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

L
soming plants grew, vigorous and green,
lyear round. . There dwasA.a little table
before the open CRATE, where the warm
! fire leaped and danced as if it were q
sentient thing, and enjoyed the cosiness
of the room, and on this table there
were books and papers. And he sat Be-
side the fire, slippers on his feet, and a
dressing about him, instead of q
clumsy old coverlet; and he was happy,
for close by sat the very Spirit of Home
a woman with q sweet and tender face,
land the face was Ruth Doane's. u = y
| : It was such beautiful, beautiful
dream! He awoke from it with chilly
groan, and came very much near sneezing
his head off his shoulders, and the
shepherdess off the mantel, than ever
before. ~ :. = = :
""Dear mep growled David "whats the
use Of working, day in and day out, and
making money to lay up and take no
good Of it,"
] After which interrogation he sneezed
in subdued manner, by way Of post
script to his other sneezes, and conclud-
ed to 60 to bed and try to sleep off his
cold. 1851 .:n
|: When he got up in the morning he
knew he wouldn't get down to the store
that day. He felt worse than he had
when he went to bed He built little
fire and told the boy, whose unfortunate
career in life had so far been among the
shoals and quicksands of Grand going
and waiting on everybody, to tell Mrs.
Scraggs to send up some tea and toast; he
wouldn't come down to breakfast.
By-and-by Mrs. Scraggs knocked at
the door with the articles called for, and
acting on the supposition that the position
of landlady made her sort of STEP
mother to her boarders, she came to find
out what the matter was, and see what
ought to befdone. '>,..'' g.. j: -.
"You've got pneumony on your lungs"
announced Mrs. Spraggs. "Leastwise,
an attack Of it. It's awful apt to break
out at some season of the year. You wan t
camomile tea, hot,an' brick to your feet,
| bot likewise, an eff you can git a good
sweat, you'll feel pctter, guess"
Accordingly, poor David took "camo-
bed, with brick at his feet, and wrapped
up to his ears; and sweat he did. But
felt as bad after taking the treatment
prescribed by Mrs. DR.. Scraggs as he did
before
Such long day as it was He couldn't
stay in bed, and his bones ached so that
he couldn't sit still with any degree of
comfort, notwithstanding Mrs. Scraggs
sent up her most comfortable rocking
chair for his use. All the comfort he did
take was in watching for glimpses of
Ruth Doane, and thinking of her. He
remembered that 1t was just three months
ago that day that she first applied at the
store for copying to do. Three months
it seemed as if he had known her as many
years, and yet he hardly knew her at
all. Their acquaintance had gone but
little farther than smile and bow
when they met, and occasionally a few
commonplace words. But for all that
she didn't seem at all like stranger to
| David.
! Poor David was in love-
If the Il ght OF Ruth Doane's love could
only shine into his life, as the light from
her window did into his room, how pleas
ant everything would seem. And then
he dreamed IN wide.awake fashion of
the home they would make. The light
on the wall seemed the fire on homes
hearthstone; its dancing flames made
him warm, and he fell asleep and dream
ed it all over and over.
But he didn't feel we'll by any means,
when morning came. He sent word to
the store that he couldn't come down yet
awhile; and partook; sparingly of Mrs.
Scraggs' tea and toast, but utterly repudi-
ated camomile tea and bricks, when Mr..
Scraggs' in the role OF doctor, suggested
the advisability of another course OF
treatment similar to yesterdays. And he
wouldn't have doctor, he declared. He'd
feel better tomorrow, and doct~r's stuff
he dldnt believe in any way.
In the afternoon, Mrs. Sraggs knocked
at his door, and said Miss Doane was in
The parlor. The store had got her to do
some writing, and the store didn't Under
stand inst how 1t ought to be, and the
store had told, her to see him, and he'd
tell her all about it., as he knew what
it ought to be, seein' as he had charge of
it, and the store didn't. After the de.
livery OF which: message, Mrs. Scrages
WdlteQ Tor instructions.
Ruth Doane had come to see him That
was the first thing he thought of. Then
he rcmen bered that it was on business
and that took away something cf the first
pleasure of the thought. Should he &C
down or ask her up2
"Would there be anything improper in
her coming Up here, if you came with
herr" he asked.
81 can't see as there would" answered
Mrs. Scraggs, "bein' as you're respectable
an it's business for the store.'
"You may ask her to come up them
seid David. I don't feel like stirring
about much, for fear I'll take more cold
tell her."
Mrs. Scraggs withdrew. David had an
object in view, in asking Miss Doane to
his room. He thought the sight of il
would awaken a feeling of pity in he1
tender heart. He knew, III some unex,
! plainable way, that her heart was teuder
! He was quite sure of that.
Mrs. Scragggs was back presently, with
Miss Doane. How bright her face made
the room, the minute it passed the door
1t made it so cheerful to David that he
| ""o Oh esAA AAAo ooSASA LII SCtt4uS HcI GutEt
was failure: She wouldn't dream of its
being bare and cherries, if it looked to
her as it did to him. -.
"Mr. Graham told me you were sick,'
she said, sitting down by the window. II
got some extra work to do, in @@conse.
quence;;' and then, while Mrs. Scraggs
busted herself in putting things to rights
she explained what her errand was; an6
David instructed her in regard to the
writing to be done; and made the ex
PLANTATION as elaborate and minute as pos
sible, in order to keep her there. She
began to think she had undertaken fear
fully responsible and important task be-
fore he had got through his instructions
When she was gone, David groaned
The mean little room seemed more dis
NAL than it ever had before. But-she
had been there!. and there, was some
mysterious influence left to linger where
she had been, like the subtle breath o.
fragrance the rose leaves behind it, wher
it has been borne out of sight. NJ -.