River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-03-28

lery of portraits, with a setting of pea
cocks feathers and background of chi
ma Ornaments faded dagueneotype of
pretty woman with baby in her arms,
common photograph of lad in hussar
uniform, "For Dear Mother" scrawled
| beneath it, and an alarming black
head that bore the name of "Father"-
though the eyes must have been clever
and loving indeed that could have traced
any resemblance between that startling
outline and the tall, quiet, consumptive
man, who had lived out his weary life
among the uncongenial souls in Groves
Alley.
Well, it had not affected him so very
much, after all, and they were kindly
people in their way They used to step
on tiptoe, when they remembered, past the
door of the room in which he lay propped
up by pillows, gazing patiently out at
the sunrises and sunsets that Just gIim-
mered in over the roofs of the other
houses. Nhen lie died and the "missus"
fretted for him, and money was slow to
come in, they cheered her up, and helped
her, these rough folks, and forget that
they used to consider her "fnen when
tuCy Diou5ht liti just q dIOP vi - uci,
dearie," or "a slice of bread for the chill
der" and set up for an hour or two when
the fever came upon her, and saw that
she was decently buried when she died.
After that, time was miserable blank
to Polly for some weeks. The baby was
fTetful, ard PolIy's arms were unaccus-
toned, for mother used to nurse him
always; end Dickie used to cry at nights
good deal, until the folks in the alley
dubbed together and bought him a
blacking-box, and he began to earn pen
MES. BY that time Polly had learned her
way to the pawn shop, and the room was
beginning to look empty, and the child
rem were not SO neat as they had been;
but, through all the misery and loneliness
and want, there was something beautiful
growing into the little home-a kind of
glory springing up in Polly's life that
made it grander and nobler than it used
to be, when she was little and selfish, and
mother cared for her.
Tired and worried, she sat down this
evening on one of the broken stools, and
hushed the fractions baby to sleep, soften
ing her voice to a kind of mournful hum,
while Dlckie leaned against her knee
listening. Then she laid him softly in
the bed, and tucked him in, and she and
Dickie took down the ragged Bible and
read a verse, and then sat on for long
time in the darkening room, looking out
of the narrow window, and thinking.
Well, Dickie was thinking of the lady's
face he had seen in Grosvenor Square, and
of the nineteen shillings and sixpence; ;
and Polly, with her tangled head laid
down upon the sill, and her tired hands
crossed on her lap, was wondering where
the pennies were to come from tomorrow,
aud if she raised herself suddenly, and
went over to the fireplace to lean her
head upon the wall under mothers pic
ture, as she had way of doing when she
was very tired. But it must go too2 If
she must come in tired some evening, and
have no mother to go to, even a picture
if she must wake up in the night, and
creep over the sleeping boys, and have no
spot on the wall to which to turn and be
comferted2 "Why, then, l must bear
that toe" thought Polly, "and L shall
grow used to it"
Polly" said Dick. suddenly, where's
the money!"
ooh, I've put it in the box" said Polly
down at the very bottom; and we
must take j. out with us every day, Dick,
until we see her again, you know, to give
her the change"
Il shall 60 to bed" said Dick, yawlng;
''help me, Polly, I'm so tired"
SO Polly forgot herself and her own
troubles, and helped him to undress; and
then she drew the curly head on her
shoulder, and sang to him as sine had
done to baby until he fell asleep. And
if her arms ached as she laid him gently
down, and if she fell asleep over her
prayers, and if the restless baby kept her
wakeful till the gray morning dawn, who
was to know it save He who neither
slumbcreth nor sleepeth, and, perhaps,
the dead mother whose name she sobbed
in her sleep before the sun fell on her
face and awOke her!
The room was emptler than ever, and
food was scarce and bread was dear; but
then baby was beginning to walk, and
the sun was not so hot, so that Dick was
not so tired and cross; and Polly, in her
love of making believe, had developed
talent for niimicry that caused many
shriIl laugh to echo through the empty
crooked stairs into the court.
"Set the door open, mother, "little Bill
ly O'Flanighan, the cripple, used to say
there's Polly Marker at it again" And
if he could have crept up to the chill
dren's garnet he would have seen Polly
with the blanket tied round her as skirt
and peacocks feathers in her hair, max
ing believe to the admiring Dick that
she was the lady of Grosvenor Square
going to court.
She laughed more than she used to do
at first, this brave Polly; but when the
play was ended, and the boys were in
bed, having Laughed themselves to sleep
over their supper, Poly would turn res
Olutely away, put her share by into the
cupboard, and creep cold and hun CRY be-
tween the blankets. So, as the days slid
into weeks, and the autumn weather set
the baby flourished; but the folks in
Groves Alley shook their heads over Pol
ly's thin face with its hectic flush, and
said aside to one another that she was gs-
ing the way her father did, and no won
der, poor lamb.
But Polly was very happy; her life
was such busy one, and the boys so
good, that the void in her heart was be-
ing gradually filled up; and even when
the day came that she had to stand on
tiptoe and take down the peacock's feath-
ers and the pictures and The china orna-
ments as last offering to the pawn
shops, she found that she had not time to
be so very miserable, after all.
She sat on one of the stools with the
pictures in her lap, and made the boys
kiss them, and, just for minute, tears
came to her eyes when Dickie. kissing
the black head obediently, looked up to
ask, "But who is it, Pollyl"
"Why, it's father" said Polly, land
dear mother, and you, Dickie, when You
were wee thing like our baby, and
WIlie-our soldier, Dick, that died"
And Dick said, Oh yes; member"