Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-07-30

| plot all alone,n and then | pretended to
wake up, took no notice and had my sup
| per.
kept rather gruif 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 went
out with little oil-can and two or three
tools in my pocket.
1t was not far to Benefits place, and on
getting TO the right house / asked for Mrs
| Murray and was directed to the second
| floor, where, as / reached the door, /
could hear the clicking of my sewing ma
chine, and whoever was there was so busy
over it that she did not hear me knock, so
| IOpcned the door softly and looked in upon
as sad scene as l shall ever, l dare say
| see.
| There in the bare room sat, asleep i'm
| her chair, the widow lady who came about
the machine, and / could see that 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, il gave me
a kind of turn.
It's no business of yours" said to
myself roughly; and turned then TO
look at.who it was bending over my ma
chine.
could see no face-only a 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 we'll
80 that's the gal, is it?" | said TO my
self "Ah, Luke, my boy, you've got 10
the silly calf age, and dare say"
| got no further, for ut that moment the
| girl started turned round, and turned
upon me a timid, wondering face, that
made my heart give queer throb, and
couldn't take my eyes off her.
Hush ~ she said, softly, holding up
her hand; and | saw it was as thin and
transparent as if she had been i'll.
My names Smith" said, taking out
a screw-driver. My machine; how does
it gof Thought I'd come and see"
Her face lit up in a moment, and she
came forward eagerly.
Pm so glad you've come" she said !;
" can't quite manage this"
She pointed to the thread regulator, anu
the next minute | was showing her that
was too tight, and somehow, in a gentle,
timid way, the little witch got quite over
me, and 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 in and out of hard
material.
g Do you think you can do it now?"
said.
"Oh, yes, think so; l am so glad you
$50 am l." says l, gruliIy; ait will
make it all the easier for you to earn the
money and pay for it."
"And / will work SO hard, she said,
earnestly.
"That you will, my dear" 1 says in
| g I fol
speaking, but something in me. "She
been i'll long?" | said, nodding toward her
mother.
Months" she said, with the tears start
ing in her pretty eyes; "but," she added,
brightly, al shall have enough with this
TO get her good medicines and things she
can fancy" and rs looked at her some
thing in me said:
"God bless you, my deari | hope you
will" and the next minute ] was going
down stairs, calling myself IA fool.
They thought | didn't know at home
but 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. | often used to sec them
talking about il, but took no notice; and
that artIul scOundrel, my boy Luke, used
to pay the halEcrown every week out Of
his own pocket after going to fetch il
from the widows.
And all the time l told myself didn'
like it, for | could see that Luke was
changed and always thinking of that Cir
"a girl not half good enough for him.
remembered being poor myself and
hated poverty, and used to speak harsh
ly.to Luke and the wife, and feel very
bitter
At last came an afternoon when | knew
there was something wrong. The wifi
had gone out directly after dinner, sayins
she was going TO see IA sick woman
knew who it was, bless you!-and Lux
was fidgeting about, not himself; and a
last he took his hat and went out
"They might have confided in me-"
: said bitterly but all the time knew that
2 wouldn't let them They'll be spending
money-throwing it away. know they'v
spent pounds on them already"
At last got in such a way that calle,
down our foreman, left him in charge, ant
! ! took my hat and went after them.
Everything was very quiet in Bennett
place, for couple of dirty, detected
looking women-one of whom was in al
) rears to me-had sent the children tina
played in the court right away because G
the noise, and were keeping guard so tina
they should not come back.
! / went up the stairs softly, and all wa
very still, only as | got nearer to the rooI
| could hear q bitter, wailing cry, an
then opened the door gently and wen
u in.
!, Luke was there, standing, with his hea
bent, by the sewing machine; the wife 81
in chair and, on her knees, with her fac
buried in tb wile's lap, was the poor CIR
CRYING as il her little heart would brcal
' while on the bed, with all the look of pal
y gone out of her face, lay the widow-gon
y to meet her husband, where pain and 50
; row are no more.
couldn't see very plainly, for thcl
Z was mist, like before my eyes; but
know Luke flushed up as he took a ste
, forward, as ii TO protect the girl, and I'll
u wife looked at me in frightened way.
But there was no need, for somethir
?. that wasn't me spoke, and that in vel
~ gentle way, as | stepped forward, raiiC
a the girl up and kissed her pretty face b
- fore laying her little, helpless head upC
& my shoulder and smoothing her sol
N brown hair.
is Mother" says that something fro
4. within me, ~ think there's room in Il
= nest at home for this poor, iorsaken lit
bird Luke, my boy, will you go an
N Ictcn can! motilCI VIII SCC W WI
wants doing here"
" My boy gave sob rs he caught n
\ hand in his and the next moment he d
what he had not done for years-kiss'
me on the cheek-before running out
IA the room, leaving me with my darliI
nesting in my breast.
: | said "my darling" for she has be-
- the sunshine of our home ever since
N pale, wintry sunshine while the sorru
h. was fresh, but spring and summer now.
ii Why, bless her! look at her, I've (,
a ashamed sometimes TO think that she,
nc lady by birth, should come down 10 SUI
ly life, making Newell, no, it's us no,
I'd for Iuke's partner-no end OF money
her clever ways. But she's happy, thin
al ing her husband that is TO be the tin'
We fellow under the sun; and let me tell "
ut there's many gentleman not so well
ld as my boy will be, even if the money b
he all come out of queer rade.-CdSsel
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