The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-10-23

lutn L buTuS w MY IldutS duIt uollS
'em of the letter business /; and takes it
out Of my pocket, and hands it to him,
and gives him o bit of advice as he
wanted. He was in that rage that he
was just a-putting up his fist to hit me,
when Joe Pulter, one of us, floors him.
Then we handed him over to a police
man. We was rather excited after
wards, what with having an extra half
pint and the champagne we drunk afore
we knew who we got it from. Charley
used always to see Rose home after the
performance, and stay with her till 1
come but he wasn't there that night,
and Rose said he hadn't come with her
as he always did, and laid the blame on
the letter. She was naturally cut up
about it, and said:
"I'll tell him how it was in the morn.
ing"
But she says:
"No r' she says, I" if he can't think
me true to him without proofs, he
sha'n't at all.
seed it was no use a-arguing with
her, so I gives in. My little beauty
was very proud and liked to see it );
but never thought as how pride would
turn love over as it did; although l
ought to have known better, a-seeing
so often how Pauline had narrow es-
cape of it. She was very pale next
morning, and her eyes looked like mins
do sometimes, when I amt got water
enough to wash with comfortable, and
L leaves the color round under 'em /;
but it wasn't from that, knowed, be-
cause Rose was q very tidy girl. 1
never says nothing, but 1 goes on a-eat-
ing, and not pretending to notice any
thing different and by and by we goes
off to the theatre. 1 was very curious
to see what Charley would do; but he
only just takes off his hat-Charley al
ways was gentleman and turns away
again. This here made me feel very
queerish, and 1 didn't know what to
make on it.
Things went on in this here unfor-
tunate style for a week. Rose was too
proud to explain, although I wanted
her to but no, not her and there we
was. One morning she didn't come
down to breakfast as usual, so l goes up
to her bedroom and says:
"What's the matter, my beauty ?"
"Oh, father" says she, 81 don't feel
very well just now. L dare say L shall
be all right tonight"
But her hand was a-trembling like
leaf, and her eyes was sunk; and when
come to look at her close, 1 was stag
gered to see how she'd altered in them
few days. 1t fustered me more than I
should a-thought so [ gives her a kiss,
and tells her to lie down quiet, and off
L goes to doctor. He comes and feels
her pulse, and such like; then he calls
me out on the landing, and says she's
in high state of fever, and must be
kept very quiet, or he wouldn't be an
swerable for it. Then he began a-ask-
ing me about myself, and my profession
and cetera.
"Not very rich, I suppose?" says he.
ooh, WE'LL" he says, we sha'n't quar-
rel about the money"
And s'welp me goodness! as I'm
standing here, he never charged me
blessed h'penny for physic or nothing
not a ha'penny-and found the bottles
besides! When Charley sees me by
myself, he didn't know what to make
on it. He fidgets about me for ever
so long, and at last he comes up and
asks where Rose was. was very short
with him, a-treating her as he was,
though he didn't know the damage he'd
done; so I says stiff
"My daughters at home, sir-not so
we'll as she might be-"
81 hope she isn't ill.," says he, quick.
"It don't much matter to you" |
says, "whether she's i'll or not" and l
turns away, choking like, a-thinking of
my little deserted beauty a-lying so
quiet at home.
l hurried back as, soon as l could,
and goes up to her room and, God
help me she was in that state she
didn't know me, and wanted to know if
I'd brought message from Heaven
from Charley, as she was certain he was
dead, because he hadn't been to see
her. tried to soothe her, but it was
no good J.; there she kept rambling on
about one thing and another, a-pretend-
ing to be talking to him, and a-telling
him not to be sorry, as she'd soon join
him. 1t made me feel quite queer
like, and moist about the eyes and 1
remembered 1 was an old man, and be-
gan to think how I should feel when /
was alone. She lay in this state for
a week, a-living chiefly on sop victuals,
as 1 was obliged to force down her
throat. 1t was a hard time-not be-
cause the money was short didn't
mind that but I couldn't abide to see
my darling in pain. Inever went near
the public then, but hurried home every
night as soon as the performance was
over, a-hoping always as she'd be better,
and would know me again but she
never did till about an hour before it
come. 1t was Sunday night, at church
time. L used to like to think after
wards that my little darling was carried
up to Heaven on the sound of the bells,
as it died away on the breeze. 1 was
a-sitting quiet at the window, melan-
choly-like, a-keeping my eye on Rose to
see as she didn't want nothing, and,
somehow, the night my poor wife died
came into my mind, and couldn't get
rid of the thought nohow. The more
1 tried, the more it would come. 1
remember as well as if it were yester-
day, when 1 had her in my arms in the
green-room, her a-looking up into my
face as though she wanted to say some
thing. So says :
sis it Rose, Mary? ?" says, and she
smiles, and 1 promised asI'd be kind
father to her.
She smiles again at that, and lays her
head on my shoulder. Then 1 see her
eyelids a-closing, and that told me that
the Great Prompter had rung down her
curtain.
1 was a-looking out of the window,
and 1 sees somebody turn the corner
and stop in front of the house; but it
was a-getting dark, and couldn't make
out who 1t WaS-I Thought I knew the