San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-06-08

to the ferry in terrible hurry, because
the cemetery was so far away, and folks
wanted to be home before dark, Peter
thought of the low UNCOVERED kirk, on
ly stone's-throw from his fathers
door, and of how much to be envied
were they who could be carried thither
upon the shoulders of men who had q
bit of time to spare. In the meanwhile
Peter was hard to be suited in the way
of gloves, because he wanted so much
for his money, and it seemed to him
there was fault in the showing up Of
the goods.
"Poof, woman!" he said, testify;
"don't be showing me your shoddy
wares. What 1 want is stout bit of
wool to suit this beastly climate, where
one is first roasting and then freezing"
"That's true, SIR" said poor Patty.
"I'm all in SILVER now, and minute
ago was burning up"
"You're not well, young woman"
said Peter, looking at her gravely, and
lowering his voice to a gentle tone.
"You'd better get home and to bed at
once. Never mind the gloves. I'll
take this pair l have in my hand, and
let them be the last goods you sell to-
day, won't your"
cit must be near noon," said Patty,
the tears starting to her eyes, as they
always did at the touch of tenderness,
"There's place down below here
where can get cup of tea. 1 don't
like to risk my place by leaving it in the
middle Of the day"
"Better risk that than something
more precious" said Peter, suddenly
feeling greater interest in the health
of this strange young woman than that
of any one he knew.
He went out of the store with the
gloves in his hand, and walked rapidly
in the direction of one of the ferries,
but had gone but block or two when,
upon sign at the door of bakery, he
read that coffee and tea could be had
within for cents cup. He went in
and sat down at one of the marble
tables, calling for some tea, as he went
along, not at all cheated into the idea,it
was a thing he would have done upon
any other occasion. He looked upon
confectiOneries and cakes of all kinds
as connections of the afrite of indiges-
ton; a marble table was an abomina-
ton of his sight and touch, sending as
it did cold glare to his eye and chill
to his stomach, and tea he never tasted
when he could get glass of beer; but
this must be the place where that little
woman had said she could get cup of
tea, and Peter could not put aside for
the life of him this sudden but absorb
ing interest in that little woman's health.
Sure enough, in she came, with fall
tering step and so strangely bewildered
a manner that patron of the establish
ment at the same table with Peter blink
ed knowingly at one of the walters, and
whispered something which the servitor
Indignantly denied.
"Nothing of the kind, SIR" he said.
"She never takes drop, sir; she's an
honest young woman, but hasn't been
well of late"
Peter felt an inclination to reach out
his arm and knock the slanderer to the
floor; but at that moment somebody
else fell on the floor, and Peter was soon
leaning over her, loosening her bonnet
strings, bathing her forehead with
water, and tanning her with a newspa-
per he had pulled from his pocket.
AS there seemed to be considerable
difficulty in restoring her to conscious
ness, the new penitent slanderer ran off
for doctor, and when the doctor or
dered her to be taken home at once and
put to bed or he would not answer for
the consequences, he ran off, at Peters
suggestion, for carriage. The car
riage being ready, but the young girl
still unconscious, nobody knowing
where she lived, and Peter unwilling to
leave her, this expiator ran off to the
store where Patty was employed, and |
tried to find out her name and address. |
Every one knew she was Patty Burr,
and dear, kind, good, obliging girl,
and that she lived somewhere in Blank |
Street, just at what number they ,
couldn't tell. There were good many .
houses and people in Blank Street-it
was densely populated-and the young
man went back from his aboItive errand .