Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1874-02-12

l
sSayl There was little more
could say | think all | did fo
some lime was to look. | managed
TO dispose of the tobacco, however
and wiped my mouth very carefully
all ofwhich [ felt certain she saw
and mentally commented upon.
s,Hhve you a mother, little boy?'
she asked IN the same low tone.
"'No ma'am,' ! answered. and
felt my throat filling up, and [ knew
| mus swallow mighty fast to keel
from sobbing.
s'You have father, then, [ sup
pose2l she kept on.
"'No, ma'am, no father
"tfrothers and sisters?
Neither, ma'am" /"
"Meu the little boy is all alone
in the werid2
alone, ma'am
".How long has his mother been
dead?tand the dear woman looked
away from my face, and waited till
Tcouh speak
1.-TWO years. | answered.
"sAnd you loved her?' came next.
".Bearly,' was all conld say.
ind what do you think yOur
dear mother would say-how do
you think she would feel--to know
that her little boy was guilty of
sueh o disgusting habit as this?'
pointing TO my cheek where the
tell tale quid had vainly tried to
stand its ground
II must leave now,' she con
tinuei, but here is my card, and if
you cDme TO me most any evening,
| shaa be glad to see you, and per
haps we can be of service 10 each
other
She gave me her little gloved
hand, and to my dying day | shall
never forget the sensation of that
moment / conld not bear to part
with her; without her | felt that |
could do nothing-with her l could
grow to q man. estate--a man in
the truest sense of the word. From
thai moment tobacco never passed
my lips
'sAs soon as I could summon cour-
age ! called upon that lady. We'll
do | remember how my heart beat
as waited in the elegant parlOr for
her to come down; and how awk-
ward | felt as | followed my guide
to her private sitting room. Here
she got at every point of my life,
and before / bade her good bye it
was arranged that | should spend
two evenings of each week at her
house, and study on these occasions
just what she thought best.
sNo lover ever looked forward to
with the mistress of his
he;if5 any more ardeBtiJ' Than did /
to these meetings with my friend.
81 grew careful of my personal
careful of my converse
ton, and strove in every way to be
worthy of this noble friendship.
Two years passed in this delightful
manner-two years that made me
Ny friend not only attended to my
studies, striving also all the while
to sow the right kind Of spiritual
seed, but she procured me business
situation with particular friend of
hers where ! remain to this day
Nobody, but God, knows what l
owe this woman. During the last
three months of those two years !
noticed that she grew constantly pale
and thin; she never was betrayed
into speaking of herself, Some
times. when | would ask her if she
felt worse than usual, she would
reply:
ooh. no! am only little tired
that is all
"One evening she kept me by her
sofa much longer than was her Gus
tom. while she arranged lessons and
laid out work enough it seemed to
me for months
"'Why so much to-night?' l in
quired, conscious that my heart
ached, and vaguely suspecting the
cause.
"'Because, DEAR she answered,
Il do not want you to come for the
next week, and | am anxious that
you should have sufficient work to
anticipate as well as keep you busy.
think | can trust you TO be good
boy, john
81 think you can, ma'am,' | an
swered, almost sobbing.
"'If l should see your mother,
my boy, before long, what shall |
say to her for you.
"Then l knew all, and my grief
knew no bounds. 1t is no use to GO
on. She died two days after, and
wnen l hear folks saying, There s
"a woman at the bottom of it, | feel
like telling the whole world what q
woman did for me-"