
thousand"
Can it be done p said Lizzie "Inev-
er khew-"
But the next week she asked DR.. Hya-
cinth on her way home from work, and
the upshot of it was, a day was set for the
operation.
Nov, my DEAR said Miss Wade, "rve
got trifle for you-a souvenir, as the
French say; and when my eyes are all
well, if don't see it about your neck I'll
just leave you and 60 home out of spite,
OK out clear starching. used to wear it
when | was young like you; il belongs to
youth. 1t was my great grandmother's.
| hid it away in the straw bed when was
down in Starvation Lane, for fear folks
would make me sell it, and somehow that
didn't seem genteel to do. You see I've
got some scraps of sentiment left, for all
my beggary; it would have been equal
to selling ones birth-right. But III give
it to you that's different thing; you've
been a friend indeed. should never have
seen the light of day but for you; and if
you refuse to take it, shall sell it to pay
my board" And she pulled from her
pocket necklace of gold beads, like lit
tie suns, each one solid globe, wrought
to the last degree of perfection, as you
may have seen Chinese balls of ivory, till
they appeared to be nothing but gold bub-
bles of exquisite design, through which
the sunlight passed in and out.
"Oh! oh! oh!' cried Lizzie. at is a
sin to take them!'
"a fiddlestick! Let me put them round
your neck this instant. There. you shall
be married in them! How becoming they
must be! know that you have beauti-
full soul! and that has always cast re-
Election on the face. Now hush. If you
make fuss, shall take them to the jew
ellers and break my heart should leave
them to you in my will, any way-you
couldn't help that--but Id rather see them
on your neck, child. They make me
young again. Every bead had its history.
When was all alone in the cold and dark,
| used to lie awake nights and count them
like good Catholic, and this bead would
bring back the day was twenty-one, and
wore violets in my hair, and danced half
the night with-well, no matter; and this
other reminded me of the songs l sang in
summer twilights, rocking on the tide
and dipping my fingers in the waters of
the bay; and this other-it brings me face
to face with one who called the necklace
his blessed rosary. lIegho should beg
gar your patience if told you ALT"
And SO Lizzie wore gold beads but did
they afford her the thrill of JOY she had
predicted for herself? Doesn't our imag-
ination lend more than half the charm to
those things which We would fain possess
However, the cataracts were removed
from Miss Wade's eyes, and Lizzie took
care of her through all the gloomy days
of uncertainty and bandages, taking her
vacation from Madame Bass, and dis
covering that she had as great vocation
for nurse as for seemstress; while DR..
Hyacinth came and went, somewhat
oitener than was needful, thought his
patient. II hope it isn't in order to swell
the BILL" she grumbled. But when Liz
zie one day found courage to ask for the
bill, the doctor frowned splendidly in
answering. 81 am already paid. You win
oblige me in not referring to it again. 1t
has been great, apositive pleasure; you
surely do not wish to rob me of it? | do
not have so many"
You? thought you had everything
you wanted"
"Oh. did you Why, Iwant something
now, this minute, that never expect to
have. What do you think of that ?n
II think that you are not the first one.r
Perhaps you can sympathize with me,
then ?n
"Yes-no, no; don't recall anything
want very much just now, !" positively.
Lizzie was thinking how at dusk yester-
day, when she had gone out to the grocer,
just beneath the old stone archway the
string Of her gold beads, rotten with age,
Oaya wav aud sont tho Io1x1ipr rvlnhos