Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1878-03-23

face of Rebecca Rhodes approached, but
not a spark kindled in old Wares fiinty
gray orbs.
Bebecca's well kept acres lay jus: be-
yOnd him, over the south ridge, and all
about her farmhouse was trim and
tidy, clean and wholesome, as Rebecca
herself. 1t must have been the love Of
contrast that brought her in range OF
Timothy's dilapidated surroundings
but of all living things in the village
Rebecca alone had good word for him,
and stopped of an odd afternoon now
and then to wish him good-day over the
gate.
al have brought thee loaf of sweet
bread, neighbour" said she. "I'd an
uncommon good baking this week, and
l thought thee might not take it amiss
to try loaf" She held forth in her
white plump hand a snow-white napkin,
opening its folds temptingly as she did
so.
s'I'm wanting naught," was the gruff
reply. "Week-old breads good enough
for me, and make no doubt it might be
far better for some other folk than the
dainty trash they're set upon-women-
folk leastways."
The blood came into Rebecca's calm
face, but there was no veXatiOn in her
answer. "Thee'd never set aside an old
friend like that, neighbor," she said.
"Nay, nay; recommend thee try the
loaf. It's spoken well of, is my sweet
bread, the country round. Thee will
not shorten thy days much by just one
trial, and if thee likes it not, I'll never
trouble thee again"
Even the imperturbable face of old
Ware shows slight smile at this ming
ling Of acerbity and sweetness, but he
makes no demonstration.
81 am on my way to see old Betsey,"
says Rebecca, quietly extending her
hand and placing the loaf on the gate
post. "She's one of the town poor-or
rather the Lords poor, l think, for she
doesn't belong to this township. Poor
old Betsey!"
One might have imagined that old
Ware gave sort of start just now, as if
an invisible electric shock had struck
him. He was not used to hearing SYM
pathetic talk of any kind. 1t tried his
nerves, probably.
"One of the wretched Migrants that
are pauperizing the community, wan
dering hither and yon," growled Tim
ochy
GAY, ay, neighbour" says Rebecca,
softly and wistfuily; ga hard time they
have of it, poor things! And this many
a year has She been wanderer and a
vagabond on the face of the earth, has
poor old Betsey" She takes the white
covered loaf absentiy with her large
shapely hand, looks up and down the
road with thoughtful gray eyes, signs
softly, and goes her way, leaving loaf
and napkin Gaping the gate-post. And
there you might have seen it at night
fall, and long after night-fall, if you had
that way; for hadn't Timothy
told the woman he didn't want it? and
was he the man to demean himself by
removing it after that? And your spec
ulating on the singular stubbOrnness of
the human heart would not have been
lessened had you caught sight of him,
by the Pickering candle in his upper
sitting there motiOnless with
an eye on the gate below. Perhaps he
expected Rebecca back after her gift. l
DO not know.
"She's one OF the town poor, is old
Betsey," said Rebecca, meekly, and had
said it meekly year after year, striving
to allure the vagrant old woman into
feeling at home on the charity list of the
good tOwns-foik, and to rest her aching
Md homes in the town DOor-houSe Rnt
old Betsey was not to be trapped.
Ii one must be poor and ragged, at
least let one have plenty of fresh-air
leisure, says old Betsey. To be a pauper
and drudge both is little too much.
And to be preached to and prayed over
and hedged in right and left, and to
scrub wOrk-house floors and scour work.
house knives, all for a bit of bread
bah! that is all unbearable, says old
Ratsav Shrr,yUiuO har houy ShouldarS