The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-08-05


weak-minded idiots under the sun, and
telling the wife that business was going
to the dogs, and should be ruined.
"You ought to be ashamed of your
self, Tom," she said.
$50 am" says 1. 81 didn't think
l could be such fool"
"Such fool as to do q good, kind
action to one who was evidently lady
born, and come down in the world"
EYES," says, "to live in Bennett s
place, where I've sunk no less than ten
machines in five years."
eyes," says the wife, "and cleared
hundreds of pounds. Tom, Tn ashamed
of you-youa a man with twenty workmen
busy up stairs, couple of thousand
pounds worth of stock, and in the
bank o -
"Hold your tongue, will you ?" said,
roughly, and went out into the shop to
try and work it all off.
Luke came back soon after, looking
very strange, and went to him directly
Where's the seven an six 2" says,
angrily.
He didn't answer, but put three half
crowns down on the desk, took out the
book, made his entries--date of delivery,
| first payment, when the others due, and
all the rest of it-and was then going in
to the house.
" Mind, I says, sharply, -" those pay
ments are to be kept up to the day, and
tomorrow you go to the Rolly's, who
live nearly opposite to 'em, and tell 'em
to keep an eye on the widow, or we shall
lose another machine"
You needn't be afraid, father" he
said, coldly; "they're honest enough,
only poor"
was Just in that humor that wanted
to quarrel with somebody, and that did
it.
When 1 ask you for your opinion,
young man, you give it to me, and when
1 tell you to do a thing, you do it," I
says, in as savage way as ever spoke
to the lad. "You go over tomorrow and
tell Roly's to keep a strict lookout on
those people-do you hear2" .
Father" he says, looking me full in
the face, 81 couldn't insult them by do
ing such thing" when, without another
word, he walked quietly out of the shop,
leaving me worse than ever.
1t was about eight o'clock that was
sitting by the parlor fire, with the wife
working andvery quiet, when Luke came
III from the workshop with book under
his arm, for he had been totipg up the
mems piecework, and what was due to
them, and the sight of him made me feel
as if L must quarrel.
He saw it; too, but he said nothing,
only rnt tho accounts AWAY and began TO
read.
The wife saw the storm brewing, and
she knew how put out was, for L had
not yet lit my pipe, nor yet mad my
evening nap, which 1 always have after
tea. So she did what she knew so well
how to do-filled my pipe, forced it into
my hand, and just as was going to dash
it to pieces in the ashes, she gave me one
of her old looks, kissed me on the fore
head, as with one hand she pressed me
back into my chair, and then with the
other she Lit a splint and held it to my
tobacco.
was done. She always gets over me
like that, and after smoking in silence for
half an hour, was lying back, with my
eyes closed, dropping off to sleep, when
the wife said (what had gone before I
hadn't hearO:
Yes, he's asleep now."
That woke me up, of course, and if 7
didn't lie there shamming and heard all
they said in whisper
How came you to make him more
vexed than he was, Luke?" says the
wife, and he told her.
"I couldn't do it, mother" he said,
excitedly. cit was heart breaking.
She's living in a wretched room there
with her daughter, and, mother, when /
saw her 1 felt as if-there can't tell
you"
$50 on, Luke" she said.
"Theyre half starved" he said, in
husky way. "Oh mother, it's horri-
bic. Such a sweet, beautiful girl, and
the poor woman herself dying almost
with some terrible disease"
The wife sighed.
"They told me-, he went on, chow
hard they had tried to live by ordinary
needlework, and failed, and that as last
resource they had tried to get the
machine"
"Poor things /" said the wife "but
are you sure the mother was lady? 2"
GA clergyman's widow" said Luke,
hastily; "There isn't doubt about it.
Poor girl and they've got to learn to
Poor girl, Luke ?" says the wife,
softly; and 1 saw through my eyelashes
that she laid hand upon his arm, and
was looking curiously at him, when if he
didn't cover his face with his hands, rest
his elbows on the table, and give low
groan Then the old woman got up,
stood behind his chair like the foolish old
mother would.
Mother" he says, suddenly, "will
you go and see them2"
She didn't answer for minute, only
stood looking down at him, and then
said, softly:
They paid you the first money!"
"No," he says, hotly. &c I hadn't the
heart to take it," .-.-..--.ss.-
"Then that money you paid was
yours, Luke 2"
"Yes, MOTHER" he says, simply; and
those two stopped looking one at the |
other, till the wife bent down and kissed |
him, holding his head afterward, for a
few moments, between her hands; for |
she always did worship that chap, our
only one; and then l closed my eyes
light, and went on breathing heavy and |
thinking.
For something like new revelation
had come upon me. L knew Luke was
ive-and-twenty, and that was fifty -four,
out he always seemed like boy to ME,
and here was 1 waking up to the fact that
ne was a grown man, and that he was
thinking and feeling as 1 first thought
md felt when L saw his mother, nigh |
lpon eight-and-twenty years ago.
l lay back, thinking and telling myself |
WIS worry SnYann with him for dncaivinnr