Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-02-17
Miss Bcrthn's Talcutine.

Every body said that Miss Bertha was
very much alone in the world, wondered
what on earth she would do if her eyes
and health should fail her, and pitied
her III that easy-goirg way which sub
stracts nothing from the pocket, but
leaves a residue of dissatisfaction in the
conscience, while they paid as little for
her services as they could help. But Miss
Bertha never grumbled; she put as many
stitches and as much eyesight into the
fine saving as if she had been paid a
ducat for every stitch. 1t was her way
never to Slight any thing. But sewing
was not the only occupation in which she
excelled. If any poor struggling mother
with little children toddl1ng about her
fell i'll, Miss Bertha quilted her needle
into her cushion and stepped into the
breach; when watchers failed, Miss Ber-
tina came to the front; and when the small
pox visited the little seaport of Great
Harrington, it was she who went about
from house to house, giving draughts
and doses, comforting the dying, and
making the last CHASTITY toilette for the
dead.
What does it matter to me?" she said,
when some one eXpostulated at the risk.
''There's nobody in the wide world to
mind whether live or die, I'm the
light of nobody's eyes, and as for dis
fgurcment-law left off caring for nv
good looks, such as they were, twenty
years ago. Time was when l should
have been as scared as any of you about
being marked and losing my complexion
but it doesn't signify in the least now. If
l were ugly as a nightmare, folks would
give me their sewing to do just the same,
suppose
ooh, but should hate to be so dis
figured that Sam wouldn't like to look
at mel" said Sue Blair, all pink and
white, and eighteen, with the world be-
fore her
II dare say; but there's no Sam to care
whether I'm fright or not;' and Miss
Bertha drew in her breath with quick
gasp, as if the fact hurt her.
You don't know, Miss Berth" laughed
giddy Sure; "your Sam may be on the
road to you"
GA precious long road"
why, Aunt Janet was old as the hills
before she married Uncle Artemus and
Parson Chapell's second wife was no
chicken. Every body has chances, they
say
Eyes, I suppose every body has
chances; bnt some of them are mighty
small--hardly worth calculating she re-
tured.
Miss Bertha, to be sure, never accepted
any thing but thanks for these services in
the slck-room; indeed, few dreamed of
Offering any remuneration. One might
have supposed that the universe had pro.
vided her for their benefit along with
seed-tine and harvest, the common air,
and other common blessings for which
nobody was es,ected to render any return
Other than y make use Of them. Her
nelghbor stslo at home, sitting with
burned birthstone and camphorated
atmosphere, and yet he caught the infect
ion, while she walked abroad in the thick
Of it, Sinking nothing, and came out.
like those men from the fiery furnaces.
She was cheerful body. and doubtless
sent to carry warmth and healing into the
slck-room. But poor Miss Bertha had not
always been old and useful and thought
full for others.
=" You must have been pretty once.n
that needless chatterer Sue Blair had said
to her one day.
What makes you think so?" asked
Bertha, lifting her faded eyes to the mir
ror. cit is like tracing the existence of
the extict megatherium from footprint
in the rock
Bat Sue spoke truly. Bertha had been
fair in her day: the hair that was white
as new fallen snow had once been brown
and bonny; the eyes, which to-day were
sunken and pale, Ind looked out like
lucent beryls from under the dark lashes;
time and toll and trouble had robbed the
SATIN skin of its fine texture, and scanned
II win many line; little of youth re-
NAMED to her but heart alive to gener-
GUS impulses, and the color that still
burned in her cheeks in spite of the frost
OF her forty-odd winters. Yes, Miss
Bertha had had her day. Miss johnson,
the squire's daughter, who lived in the
L ~ =