Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-07-25
A BITTER GAIN j..

A remarkable affinity existed between
the occupants of two separate windows
in one of dingy row of brick houses
one exceptionally hot summer not many
years ago; it was the more remarkable
that these two people were very unlike
each other, being of opposite sexes, the
one a grizzled, gruft, GRUMPY bachelor
on the wrong side of fifty, the other a
round, rosy, rollicking maiden of ''sweet
and twenty" The man was evidently
foreigner, the woman an unmistakable
American, and these two heads framed
by the embrasures of the separate WIN
dows, formed strong contrast. 1t was
about four o'clock In the afternoon, and
both of them were looking for the post
man-she from her attic window, he
from his second floor front, They had
been looking for the postman every day
for fortnight, and hope deferred had
paled the cheek and subdued the meri-
ment of the maiden while it deepened
the already rub1cund color and sharpened
the already testy temperament OF the
man. Presently appeared in sight the
brisk, dapper little fellow in the gray
uniform, with his bag strapped over his
shoulder, stepping along from house to
house, dealing Joy and sorrow, surprise,
fear, ecstacy, all the emotions incident to
poor hapless humanity, as he went. But
he dealt nothing to the two ANXIOUS
watchers in the dingy blick row. Their
heads simultaneously turned to watch
him as he disappeared around the corner.
The man grunted out bitter ejaculation,
and slammed down the window;
dow; the girl sighed, and with difficulty
rapIessed sob as she closed the blind
The next day at four o'clock the same
pantomime was enacted. The same anx-
iety, hope, fear, disappointment, were
painted oI the two faces. The girl
brushed the tears from her eyes, and put
YEARLY back her hair. As the man, with
his usual expletive of disgust and disap-
pointmont, tugged at the blind, a puff
of wind blew the light ribbon from the
hair of the girl straight down into his
eyes and from thence to the floor of his
room. He saw it at once. 1t lay upon
the faded carpet almost under his feet.
His first impulse was to tramp upon it
as he marched to and fro, growing at
the hard luck that shut him up In this
hot hole during the dog-days. His next
impulse was to kick the bauble aside:
but it was not of kickable nature, and
chung close to its feet. He stopped at
last and took it from the floor, and found
it suspiciously damp.
'sShe's been shifting again." he said.
GAS usual she gets no letter, and cries; I
get no letter, and 1 swear. I wonder
which is the most consoling. And why
in the thunder don't she get her letter?
She can't have any rascaIly lawyers to
deal with, that lie, and conjole, and cheat
and steal. She can't be waiting for
witness 10 come from the other side OF
the world to testify In caae that ought
to have been settled before he went to
sea. believe it was a conspiracy on the
part of those internal lawyersat Ito dwaddle
along with the case, and not discover the
existence of this Martin Malloy till he
had shipped again, and was well out OF
their call. And now it appears that the
fate of the suit depends upon the testl-
mony of this fellow before the mast At
least five thousand pounds of my money
life of miserable sailor far out at sea-
Here his soliloquy was interrupted by
light tap at the door. "Come," he
growled, without turning his head.
He thought it was his landlady Mrs.
Matson, for whom he had no particular
affection, or her rough featured domestic,
that he feltcertain was shortening his life
by her miserable cookery. But gentle
voice said, "Did you want anything, sir2''
And turning he beheld his landladys
daughter. And how in the world She
could bear that relation to the fat .swarthy,
coarse, and commercial female who kept
the house, this ledger could not imagine.
Her eyes were so soft AMI brown, so plead
ing and innocent, frank aud coniding as
little child's, whereas her mothers were
narrow and sharp, distrustful and cum
ming.
The young girl flushed under his scru-
tlnizing gaze, and said again, 'sYou didn't
want any thing, then, Mr.. McGraw9 Moth
er said you pounded on the floor
pounded, ''said Mr.McGraw ;1'of course