The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-06-08

toot of the engine and see the outgoing
Of the homeward train.
"Just an hour and half to watt"
said the station master; and bach in
search of the house agent went Mrs.
Jones. This time he was in, and ur
banely desirous of taking her to the de-
sired premises. Then they begun to
walk and walk again, till her head SEEM
ed to leave her shoulders and go up in
the air, and her body to leave her legs,
which went walking and walking on. At
last O row of new brick houses reared
themselves before her on the brink of
one Of those dismal gorges, the back
kitchens propped up by posts, the
chimneys topped by queer monsters to
staring brick houses, with little court
yards in front, and funeral urn in the
middle of what looked like q newly
made grave. The agent opened the first
of the rusty iron gates to these little
courtyards, and entered.
"Why, this isn't the cottage adver-
tised, is it ~ said poor Mrs. Jones'
I" "this isn't a cottage at all. It's house,
a regular brick house."
"We call them cottages here" said
the agent, mildly; eve call them brick
cottages. But walk in."
Which was easier said than done, the
occupant opening the door an inch and
parleying with the agent.
"You'n be coming here before break
fast, and after we go to bed, the next
thing" she said. But seeing the white,
wan face of Mrs. Jones, she added
"Come in and sit down; you do look
beat out. Yes, ma'am, there's. three
rooms on this floor
"Four," said the agent.
"Well, if you call that cubby hole
under the stairs q room, all right-and
they're every one as damp as they can
be. With this roarin' fire, you can see
for yourself the papers all peelin' off
the walls. There's laundry down
stairs-yes Ito the agent). "Don't you
be afraid I'll forget the laundry. It's
very handy laundry, cause the waters
knec-deep there all the time; leastways,
it comes and goes with the tide in the
back lots there. There's four rooms up
stairs-as cold as Greenland in winter,
and hot as Africa in summer. There
amt garret on the loft that you can
tuck away as much as an old hoopskirt.
But come on up stairs; I'll show you the
hull premises"
Mrs. Jones declined. She was not
quite able to continue her work that day.
Gould she Cunning to the agent) get q
lack in the vicinity to take to the sta
tion again? She didn't feel very well,
and storm had gathered. The snow
began to whirl around in the front lots
and back lots that comprised the view,
covering up the ashes and garbage, fall
ing into the pits from whence dirt had
been taken, and upon the heaps where
dirt had been thrown.
a hacks Well, no; there wasn't any
hacks to be had. A conveyance of any
kind, for which she would willingly
pay Well, no, he didn't know of any.
If she'd take his arm, he'd help her
down to the station. And, more dead
than alive, the poor lady found herself
the train, glad to be rid of what seemed
to him then an impending evil; for she
looked bad, very bad, and there was no
place in Rosedale for people to be sick
that he knew of.
But hack was to be got in the metro
polls, which Mrs. Jones reached at
nightfall, and she fell from the steps of
the coach into the arms of her aston
ished and terrified husband.
Don't be alarmed, DEAR" she whis-
pered; don't mind, Toffy; but I'm 60
ing to die, think"
"Hold on p cried Mr.. Jones to the
hackman. Then he carried his
wife into the house, and Jump
ing into the cab, went after the family
physician.
She must be very bad," whispered
Mr.. Jones to himself "She hasn't
called me 'Toffy,' nor put her arms
abont me in that way, since our honey
moon"
The doctor looked grave, ordered per-
feet quiet; a sedative. The next morn
ing he looked graver still. Ice was put
upon the poor lady's head, which rolled
helplessly to and fro upon the pillow.
And there she lay for four long weeks.
1t was season of wretchedness and
despair. Nobody knew how dear and
necessary was this rather sharp and per.
emptory matron till there was an i'm
minent danger of losing her. Then all
was remembered and clung to tearfully.
Jones found his heart contracting with
agony, and, could think of no way in
which life would be endurable without
her. To contend with business affairs,
to shape the future of this pretty Ro
salie. to manage these three boisterous
boys, without Maria-without Mrs
Jones
"My God Joe" he cried, that night
bowing his head upon the marble table
and bursting into tears, 81 shall &c
mad"
"Hush take heart. There's faint
hope" said Joe, coaxing the cold
trembling fingers of Rosalie into hi'
keeping.
Oh, what would they have done with
out him, these Joneses, who knew naugh
of sickness save the little ills that yon
der fainting hand upon the bed hat
guided safely into health again? Jo'
had dealt with it all his life.
That dreadful night not an eye CLOSED
in the house, save, perhaps, the tear
swollen ones of the boys. Early in th'
day Mrs. Jones had fallen into slum
ber which the doctor had said woul(
probably lead from unconsciousness int
death. But the next morning, though
still asleep, her pulse was stronger ;
gentle perspiration bathed her forehead
The doctors eyes cleaned suddenl,
with hope, and he drove them all dow
into the front basement to tell them tina
perhaps there was indeed moderat
chance for the life of Mrs. Jones.
| Which soon ripened into certainty
Once giving that good lady footholC
| uDOO the shore AGAIN. there was no