Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-07-31

1--WE? He called it dainty, UNIQUE, "a vast
improvement upon the old onen and
laughed at her explanation of HAVING
given IN exchange for it a variety of anti,
quated articles
-. just ike you. It's fortunate thing
the pyramids are not in your keeping: YOU
| would trade them off for fresh Bunker
~, IN monuments in less than week. Oh
ll'tie woman" with a sudden flash of
recoiiectlon-"your new for old played the
| mischief with me to-day! Cousin George
| ielt me five hundred dollars Yesterday to
| ouy some government bonds for him, be-
cause he couldn't come in this afternoon
! until after banking hours. l got them
| 'hls morning, and brought them home, so
carefully slowed away in an inside pocket
mat forgot to take them out and only
remembered that they were at home in
my OLD coat when he called for them. So
now l shall have to send them out. All
your fault, you see."
she dld see something that made her
heart sink suddenly, while a sickening
| chill OF apprehension and dismay swept
over her
"Id better get them now while l think
about it. Where did you hang that coat ?
Never mind, I'll find it."
On, my dear, you can't! It's gomez"
| she fairly gasped. cit was one of the
| things | sold to buy the lamp"
Aladdin's hand dropped from the door
| knob. He turned toward her, and leaned
| back against the wall, looking not less
aghast and bewildered than did his great
namesake when his beautiful palace van
| lshed from sight as the result of his
wife's good bargain. This coy little
nest OF house was no palace, but it was
| their own, and their all; and this mis-
fortune might mean something too nearly
allied to losing it to be viewed with eaua-
| nimity.
"And you never looked in the pockets :?
But, OF course, you didn't suppose l had
lett anything" 1ssssa,.4E leAssn
The sentence fell unfinished, and two
pair of troubled eyes surveyed each other
In silence for few moments before they
| could arouse any discussion of possibilf
ties and probabilities. Then the chances
OF recovery were spoken OF, and they tried
| to consider the matter in its most hopeful
| aspect; but it was not very cheering at
| best. The night was long, disturbed,
| anxious one, and, hours before the dawn,
Mrs. Aladdin's wakeful eyes turned to-
ward the east, watching for the morning
that should bring, at least, the relief of
| effort to take the place of this weary wait
ing.
After all, there was little that could be
done. The aid Of the police was secured.
but the morning wore away without
tidings. Mrs. Aladdin started at every
football and every touch Of the bell; and
each shadow of a passing figure drew her
to the window in forlorn hope of discov
ering the image vender.
She could not interest herself in ordi-
nary avocations; the quietness grew in
tolerable, and in the afternoon she dOnned
her wrappings and went out, turning her
steps almost unconsciously into the mar
row and less frequented streets, and walk
ing on and on in vague expectation of
meeting somewhere the swarthy face and
dropping eyes she remembered so well
Peddlers, organ grinders, beggars and
vagabonds appeared in abundance but
they bore no resemblance to the one she
sought; and the early fading of the winter
sunshine, with the deepening shadows of
the gray twilight, warned her home to
give and receive the same brief answer to
eager questioning.
"Nothing"
And that was all that ever came of the
searching. The man and his wares had
disappeared from the city, leaving no clue
by which he would be traced
"Oh, if hadn't been so selfish? Poor,
honest Joe! There would have been no
trouble if it had fallen into his hand"
Mrs. Aladdin said to herself again and
again.
But regrets were unavailing. After a
week or two the little home was mort
gagged to replace the money-there was no
other way of doing it-and the sense of
entire happy ownership was gone. That
winter was a nearer approach to poverty
that Mrs. Aladdin had ever known.
There was real necessity for economy, the
abstaining from many accustomed com
forts and luXuries and a close and careful
management of expenditures. She learned,
more clearly, in those days, what life
might be like in the citys attics and
cellars, and if her heart was more anxious
than of old, it grew more tender too.
Two years Of patient effort, persever-
ance and care, and they were free from
debt once more, and Mrs Aladdin could
view without sudden repulsion her lamp
that visitors so much admired. 1t was "a
pretty thing, but took a powerful sight of
rubbin' to keep it clean" as Nancy af-
tirmed. She kept it always bright, how
ever, and though its frequent rubbngs
called up no genii to do wonderful things,
the sight Of it awoke always in Mrs.
Aladdin kindly spirit of sympathy for
the poor and troubled, and so carried
blessings to many homes. And to this
day, as a guide for her treatment of her
fellow mOrtals, she prefers old lights to
neW-Chrlsti0a U5l0n