Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-02-20
MISCELLANEOUS.
A WILL AND A WAY.

about congeniality, aud all that sort of thint
Does not nature always work by contrasts Z
there il an excess in one place, is there not sur
TO be want in another Extremes meet, and &
they did when Bob Gray the easiest man /
town paid his addresses to Kitty Logan, til
Young school marin who had agreed to take th
village school in the township of Niles wher
the big boys always turned the master out o
doors on Christmas, or make them treat Bo
Gray had rich father, hard working mother
and one proud sister, and could afford to be lazy
Mr. Gray, the elder, came West in very earl
times located near the town Of Niles, lived in
log cabin ten years, shook himself out of join
with the ague, "wore it out" and never had i
afterwards But poor neighbor who had
large farm a mile from Mr.. Gray could not weai
II out his wife died, his children suffered, IL,
offered his farm very cheap, and Gray bougii
HIM out, promising to pay sometime
A year afterwards, discouraged with hi.
crops and the inability to pay for the new farm
he tried to persuade the former owner to take II
back, which he refused to do lawsuit ensued
aud the matter ended by poor Gray being obligoC
to keep the farm and pay the costs. Terrible was
the blow, but he lived through it and five YEAR
afterwards, when the Ohio and Mississippi rail-
road passed through the same farm and BET up
station house exactly in the centre, ho founI
himself a rich man. lie sold town lots at high
figures, sent his son Tommy to Jacksonville u
llo dressed himself in broadcoth, wore kid
gloves, accepted the nomination for the Legs-
ature, and unexpectedly found himse II elected
and making laws for His countrymen at the err
ta of the Prairie State. SO much in cxnlaul-
non.
Bob came home from Jacksonville with his
elIeep-skin properly tied with blue ribbons,
dressed supeibly, had the best turnout" in
town, wore II tremendous pair of whiskers,
and of course Kitty Logan felt tlattered when
he offered to see her home from church or
called after school to take her out riding.
Miss Susan Gray took little pains 10 ind out
that Kitty dstantly related to the Summers
and Lincolns OF Massachusetts,, but somehow
she did not learn the important fact that Kitty
lad worked at strawhraiding in the town oil Fox
3oro until she had earned money enough to ed.
cate herself.
Where's there's will there's a way" said
hitty, land know can paddle my own canoe
out West, where they say nothing il wanting but
the power to do and the will to put the power IN
notion"
80 bidding her friends goodbye, for sic was
All orphan, and DOMINIC the prcttiott little straw
hat which her own pfeCty nuGcrs had plated
-ewed and pressed, and q. .rnnl.a with n,ao diaL
ilbbon with blue edge, which correspond,
exactly with her drab travelling dress aud cape,
and matched her bille eyes to L. Thus she
rarted for Illinois, to n friend of hers, who had
written she thought the school could be procur-
3D. She was q little homesck when she arrived
at Miles, and would have given one OF the gold
pieces hid away in that pocket OF hers, for look
once more at the rough rocks and swampy hol-
tOws, overshadowed by thin evergreen, that sur
founded her native home. She would have
bounded with JOY at the sound of the old factory
bell that had used to call the morry girls togeli-
tr for their long evenings toll. Still she did not
say so, but put on cheerful face, sought out
the directors and made her application. MIR.
smith, the main man, looked as If the little blue
eyed MINK with her rosy lips, had insulted Ills
dignity, TO come offering herself to teach IL
school in that neighborhood But as she offered
f., lHa fnr- ala tl,ut, lin luaf
Incumbent, and wrote such pretty hand which
they could read like print, and besides had
fuch 81 winning way" they agreed to
iyre her. To the astonishment of everybody,
Christmas and New Year went by, and the
mistress, instead of being shut out or
LAYING to treat, was surprised to find her.
sclf treated, her desk loaded with PRESENTS and
sven jim Stokes, who had always been called
The worst boy i'll town, had headed surprise
party in the evening, and almost filed Miss Lo-
ans little room, at Parson Browns,with pleds
of good will.
Where there's will there's a way" said Kit
". II knew, Mr.. Smith, should not have any
trouble with the big boys ; they are just az good
AH need be-.
"of course they be" answered the blunt old
farmer, who by the revolution of railroads had
been brought almost into town. " 1 can almost
wish was big boy myself, just to show You
how good could bo."
MIR. Smith laughed and Kitty tripped along to
her task, carrying her little basket of dinner
along with her.
Kitty's school house was in the country where
the elder Mr.. Gray still lived, having built him
relf a fine house, with the " modern improve
nents," although he did not know exactly what
to do with it, nor his wife either They still
tried to get along comfortably as possible,
while Miss Susan enjoyed it exceedingly, and
kept the great double parlors full of company:
which her worn and weary mother knew well
how to cook for-if she did not know how to en-
tortain. Good cooking is great thing in a FAM
NY. Well, Nommy-or, as we must now call
hIm, g MIR. Thomas Gray, counsellor and attor-
ney-at-law fell deeply in lovo with Miss KIT
~, and it is supposed she fell III love with linn,
aud they were married. Now we have really 10.
gun our tale, which we are not writing merely
to tell love story, as you see, but to illustrate
Il principle as well as to relate fact
Mr.. Thomas Gray opened his Office in Niles, |
and supposed of course all the world would call
~ him for counsel, and was for setting NJ in
good style, but shrewd little Kitty insisted that
IL plain way was best. She did not desire any |
such display as had been made by some Of their |
neiglbors who had grown suddenly itch o 10
day, as they were riding gaily by miserable |
looking hovel III the suburbs, with broken win |
lows and doors OF the hnSes,a mud hole near, |
and the pigs looking through the doors at u be- /
eotted man AZ If they sympathized with and hal |
"a rellowfeeling for him in his degradation, Nj. |
Thomas Gray said to his wife, " How would ycu |
like to live in such place as that, my dear2" !
e Not at all, of course" was the reply. There |
is no knowing what may happen" said he " my |
Mary Bell, was three years ago to |
all appearances US We'll on MS you ARE tO-udy bui |
her husband speculated high, lost, took to drink,
and there she is p"
" [ can't help that" answered Kitty no |
drnnkard can put me into such place a. that" |
Don't be too sure, deary, said Thomaz Gray" |
Sure :" answered Kitty with spirit, 81 am |
Just so sure as this-there is not q mtr living /
whose fortunes would follow. dom go low as
that"
L" What would You do, pray let US knoy tho
lone thing l would nos no." answered. the
young matron, promptly. 81 would not be II
dfnnksrd's wife,"
Ct How would you help youraelf?'
Where there's will there's wav,' raid l
KITTY, "but don't let IA taik abou5 that surely /
| shall never have a drunken husband" AID |
with deep shadow over her brow, that can
like II presentment OF evil, the rida WAC contin-
Ied III silence.i
Two years went by. and Mr.. Thomas Gray |
grew desperate. Bad bargains were made, spec
ulations entered into, conviya companions drew |
him from Niles to the capital HIS well filled
purse made him everywhere welcome. KITTY,
good little soul, seeing things going little out
Of the, way would persist i'll giving music lei
sens and teaching the young girls of Niles to
paint and then fitted class OF earnest boys in
latin-for college-all in her own pretty cot
age, adding dollar to dollar like wise little