Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1872-11-14
THE ATTICLOD

The tailor lived onthe second door. and
did his best to make living for his wife
and four children.
Down stairs the small .obacconist lived
in a state Of perpetual anxiety shout the
tailor's rent, which be generally gave
mp. piecemeal. and With groans Is people
give up their teeth. not because he did
/; not wish to pay all his bills, but because
Of shcrtness Of funds common 10 nan,
people.
Up in the attic lived 6se single lodger
o. whom no one kne v anything. His nam.
was Smith; but what did that tell whe,
it was so common? He was lean, and had
hollow checks and anxious eyes. What
his business vas or. If he had any no one
knew. Perhaps be wore stocking.. Ths
poor apothecnry Of Romeo and Juliet pu,
the tObaccopist in mind Of his attic lodge,
when. having been presented with ticket.
by theatrical lodger. he went to spend
an evening with Shakespeare.
lie amt ike in his face. though said
Mrs. Totacconist his clothes fit too good
Mr.. Smith, that's ALL
1t was an acute remark. Mr.. Smith 8
clothes did fit him too good, inasmuch
as they were . few sizes too small for him
As for business. he seemed to have none.
At noon he went out for loaf Of bread
and pitcher Of beer. After twelve o'clock
he disappeared until midnight. when he
let himself in with latch key and wen,
to bed without candle.
And for all he told any one about him.
self said the tobaccouists vito, he might
have been ghost
But be's civil Spoken said the tailor's
wife. to whom he always said. Excuse
me, ma'am.' when, he found her aaoat on
the staircase. in aanddle Of soap and wa
ter. which alyss1 made the black boards
blacker than before and wa. obliged to
wade through the floor with bread and
beer. And the tailor's wife. who had lived
at service in her youth. even rentured to
hint to her husband that she thought Mr..
Smith was a gentleman. However, this
fancy the tailor crushed with a coarse.
Gentlemen don't wear any such coat as
that. Sally
Poor little tailor, he sat cross legged on
his board and stitched and measured men
BY their coats. If he had measured or
even mended more coats, il 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 shot themselves, or took laudanum
he wondered whether they had four chill
drcn with hearty appctites, and prospect
for having nothing for them to eat some
days. Not that he thought Of killing him
self. besides he had been told by his cler-
gy,nan that suicide was wicked; but he
couldn't help thinking. And that civil
lodger in the attic. how did he fare ? One
night when Sally. who had been mendins
aud washing and ironing and patching tho
family rag. and patches all day. was eco.
nomically using up the fire by baking LOAF
Of bread in the stove oven, she heard the
lodger come in. lie went up stairs and
paced the f,or lie came out in the ea-
try and crcakcd on the stairs. lie seemed
as restless as a Gagged tiger and he had be-
havcd so for three nights. instead of re-
firing at once, as the tailor's family knew
he generally did by the creaking aud suap-
ping of his bcdstead
What can nii him. said Sally, as she
took her bread out of the oven and pricked
it with straw. finding it done. What
can all him 4? heps he amt sick no,
nothing. he's so ciM, poor dear
Then Sally listened again.
Il declare. ks coming down. she said
lie must be sick; and there he is knock.
ing-law W.
Then she opened the door
The lid Of the stove was off, and the red
light flashed upon hungry face, with hol-
low cheeks and sunkeu eyes.
The gaunt hand stretched itself out and
voice said. family
Madam. | know you have kind heart
l am so hungry. It's three days since
ate any thing. and I-don't want to die.
SLaw. should think not, said the wo
man. why. Law me. fm sorry. And
suppose you can't get q job! Law. why
do take it. Iiain't got anything else
You see wers pretty poor ourselrcs-and
there-O, law she was trembling. sh,
did no, know Why. Shc was thinking t,
herself. ~
Its ike play. 1t makes me wan. tt
cry
Then he took the warm bread she hat
given him in his hands, tearing bits from
it and eating it.
| He backed away. still eating. He cam,
back and stretched his hands towards her
Il didn't thank you.' he said. Thanh
you. thank you" and went away.
Sally sit down. trembling still.
To be ont Of job. to be hungry, wcr,
no rare things. and no tragic things in he
experience. but this man had stirred he
soul. sor.ehow frightened her. she said
Il hadn's any business to give away loa
of bread, bu; there now, l couldn't hcl,
III
Then Sally went TO bed and slept ant
dreamed Of the hollow checked, famishet
lodi ger in the attic.
There vas more brsaa to make mex
day. and | ap<aSs-s6rc, but that she hat
mads-an e&tra loaf. in expectation of an
other call from her neichbor. but he di,
not come, and in the course Of time Sail,
bad enough to think Of wi,hou, leayin.
her own room. Matters did not prospe
With the family. Little Lena had the scar
let fever. and lay for a long time a, Death
door. aud the work with which shc moth
er helped TO fill the family purse was ne
eesssrily neglected. and her customer
grew angry aud lefs her. Thea the bah,
died. Poor little baby! The mothe
wep, bitterly. The father also lorsed 3