Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1876-11-10

with then L met the man Wanteu' 10 /
make long story short, I've brought
$4,000 home with me, and here i am"
Good for you i exclaimed. Yes"
said he, 100000 and the best of it is
she don't know anything about IT, I've
fooled her SO often that just concluded |
/ would say nothing about this. When
| got my money, though, you better be-
lieve | struck bee-line for home"
"And now you will make her happy"
said l.
Happy he replied, why you
don't know anything about it. She's
worked like a dog while have been
gone, trying to support herself and her
dear children decently, They paid her
thirteen cents apiece for making coarse
shirts and that's the way she'd live
half the time. She'll come down to the
depot to meet me in gingham dress,
and shawl hundred years old, and
she'll think she's dressed up. Oh, she
won't have nice clothes after this-oh,
no, guess not F"
And with these words, which implied
that his wife's wardrobe would soon riv-
al Queen Victoria's, the stranger tore
down the passage-way again, and getting
in his old corner, where he thought him
self out of sight, went through the
strangest pantomine, laughing, putting
his mouth into the drollest shapes, and
then swinging himself back and forth in
the limited space, as if he was " walk
ing down Broadway" full-rigged me-
tropolitan belle. And so he rolled into
the depot. and ] placed myself on the
other car opposite the stranger, who,
with portmanteau in each hand, had
descended and was standing ON the lower
step ready to jump on the platform. |
looked from his face to the faces of the
people before us, but saw no signs of
recognition.
Suddenly he cried There theya "
aud laughed outright, but in hysterical
sort of way, as he looked over the crowd.
| followed his eyes and saw at some dis
tance standing back, as if crowded out
and shouldered away by the well-dressed
and elbowing throng, little woman in
a faded dress and well-worn hat, with a
face almost painful in its intense but
hopeful expression, glancing from win
dow to window as this coaches glided in.
She had not yet seen the stranger, but a
moment after she caught his eye, and in
another instant he had jumped the plat
form with his two portmanteaus, and
making a hole in the crowd, pushing one
here and there, and running one Of his
bundles plump into the welldeveloped
stomach of venerable old gentleman
, in spectacles, he rushed towards where
she was standing.
/ think / never saw face assume SC
many different expressions in short
time as did that of the little woman
while her husband was on his way to
her. She didn't look pretty. On the
contrary, she looked very plain, but
somehow felt big lump rise in my
throat as watched her. She was trying
to laugh but, God bless her, how com
pletely she failed in the attempt HeI
mouth got into the position, but it never
moved after that, save to draw down the
corners and quiver, while she blinked
her eyes so fast that | suspect she only
caught occasional glimpses of the broad
shouldered fellow who elbowed his way
SO rapidly toward her. And then as he
drew close and dropped those everlasting
portmanteaus, she just turned complete
ly round, with her back toward him, and
covered her face with her hands. AND
thus she was when the strong man gath
cred her up in his arms as if she had
been baby, and held her sobbing to his
breast.
There were enough gaping at them
heaven knows, and / turned my eyes
away a moment, and then saw two
boys in threadbare roundahouts standing
near, wiping their eyes and noses OF
their little coat.sleeves, and bursting out
anew at every fresh demonstration OIL
the part of their mother When looked
at the stranger again he had his hal
drawn down over his eyes but his wife
was looking up at him, and it seemed a,
if the pent-up tears of those weary
; months of waiting we're streaming
through her eyelids.
Children say what they will be old
,,,o., he tbaw have baa,, nnIx, foo1.