Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1878-08-22
RUTH

He came from his days work feeling
just as he used to when he was a boy,
after he had been rompin3 and racing
over every hill within mile of home
until he had worked himself up into a
fearful state of Precipitation, and then
had set down to rest and get cool. The
next day he was sure to feel anguish, and
dull, heavy pain would find every par
ticular bone in his body, and all that he
wanted was to lie down on the bright
covered lounge by the fire, and have
mother sit by him and give him drink,
once in awhile, from the cup of mysteri-
GUS tea which he had used to believe was a
sure panacea Fl ell ailments his flesh was
heir to. Just so he felt now. His head
ached; and every little while he went off
into series of terrific sneezes which
seemed to threaten utter demolition to
the top Of his head, and the poor little
plaster sheperdess on the mantel, for she
went into a jingling paroysm every time,
probably from some mysterious and oc-
cult sympathy which he hardly compre-
bend.
"Dear me! such cold as I have
got!" growled David Reade, kindling a
fire in the little stove, while his teeth was
fairly chattering. "Itll keep me tied up
to the house for week. just as like as not,
and ought to be down to the store every
day"
He got the fire to burning at last, and
pulled up the hard, uncompromising old
chair, which was one Of the three or four
articles of furniture the room contained,
before the feeble blaze and tried to get
his feet warm.
But poor David couldn't get warm, nor
feel comfortable. Cold chills crept up
his back and down his legs, and regular
ly, every fifteen minutes, as if he were
run by clock-work, and marked off the
quarters, he kept up his sneezes, and the
shcherdess danced her jigs on the very
edge Of the mantlepiece to their accom- -.
paniment.
"Secms to me never felt quite SO mis-
cradle before, ''groaned David with shiv.
er. Seems to me, too, that this room
looks little the worst ever saw and
ne looked about him With great deal of
dissatisfaction written on his face.
1t was bare little room. There was
no mistake about that, David Reade
There was bed in one corner, and the
chair he occupied; a bureau that had
amalgamated with wash-stand, and be-
came rather a nondescript article of furn-
iture i'll consequence, and his trunk.
Yes, and there was the stove, and little
shabby old table that had been so weak
IN the legs ever since he had known any
thing about it, that it had to have the
corner all to itself in order to have II
stand up at all.
He was head bookkeeper il great
store down town, and he saved quite a
sum OF money. Sometimes he thought he
would get more comfortable room, and
furnish it nicely, and get some good out
OF his earnings. But he hadn't any faith
in his ability to keep things looking or
derby and neat, for he abominated an un-
tidy, Uttered room, and he wouldn't have
the chambermaid putting things to rights
for him on any account. That would
spoil every thing, for it would seem like
sending out and hiring home at so much
week to have some ono who was paid tc
do it keeping things as they should be-
so nc had never carried out his plan, but
had continued to live on in his cherries
bachelor quarters.
"Dearl dearl how I do ache /" erowl.
ed David, getting up and pacing up and
down the floor. "a fellow doesen't feel
the need of home so much when he is
well, but when he's under the weather
no begins to wish he had somebody to
care Tor him and nurse him up."
A ray of light flashed across the dark
ness-for by that time it was highland
made q bright spot on the wall =. of his
room. He went to the window and look.
ed across the way. The light shone from
the attic window of tenement house
he could see into the room from which
1t shone, and it revealed pretty and pa
thetlc little picture to him. A woman
sat at little table, copying. A great
many pages of manuscript Law beside he,
elbow, and he knew, by the pile befor,
her that her task would not be done 70,
hours yet.
1t was very pretty face that bent ove1
the paper. Not girlish face, but it had
sweet, grave kind of beauty in it, and
the brown hair banded back smoothly
from the forehead, shown like gold in the
lamplight falling on it. It was a pco,
little room that she worked and lived in
as far as David could make out from the
glimpse afforded by the window. but il
was wonderfully neat one. He knew
that, Tor he had often watch her sweer
and dust 1t, and put things deity in thei1
places. Yes, he, David Reade, bachelor
had been guilty more times than be
would have liked to confess, of watching
his neighbor across the way ..s1szs,zs- 49,. -
He stood there tonight and watched
her until, his feet7seemea be standing
III puddle, and the cold shiverine SEN
satlon In his bones warned him that he
had better be trying to warm himself al
the fire than be watching Ruth Doane
The last look he got Of her was more salts.
factory, than any previous one, had been
for she looked straight towards the win.
dow. David drew back as if he felt sure
she would discover him watching her
and then the light Of her lamp: seemed t.
get tangled Up in the rose bush ID he,
window, and he dragged his aching
body back to the stove and sat down. 3
Sat down to think. and dream. ~
What he thought about was -Rntf
Doane, and what he dreamed was this
In the little glow which came from the
crack IN the stove door, the whole room
seemed suddenly changed into scene 81
comfort, that to David Reade stood fol
type Of heaven, because it was home,
There wassa soft warm carpet eon the
floor. aad{a lounge whose curvinp sides
seemed made to embrace somebody M
Tor nothing else. ID the world, STOOD
where the table stood ii the room tha,
ne was sitting and dreaming in tonight
Inere were bright, CHEEKY pictures on
the wall, and bird slept in q cage 81
!.