The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1879-11-11

Poor girl. Luke :" aid the wifi
sotiv; and I saw through my eye
lashes that sbs laid q bod upon hi
ferms. and wss lookisg CURIOSITY a
him. when If Ne slidst cover his fac'
With biz hand. ret his elbows IN tn
table. and give q low groan! Thel
the old woman got up. stood behint
his chair. aud began playing wiih ant
careseing his hair like the foolish d.
mother would.
Mother" he said suddenly. "wil
tyou 70 and zee them !"
She didn't answer for q minute
only stood looking at him. aud then
said softly-
They paid you the first money ?
"No." be said holly. IL hadn'
the heart to take it."
Then that money YOU paid VA
yours. Luke!"
"Yes. mother" he says simply
and those two stopped looking 1t thu
other. till the wife bent down and
kissed him. holding bis head after
wards. for . few moments. betwees
her hands; for she always did wor
ship that chap. our only one: and
then I closed my eyes tight. and
went on breathing heavy and think.
ing.
For something like q new revela'
ton had came upon me. l knew
Luke was 6ve-and-twenty. and that
I was 6fty-four. but he always seemed
like boy to me. and here I was wax
ing up u the fact that be was . grown
man and that he Was thinking and
feeling - I 6rst thought and felt when
mw his mother, nigh upon eight.
an,l-twenty years ago.
| / lay back. thinking and telling
myself : was verv savage with him
for deceiving me. and wouldn't have
him and bis mother plotting agains,
me. and that | wouldn't stand BY and
see him make fool of himself with the
6nt pretty girl he get eyes 90. when
be might marry Maria Turner. the
engineers daughter. and have . nice
Bit Of money with her to put into the
business. aud then be my partner.
"No." SAYS. IF you plot togeihes
Iii plot all alone" and then pre-
tended To wake up. took no notice.
and had my supper.
kept rather gruf the next morn.
ing, and made myself very busy
about the place. and ! dare say l spoks
more sharply than usual. but the wife
and Luke we're ~ quiet as could be :
and about twelve / went out. with q
little oil-can and two or three tools in
my pocket
II was not far to Bennettis Place.
and ON getting TO the right house !
asked for Mrs. Murray. and Wa
directed to the second d.nr. where. q
] reached the door. could see, and
whoever was there Was 50 busy
that she did not hear me knock (;
20 ! opened the door softly. and
looked 10 upon a. sad q scene ~ ]
shall ever. I dare say. see.
There, in the bare room, sat asleep
in her chair. the widow lady who
came about the machine. and ! could
see that in her face which told
plainly enough that the pain and
suffering she must have been goine
through for years would SION be over ;
and. situated as she Wa. il gave
ne . kind of turn.
"It's no business Of yours" l said
to myself roughly and ! turne,l
then to see who it was bending over
my machine.
I could ses no face. only a slight
figure in rusty black aud q pair ot
busy white hands were trying very
hard u govern the thing. aud to
learn how to use it well.
80 that's the gal. is it," l said to
myself. All ! Luke. NV bov. you've
got to the silly calf age. and dare
cav"
got no farther, for at that moment
the girl started. and turned ronnd.
aud turned upon me a timid, wonder.
ing face. that made my heat give .
queer ihrnh. and | couldn't take NY
eyes of her.
"Hush =" she said softly. holding
up her hands /; and ! saw II was n
thin and transparent and as If she had
been III.
my names Smith," ! said. taking
out q screw-driver. MY machine !;
hos does it go! Thought I'd come
aud ses."
Her face Lit up in q moment. and
che came forward eagerly.
I'm 30 glad you've come. she said.
Il can't quite manage this"
She pointed to the thread regulator.
and the next minute / Vas showing
her thatit was too tight. and some
how, in . gentle. timid way. the little
witch quite got over me. and /
stopped there two hours helping her.
ill her eyes spsrkled with delight. ~
che found out how easily she could
nov make the needle 90 in and out Of
hard material.
DO you think you can do it nov p
I said.
''Oh. yes. I think %; ] su 50 glad
you came"
$50 am l." says ] grufly 1T will
make it oil the easier for you to earn
the money. and pay for it."
"And ! will work 30 hard. " she
said earnestly.
THAT you will. my DEAR" I says
in spite Of myself, for ] felt sure il
wasn't noe speakinR. but something in
me. She been III long! I mid.
budding toward her mother.
"Months." she said. With tears start
ing in her pretty eyes: "but," she
n AZ A.