Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-10-30
LANCASTER. WISCONSIN THURSDAY. OCTOBER 80, 1879.

"A clergyinan's widow says Luke
hastily there isn doubt about it.
POOR girl and they've got to learn
e nse it before it will be OF any use. :
Poor girl, Luke /? said the wife
softly; and ! saw through my eye
lashes that she laid hand upon his
arm, and was looking curiously at
him, when If he didn't cover his face
with his hands, rest his elbows on
the table, and give low groan -
Then the old woman got up, stood
behind bis chair, and began playing
with and caressing his hair like the
| foolish old mother would.
Mother he said suddenly, will
| you 60 and see them?'
She didn't answer for minute,
only stood looking at him. and then
said softly:
They paid you the first money .
/ NO. he said holly, 4 hadn't the
heart to take it,
'Then that money you paid was
yours, Luke p
es,mother,' he says, simply; and
those two stopped looking at the
other, till the wife bent down and
kissed him, holding his head after
wards, for few moments, between
her hands; for she always did wor.
ship that chap, our only one; and
then | closed my eyes tight, and went
on breathing heavy and thinking.
For something like new revela-
ton came upon me. l knew that
Luke was 25, and that / was 54, but
he always seemed like boy to me,
and here was waking up to the fact
that he was grown man, and that
he was thinking and feeling as first
thought and felt when / saw his
mother, nigh upon eight d-twenty
years ago.
lay back, thinking and telling
myself | was very savage with him
for deceiving me, and that | would
not have him and his mother plotting
against me, and that | wouldn't stand
by and see him make fool of him
self with the first pretty girl he set
eyes on, when he might marry Maria
Turner, tho engineers daughter, and
nave nice bit of money with her to
put into the business, and then be
my partner.
No. says, if you plot together
I'll plot all alone,' and then | pre-
tended to wake up, took no notice,
and had my supper.
| kept rather gruff the next morn.
ing, and made myself very busy
about the place, and dare say
spoke more sharply than usual, but
the wife and Luke were as quiet as
could be; and about IL 1 went out,
with little oil-oan and two or three
tools in my pocket.
1t was not far to Benefits place,
and on getting to the right house /
asked for Mrs. Murray, aud was di
rected to the second floor, where, as
| reached the door. | could hear the
clicking of my sewing machine, and
whoever was there was so busy over
it that she did not hear me knock
SO | opened the door softly, and
looked in upon as sad scene as /
shall ever, l 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 going through
for years would soon be over; and,
situated as she wasn't gave me kind
| of turn.
Its no business of yours ! said
to myself roughly; and | turned
then to look who it was that was
bending over my machine.
| could see no face, only a slight
figure IN rusty black and pair of
busy white hands were trying very
hard to govern the thing and to learn
how to use it well.
| so that's the gal, is it p l said to
myself. 'Ah Luke, my boy, you've
got to the silly calf age, and / dare
say
| got no farther, for at that mo.
ment the girl started and turned
round, and turned upon me timid,
wondering face that made my heart
give throb, and | couldn't take my
eyes off her.
Hush 7 she said softly, holding up
her hand; and saw it was as thin
and transparent as if she had been i'll.
sMy names Smith, said, taking
out screw driver. My machine :;
how does it go? Thought I'd come
and see.'
Her face lit up in moment, and
she came forward eagerly.
I'm so glad you've come she
said, i can't quite manage this
She pointed to the thread.regula-
tor, and the next minute | was show
ing her that it was too tight, and
somehow, in gentle, timid way, the
little witch quite got over me, and
stopped there two hours helping her,
till her eyes sparkled with delight, as
she found out how easily she could
now make the needle 60 in and out
of hard material.
do you think you can do it now ?
| said.
ooh. yes, think 50; / am SO glad
you came
so am L. says | gruffiy; it will
make it all the easier for you to earn
the money and pay for it.
And / will work so hard, she said
earnestly.
That you will, my DEAR / says in
spite of myself, for I felt sure it was
not me speaking, but something in
me She been ill long 2 / said, nod
ding toward her mother.
Months she said, with tears start
ing in her pretty eyes; 'but,' she ad-
ded brightly, 4 shall have enough
with this to get her goods, to get her
| good medicines and things she can
! fancy and as looked at her, some.
thing in me said:
/ God bless you, my dear. / hope
you will : and the next minute | was
going down stairs, calling myself a
/ fool.