Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1877-05-26

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- Therr ga n M BY g. - after
tn b1siD--. NNs clC.-ssl. AMI mamma
thankfully accepted sn Offer 81 her UDcle
Gossiou a. re his housek-ep-r, and - &C.
esre = b. me fvr al If u.
such a home lncle Gordon Crofts
Vas Q man nearly seventy, strong and
vigorous. with a most ungovernAble tenn
per, misery and suspicious, who had
lived alone for about forty years. What
sudden spasm Of generosity made him
open the doors Of his wretched. tumble
down old house to Us. We never knew;
but certainly he repented the arrange
ment as soon as his proposal was accepted.
Not one meal passed our lips that we
we're not reminded of its cost; not an ar
ticle Of our poor clothing was renewed
without deep groans over our extrava-
gance; and We were put out at once
Meta and myself-to learn trades, being
apprenticed to milliner, Meta to book
binder.
knew now that, scant as our wages
were, they really covered the expenses of
our poor food and worse lodging. As
for poor mamma, with all the housework,
sewing, washing, and cooking upon her
hands, surely she earned the little she
spent.
But, in spite of our poverty and hard
work, Meta blossomed into a beautiful,
modest and tender girl. was never even
pretty.
When Brent Ellis discovered Meta's at
fractions she was eighteen, still working
a. q bookbinder in place of business
which Brent's father owned. Old John
Ellis, after storming and raging like a
maniac at the presumption of one of the
''hands" daring to be sufficiently attract
i've to win the love of the son and heir of
his msgnificence, dismissed Meta at an
hours notice. As he owned the only
bo9kbinding establishment in the town,
and Meta knew NO other trade, affairs
looked black enough for US.
Brent himself was true as steel, and
wanted Meta to marry him at once. But,
in spite of her gentleness, Meta had some
pride, and refused to enter family where
she was not welcome. Mother, too, at
this crisis, informed Brent that his visits
had better cease, and Meta did not speak
one word of dissent.
stormed, of course; always do storm
when l am angry. But nobody ever
came round to my opinion, no matter
how l raved-and John Ellis certainly
did not. To be sure he did not hear me,
or that might have made some difference.
Mid-winter found US in this strait.
Meta out of employment, helping mother
about the house, and patiently bearing
Uncle Gordon's protests against her idle
ness and fine-lady airs; trimming hats,
and meekly handing over my wages to
our uncle; Freddie still at the town
school, but with an apprenticeship loom
ing in the spring.
In January Uncle Gordon was taken
ill-the first serious sickness of his life.
He would have no doctor until absolutely
forced to call one in by increasing pain
and weakness, and when the long delayed
examination was over it proved to have
been made too late.
In just one month from his first pain
our uncle died, leaving brief will, con-
fssring all his property, the house in
cluded, upon our mother, ''his well-be-
loved niece, Sarah Norton"
But where was the property Not Q
chilling Was deposited in the bank; not
a inch Of real estate vas held In his
name, save the miserable piece Of land
upoo which the house stood, and which
barely yielded vegetables fos the table
We turn~d the house upside d0wn and
inside cut bot -; . Grin rewarded our
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