The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-10-12
THE BLIND SPINNER.

1t was the old story. Their father had
been thriftless, eXtravagant man. He
had lived up to his incomes little over
it, great deal over it-and then came the
cnd-debt, disgrace. ruin, vain remorse,
and before long three fathcrless ones
girl>-rearcd in Il foolish luxury, now left
TO face all the trials of grinding poverty.
The mother haG died many years back
of broken heart. people said, for the
worst errors of the father were mercifully
yelled from the children's eyes, and to
them he was always "poor papa" who
kissed them as he lay dying, and then
turned his face to the wall. and wept for
plate -wcpt for his helpless children, rem
This happened a long time ago, or it
seemed so to them.-fOr sorrow makes
time seem long to us all-and now it had
come 30 this.
This was furnished lodgings in an
questionable suburb of London-that
great sea into which SO many troubled
hearts plunge, to hide from the eyes of
those who have known them IN brighter
DAYS
We must now sketch these three sisters,
in whom l would fain hope to interest my
reader.
Bessie first; she was the eldest, now
lust eighteen; tall and slender, dark
haired, dark eyed and grave beyond her
years.
Then came Katie-and Katie was blind.
1t was the pretticst ST. CHIT to see the devo-
ton of the other two girls to this afflicted
one They are my two eyes"' she
would say with that sweet smile often seen
on the face of the blind-a smile that
seems to hold all the light the sightless
eyes lack.
She had an intense nature, this poor,
blind child; a nature that suffered more
than others in pain and rejoiced with
more exceeding joy in gladness. She
was now seventeen; and Alice, the will
full. naughty darling Of the other two, was
two years younger.
Alice was beauty, and bewitched you
with her saucy, violet eyes, and ripping
They were very fricndless, those three
sisters. For one thing, the father had not
been a man to make friends, or if he did
make them. lost them again with remark
able promptitude; and their mother had
been foreigner. so that English relatives
were few; and the few had offered help in
somewhat an offensive fashion.
so the girls came to London and took
up their abode at Mrs. Busby's furnished
lodgings, II Paradise Place.
The stairs were steep, and Katie often
put her hand to her side after mounting
them; the rooms We're small, and BcsSie'S
room, up at the top of the house, had a
slice cut off at one corner, and a window
50 low that it gave anything but a salts
factory light to dress your hair by--but.
then, was there not a mirror in the parlor,
in which you could take glimpse of
yourself, and if it did depict you with
swclled face. and one eye up and the other
down, why, you learned to make allow
anccs for these peculiarities, and to know
whether your bonnet was straight in spite
of them; so, take it all in all, it was not
bad sort of a mirror.
Bessie was the clever one of the family,
SO far as accomplishments went. She
hoped, brave heart, to make something
comfortable" by her musical powers, for
she had been told that London was just
the place to get ON in but for all that the
sisters had been nearly six. months in
Paradise Place, and yet only now had
Bessie got her first pupil!
I've got pupil on the brain, my dears,"',
said Alice, her pretty eyes sparkling with
ttS S'lC loohCu dI bCSSlC SldSCly
pouring out the tea. "Oh, it's too de-
lightful, Bess, my darling! Sure and it's
proud am of this day. 20 "a
And after all the pupil only represents
five shillings week; but then it is a
beginning, you See, and will pay half the
rent
The cold weather was going now, and
Katie and Alice were glad of that, for it,.
would be less trying for Bess you see, 60
ing in and Out, when That crowd of pupils
they so confidently expected should be-
come d. reality. -
SO the snow melted, and the little town
sparrows in their sooty jackets chirped
and twittered as smerrily as any coantry.
bird could possibly do; and Katie sat. ii
the sunshine at Mrs. Busby's front parlor
window, and thought it very pleasant
to listen to street piano playing "Il
Bacio.'' e ~ g.. -. 4
How often Katie thought OF. her dead
father! Naturally she from her afflction
had known least-of - his. wrong doin sfs-
and tcnderly shes1oFcd his memory, cali
ing to mind the feeling Of his hand laid
upon her head as he lay helpless on his
bed of pain, while creditors, like birds.of
prey, lowered about the house that ought
to have been hushed and silent.
AhS sun SLlueS warm anu bright; LnG
music out there sounds cheerful to me;
and poor papa lies in his graver' Thus
ran the thoughts Of this gentle loving
heart. ~ ICY ~ ~
AS time went on, though the crowd Of
pupils so confidently ANTICIPATED by Alice
and Katie did not not make theireappear-
ancc, three or -four more were added to
the original ono, and things seemed to Is
on passably when Bessie took a severe
cold-so severe that the others {supported
by the opinion 81 Mrs. Busby). would not
let her leave the house. Then an event
happened. ,2Ayisitor csnle TO II Paradise
place-a young man in a velveteen coat,
and soft, wide, felt hat, that shaded ar.
honest, manly young face, with grey eyes
and silky Known beard. ~
This was HrA Lnstisg,pn, 4 stru{kiipg
artist, tryi4ghSfd To 0ake sShSk k0naS-
thing comfortable" 81 which mention has
been made before. Phil taught drawing
at t,,,i school EfeF Res4e, teT 6d sgpa
Tbs young fellow came in somewhat
tlnidly to :lat dingy parlor in which Mrs.
Busbys soul delighted, and Mary Anne,
tho maid If all vnrEr (uhn ~ ind no Troro