Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-02-07
CARRIE FAME.


CARRIE FAME.
al believe they're poor as poison,
said Mrs. Stare, glancing across tC
where her opposite neighbor, Miss
Fame, stood tending her plants: "it's q
pity that old harridan wouldn't give uu
the ghost and leave 'em something
handsome. But, you see, she cut 'em
off, so TO speak, when Mrs. Fame mar
ried. She was Mrs. Fane's half-aunt,
and had brought her up, though Eve
heard say she had to earn every.
thing she had, and more too, waiting
upon the whims of her aunt, Miss Par
rott; but when it came to marriage,
she took her own advice, and gave up
Squire Snow and his fortune and took
poor little Fame, the artist, who was
always just going to surprise the world
with some masterpiece, but who didn't
earn his SALT which surprised nobody.
But the whirligig of Time brings in his
revenges,' I've heard; and after Miss
Parrott had given Miss Fame up to pow
erty and hardship, and pampered her
other nieces and given them her eye
teeth, what do they up and do, when
they find she's in for the smallpox
caught on journey, but just leave her
and the house to go to destruction to-
gether? OF course, Mrs. Fame steps in
and takes care of her, and carries the
disease home to Miss Carrie, who loses
her good looks by that means. say,
it's an unfortunate family. Miss PARROT
never got fairly over it, they tell me:
you see, it left her sort of broken. and
she finally took to her bed for good, and
Mrs. Fame had to bring her home, for
she was neglected and snubbed by her
own servants in her own house. And
how they live Heaven knows. The old
lady's got money enough and to spare,
but precious little does Mrs. Fame see
of it. Miss Parrott pays her eight dol
lars week for board and attendance
and what not-pays it grudgingly, and
tells 'em they make money at that, and
they'll have to answer for taking advan-
tage of poor old womans S necessities.
But I'm hoping she'll leave 'em some
thing handsome yet, unless she's got
heart of stone.n
She is very feeble,'' said DR.. Eustis
Gilbert, with his eyes on their neigh
boris window, land very irritable.
Miss Carrie is martyr to the cause"
" Yes, and how pale and half-starved
she looksn' returned his landlady. 81
don't believe they have half enough to
eat; how can theyP 1t stands to rea-
son. I've seen Miss Carrie buving
half pound of steak at the butchers
time and again; how far would that go,
pray? You may rely upon it, it was
for the old lady's dinner; my cook tells
me the rest of 'em lives on mush and
milk. Pretty stuff for Miss Carrie to
teach on all day and watch all night!
And just you look at her gown, DIR.
Gilbert, if ever you notice such things
some men-folks don't; and all the
pleasure she has she gets from that
handful of house-plants there. Does
anybody ever see her ut concert or
matinee, I'd like to knowP I've no.
ticed that the very clothes on the line
were patched, and I'm not one who looks
after my neighbors' affairs very sharp
ly, neither"
Lost all her good looks, has shepn
thought DR.. Gilbert, his eyes still wan
dering toward his young neighbor.
"She certainly is thin as a shadow and
pale as spirit" he confessed aloud.
If Miss Carrie had somebody to
cosset and care for her, and lived at
her ease, with no harassments and nag
ging, she wouldn't be so ALFRED plain
to my thinking, or blue and pinched-
looking" continued Mrs. Stare. 81
sometimes long to ask her in for a good
square meal; but, Lor'! they're proud
as Lucifer-pOor folks mostly are, you
see-and it would break their hearts to
know that anybody suspected they were
needy. | did send in some pie-plant
once, just after | moved into the neigh
borhood; it was the first of the season,
grown in my own garden. They were
much obliged, you know, and all that,
in proper way, but saw old Bucket,
who takes the swill in this street, carry
it off in his pail a week later, and 1
reckoned they couldn't afford the sweet
ening for it,"
From whom was Miss Parrott's
money inherited?" asked DIR. Gilbert.
idly. "She didn't make it, [ sus-
pect."
Bless you! from her own father, to
be sure; and there's the sin of cit
Wasn't he Mrs. Fane's mothers father
too, I'd like TO askP ana why doesn't
she have her share? I've no patience
with folks who keep means that doesn't
belong to 'em, even if it is left 'em in
somebody's will made out of spite.
Y0e see, old lady Parrott and Mrs.
Fane's mother were half-sisters; she
had other sisters on her mothers side,
Mrs. Parrott had, and the nieces
who left her to the mercy of
the smallpox are their daughters;
and ten to one they'll have tho proper
ty, instead of the Fanes, though il all
came by way of Mrs. Fame own grand
father, Grandfather Parrott. They saw
he was a crusty old fellow, and took
oifense with his daughters husband,
Mrs. Fane's father, and never got over
1t, but disowned the whole kit of 'em,
and left all his money TO Lis eldest
daughter, that old Virago over yonder.
But when her sister died a poor widow,
Miss Parrott took her only child-that
is, Mrs. Fane-and brought her up, as
l told you. Wasn't it crnel?"
a" Cruel enough" said DIR. Gilbert;
" but OF course she will make it right
in her will"
Perhaps so, if her old heart ISN'T
hardened like Pharaohs. If were in
your place, DIR. Gilbert, I'd give her
hint"
1T doesn't seem to be my business
TO interfere"
Its eyerybody's business to help
the widow and the fatherless. Speak
ing of angels, there she is now-Miss
Carrie, ! mean. They want Vou, 1
guess. The old lady's got an hi turn;
she's always breathing her last and
frightening them half 10 death. Just
you notice her poor little hands; they