The weekly Shasta courier. [volume] (Shasta, Calif.) 1872-190?, 1873-08-30
SHASTA. CALL. SATURDAY, AUGUST 80. 1873

from rolling off the bed--used to come in
and keep watch for her while her poor old
arms were in the suds. But people hardly
liked to employ her, not only because she
could not see well, but because it seemed as
if they had better be doing the work them
selves than imposing it upon that gray head
ed woman. Her proud, keen spirit felt
that it was more in charity than anything
else that she was hired at all. And she
hailed the fact as if a miracle had been
wrought in her behalf, when rents grew SO
dear in the town that she was at liberty to
receive twenty-five dollars more a year on
the other part of her little house, of which
she now reserved but one room and closet
for herself and so was allowed to leave the
wash-tub.
Thus on one hundred dollars a year old
Margaret lived and reared her child. 1t is
that which seems the miracle to you; but
her wants were very few, and she was not
uncomfortable. She asked no aid of any
for little Steve-least of all of the Falcon
ers, who never knew from her that such a
child existed Her bread and milk was all
he wanted as yet. and he wore, as l have
said, almost anything. The Old Ladies'
Society of the town gave her monthly al
lowance Of good Oolong tea, and she accept
ed it as public benefit of the same nature
as the streets to walk on, or the use of the
corner pump, or the ringing of the nine
o'clock bell, to none of which she contrib
uted tax-money. And now, with nothing
to do but to keep her two rooms and her
two people clean, to teach little Steve his
first steps and his first words, she abandon
ed herself to her first real bliss in years, and
when was pitying her most she was need
ing it least. Her first real bliss, for not
fear disturbed it. God takes care of the
sparrows,' she would say. And he will
take care of little Steve
But when he is bigger" croaked the old
grandam from the other part of the house,
nearly as fond herself of the boy as Margar
ct was, though quite disappearing Margaret S
your bread and milk. He will need red
meat and where is he going to get it ~
Where the young lions gets THEIRS said
Margaret, and went on joyously; and it was
in these days that l saw her, taking her
morning and her afternoon walk with the
child in her arms, talking gayy to him all
the time, and kissing him at every other
step.
What visions she had of little Steve's fu-
ture, and how she used to confde them to
the child as they went! And the boy would
lift his little hand and pat her cheek approx
ingly, as if he understood them all, and give
her now and then a great wet kiss OF his
rosy mouth in return-a kiss that knew no
difference between her shriveled yellow
cheek and the blushing velvet Of youth.
How after her hard experience of life
Margaret could have had such thing as a
vision. passes conjecture; but she was so
light-hearted in her love that she believed in
everything that another might have seen to
be impossible and unattainable. The clothes
which little Steve was to wear when he
went to school the errands he was to run
in order to get the money to buy the clothes
the school to which he was to go-no CON-
mon school at all, but one where her care OF
the rooms was to balance his term-bill the
prizes he was to win; the day he was to
graduate and speak his piece, and be applaud
ed by the people and be mentioned in the
Morning Herald next day the apprentice
ship he was to serve in lawyers Office {; the
case he was some day to plead the lives he
was then to save the good, the glory and
by-and-by President-what dazzling struct-
ure it was that she built up on the founda-
ton of her little span Of life and strength
And meanwhile, as she waited for the time
when all these things should be accomplish
ing she took her pleasure in the boy.
Perhaps Bessy's babyhood had been as
lovely, her tongue as apt, her feelings as
quick, as little Steves were now; but Mar
garet had had no time then to enjoy any of
it all-now she had nothing else to do. 1t
seemed to her that no cherub slumbering in
beds of amaranth and asphodel inside the
sculptured gates of Heaven could be so beau
tiful as little Steve was with the dew OF
sleep upon him as he lay on the old patch
work quilt. The day that the boy laughed
heartily and intelligently she felt that she
had assisted at fresh creation of the hu-
man soul and to her mind nothing more re-
markable in the record of the race had ever
occurred than the first articulate sound that
little Steve uttered. His recognition of her.
self was an overcoming miracle; she
snatchej him up each time and covered him
with kisses, as lift needed a special act OF
gratitude; the detestable old cat from whose
back he pulled handful of hair became a
sacred beng-she wondered that the cat did
not like it !: he was welcome to as many
handfuls of her own gray hair as he would
take. "Do not talk about this earth's be-
ing dark placed" she cried. to the old
grandam of the other part OF the house
4" for it seems to me as bright as the sun it
self 1t must be bright when all the chill
dren that are born meet it with such a gay
heart. | used to pity them all. But now
look at him he smiles at every body, all
the world are friends-it is beautiful! The
angels must feel so. Oh, you don't think,
do you. that he is too bright and good to
live? Oh, my darlingl' she would cry,
that single CLEAN of trouble bringing back
the one dark thought of her life, "if l only
knew that you had right to the name you
bearlr
And so the days passed on, each one a
festival, each new one bringing new feat
of little .Steves to be shown and admired
and praised. The child thrived and pros
pered. and more and more with each day
the little old woman seemed to become a
child with him. They used often now to
come in and see me. | had the children g
deserted toys for little Steve, that delighted
him; and there were Others which could
not be taken away. such as the great music
box and the aquarium, and the fernery, over
which he hung spell-bound; and | had GER
tain innocent daInties whose whereabouts he
he early learned to know; and when he
twisted his little lips into coaxing kisses on
the air between, his grandmother, proud as
she was, could not resist the child's insis-
tence to be brought across the street to me.
The sight of age is always a pathetic
sight to the young and strong. especially Of