Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1875-09-15

other, till the wife bent down and kissed
him, holding his head afterwards for a
few moments between her hands for
she always did worship that. chap, our
only one; and then / closed my eyes
tight and went on breathing heavy and
thinking.
For something like a new revelation
had come upon me. / knew Luke was
five and twenty and that 1 was fifty
four, but he always seemed like a boy
to me, and here was | waking up to the
fact that he was grown man, and that
he was thinking and feeling as 1 first
thought and felt when saw his mother,
nigh upon eight and twenty years ago.
1 lay DacK, thinking and telling my
self | was very savage with him for
deceiving me, and that wouldn't have
him and his mother laying plots to-
gether against me, and that / wouldn't
stand by and see him make fool OF
himself with the first pretty girl he SET
eyes on, when he might marry Maria
Turner, the engineers daughter, and
have nice bit of money with her to
put into the business, and then be my
partner.
'sNo," says; ''if you plot together,
I'll plot all Alone" and then / pre-
! tended to wake up, took no notice, and
had my supper.
kept rather gruff the next morning,
and made myself very busy about the
place, and | dare say spoke more sharply
than usual, but the wife and Luke were
as quiet as could be; and about twelve
L went ont, with little oIl-can and two
or three tools in nv pocket.
1t was not far to Benefits place, and
on getting to the right house L asked
for Mrs. Murray, and was directed to
the second floor, where, as reached
the door, l could hear the clicking of
my sewing-machine, and whoever was
there was so busy over it that she did
not hear me knock, so l opened the door
softly and looked in upon as sad scene
as l shall ever, dare say, see.
There in the bare room sat, asleep i'm
her chair, the widow lady who came
in her face which told plainly enough
that the pain and suffering she must
have been going through for years
would soon be over, and, situated as she
was, it gave me kind of turn.
''It's no business of yours" | said to
myself roughly; and l turned then TO
look at who it was bending over my
machine.
/ could see no face-only slight
figure in rusty black; and pair of
busy white hands were trying very
hard TO govern the thing, and to learn
how to use it well. nt
$50 that's the gal, is it?" / said TO
myself, ''Ah, Luke, my boy, you've got
to the silly calf age, and dare say
got no further, for that moment the
girl started, turned around, and turned
upon me timid, wondering face, and
made my heart give queer throb, and
L couldn't take my eyes off her.
''Hush 10 she said softly, holding up
her hand; and l saw it was as thin and
transparent as if she had been ill.
MY names Smith . l said, taking
out screw-driver. "My machine: !:
how does it go? Thought I'd come and
see."
Her face lit up in a moment, and she
came forward eagerly.
''Im so glad you've come" she said,
81 can't quite manage this"
She PORTED to the thread regulator,
and the next minute i was showing her
that was too tight, and somehow, i'm a
gentle timid way, the little witch quite
got over me, and l stopped there two
hours helping her, till her eyes sparkled
with delight, as she found out how
easily she could now make the needle
dart i'm and out of hard material.
''Do you think you can do it now?" ]
said.
o,, ,.a,no ),
$50 am I. saws | grufiIv: sit will
make il ALI the easier for Won to earn
the money. and nav for it.''
"And / will work so hard., she said
earnestly.
.sTbat Won will. nv DEAR | saws in
spite of myself. for / felt sure it wasn't
me speaking. but something i'm me.
s.Sbe been iii longp', / said nodding
towards her mother.
ssMonths. - she said. with the tears
starting in her prettv eyes: s.but I" She
added brightly. II Shall have enough
with this to get her good medicines and
thinos She can fancy:o and as looked
at her. something in me said
"God bless you, my dear! hope you
will;' and the next minute L was going
down stairs, calling myself fool.
They thought / didn't know at home,
but i did; there was the wife going
over and over again to Benefits place,
and all sorts of little nice things were
made and taken there. L often used to
see them talking about it, but l took no
notice, and that artful scOundrel, my
boy Luke, used to pay the half-eleven
every week out of his own pocket, after
going to reach it from The widows.
Aud all the time / told myself I didn' L
like il. for l could see that Lake was
cbanged and always thinking of that
girlsa girl not half good enough for
him. / remembered being poor myself.
and hated poverty, and used to speak
harshly to Luke and the wife, aud feel
very bitter.
At last came an afternoon when i
knew there was something wrong. The
wife had gone out directly after dinner,
saying she was going TO see sick
woman-I knew who il was, bless youi