Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1873-03-07
THE ATTIC LODGER.

TIE tailor lived on the second aoor a,d
did his best to make bis living for his wife
aud four children
Down stairs the small tobacconist lived
in state of perpetual anxiety about the
tilor's rent which be generally gave ur
pieceme and with eroans. as people give
up their teeth, not because be did NOT wish
to pay Ill bis bills. but becruse Of shortness
Of funds common to many people.
| Up in the attic lived the single l"dger. Of
whom no one knew anything. His name
was Smith, but what did that Ii when il
was so common? He was lean. and had
| b. How cheeks and anxious eyes. Whit his
business was. or il he had any, nc one knew
Perhaps he wore stockings. The poor
1apcthecsry Of Romeo and Juliet put him in
mind of his attic lodger. when, being pre-
sented With tickets by theatrical lodger
he went to spend az evening with Shak.
lspeare.
He ain't like it in the face though. .
thought Mrs. Tobacconist his clothes ct
TOO coed. Mr.. Smith, that's all"
It was an acute remark Mr.. Smiths
clothes did fit him t,o good, inasmuch as
they we're few siz g too small fur him. A :
f r business. be seemed to have none At
noon he vert out for loaf of bread and a
pitch Of beer. At twelve o'clock he dis
appeared ill midnight. when he let himst l.
in with a latch key aud wept to bed without
q candle.
land for all he told anybody about him
self, said the tobacconist's wife, he migh
have been ghost"
But he's civil spoken" said the tailor's
wife, to whom he always said. "Excu>e me
ma'am," when be found her aAaat on the
staircase, in PUDDLE Of soap and water.
which always made the back boards HACKER
than before. aud was obliged to wade through
the food with bread and beer. And the
tailor,s wife, who had | we'd at service in her
youth. even ven ured t, hint to her husbat
that she thought Mr.. Smith gentl 10 an !.
However, this fancy the tailor crushed with
Il curse, "Gen'l-men don't wear any such
coat as that. Sally."
Poor lttle tailor. be sat cross-lcggtd on
bis hoard and It tched. and measured men
by their coats. II he had measured or even
mended more co is, it would have been bet
ter for him and his tr,od Times seemed
to grow worse, custom less. the money hard.
er to get. When the little man read in his
morning paper Of men who shot themselves
or took laudanum, be wonder d whether
they had four children with hear appe ties
and prospect Of having nothing t, eat for
several days No thought Of killing him
self-bcsides he had been told by bis cl-rgv.
man that suicide was wicked; hui: he coul iu t
help thinking. And the civil lodger in the
attic how did he fare? Oae night when
Sally. who had been mending aud irouing
and patching the family rags all day, was
economically using up the fire by coosing a
Loaf Of bread in the stove oven. SIZE hearc
the lod ger come in He went up st,irs and
paced the foor-he came out on the entry
and creaked the stairs. Fl. seemed as rest.
less as Gagged tiger and he bad behaved 50
for three nights, instead of retiring at once
as the tailor's family knew he gessral v did
by the creaking and swapping of his bed
stead
What can all him." said Sally as she
took her bread out Of the oven, and prick ed
it with straw iading it done. What eau
all him? hope amt sick or nothing, be
is so civil. poor dear"
Then Sally listened again.
Il declare he's coming down." she said
H must be sick, and there he is knocking
law!
Then she opened the door.
The lid Of the stove was off. and the red
light flashed on hungry face with hollow
cheeks and suoken eyes
TIE gaunt hand stretched itself out, and
a voice said family:
MADAM. know you have kind heart.
am SO hungry It's three days since |
at, anything; and don't want to die"
! Law! should think rot said the W.
man. Why, law me-, I'm so sorry! And
suppose you can't get job? Law. why
d. take it an't got nothing else
| You see We are pre- ty poor ourselves :
and there %. law!' she was trembling
she did not know why. She was thinking
to herself ats like a play. 1t makes MT
want to cry
| Then he took the warm bread she had
given him in bis hands, t.aring bits from i
and eating it.
} 81 didn't thank you" he said, "Thanl
you thank you!' and went away.
Sally sat down, trembling still
To be out Of job and to be hungry wer'
no rare things, and no tragic things in he
exp rience but this man had stirred he
soul somehow frightened her. she said"
hadn't any business to give away loaf o
bread, but there bow couldn't h. II it,"
Tim Sally went to bed aud slept. ane
dreamed Of the hollow checked, famisked
t l,dgsr Of the attic.
There was more bread to make next day
and l am not sure but that she had mad
an extra loaf, in expectation of anothe
call from her peighbor, but Re did not come
and in the course Of time Sally had cnougl
to think Of without laving her own room
Matters did not prospsr with the family
Lit lie Lena had the scarlet fever and lay 70
long time at deaths door and the worl
r with which the mother helped to fll the fam
lily purse was necessarily neglected. and hi
customers grew angry and lift her
Then the baby died. Psor little baby
The mother wept bitterly. The fatbe
: also longed to weep. although children wer
L expensive luxuries in that poor househol
y Finally the last affection tell upon the tallo
s "a felon on bis right thumb
There was an end to it all, it seemed t