Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-11-04

uo"u his Iatup, ana taxing his vlsI
tors arm they passed down the stair
way and out at the front door.
i 1t was terrible night. The cold
wind and rain seethed and boiled and
tore madly down the deserted streets
and round the corners. Loose shut.
tiers, Unmatched gates and swinging
signs banged and ratified and creaked
as if they whre victims being put to
the torture. Dark, heavy clouds
were scudding across the sky like
shadowy, phantom barks across a sea
whose bosom rolled not bat was pain.
fully placid. Amid it all, buffeted by
the wind, spit upon by the clouds,
struggled onward up one street and
down another, the Judge aud his
shivering companion. For a time
neither of them spoke. She glanced
now and then at her companions
face, and when rift in the clouds let
through a momentsry CLEAN OF
moonlight she perceived that he was
in deep thought. Presently the
Judge broke forth in a wild, be-
seeching strain ,gesticulating with his
loose arm:
"My friends, have pondered well
these momentous questions, and my
breast has been filed with unuttera.
Tie woe ard the darkest forebodings
indeed, / have wept for our beauti-
fnl country. Each rising sun but
finds the poor man growing poorer.
The paltry morsel which now sus.
tains his life will 60 ere long to feed
the dogs of those who roll in luxury
an 4 splendor. And they-the rich !?
| tell you, Solomon in all his glory
was not arrayed like one of these !;
and yet, they toll not, neither do
they SPIN
The girl looked at her COMPANION.
as he uttered these sentences, in an
inquiring and alarming way. She
evidently thought him crazy. But
there was no need for alarm as he
was only running over a paragraph
from his late campaign speech.
AT last Jessie drew the Judge into
narrow street, built up on either
side with large mean looking build
ings that crowded and Tapped over
each other very like line of drunk
en- troops on dress parade, and sitter
walking little way pulled him into
low doorway. From somewhere
far up above the labyrinth of stairs
and Railways came faint light, and
the uncertain Pickering of its feeble
rays gave evidence beyond perad.
venture that the luminary above was
influenced by the fierce wind raging
without.
The Judge peered about him but
could discern nothing clearly so I'M
certain was the light, though this
did not hinder his Imaginative pow
ers in the least There was one
point in his character that might
recommend itself to the multitude
he never asked unnecessary cues.
tons; and when he found himself
in this strange place, where he could
discover nothing but dark holes leer-
ing at him from all quarters, he said
not word but merely stopped and
shrugged his shoulders. Ordinarily
he was brave man, but the com
bined circumstances of the night had
somewhat shaken his nerves. The
girl Jessie saw him hesitate and in a
sad tone she said:
"You need have no tear, sir;
these stairs lead to my home there
is no one there but a gentleman |
brought just before l came to you,
and my mother. My mother is"
But choking sob stopped her
words and she burst into wild
food of tears.
The Judge had not taken much
notice of Jessie up to the present
moment, and when, by an unusually
bright flickering OF the light above,
be observed her pretty young face so
full of agony aud sorrow, something
akin to pain and pity shot into his
uncaring heart, and be endeavored
TO comfort her. He made awkward
work of it, though. His usual stock
of sympathy had been written off at
home and learned by note, and he
found true sympathy another matter.
Putting his arm about her he drew
her head against his shoulder and
said:
"My child, you musn't--ought
not to cry so. See mel I'm not
crying, am / !? and | don't see any
need of your crying"
"Alas sir, you little know" she
sobbed /; "to.morrow will find me
without home aud without friend"
90 ! that true? said he, reflective.
ly.
"Yes; too true" she answered.
"Well, it ought not to be. Ac-
cording to the total statistics of the
population OF the United States and
total Of its houses and products
there is home aud bread for ALL"
She made no reply, but raised her
head and wiped her eyes on her
shawl and led him up the stairs.
Up AID up, nearer the light they
came. The wind made the aged
building rattle and quake like an
asthmatic old man, and the Judge
was fearful lest it should fall in ruins
about his ears. Presently be saw
pale, yellow light swinging In the
drefs of air sucking through the
many Railways before a partly
opened door. Jessie pushed the
door open little wider and her
companion entered, then, after en-
tering herself, she shut it behind
| them.
Judge Apple found himself in a
large, lonesome-looking room. with
out carpet or shades to the win.
dows Upon az old, broken table
burned brightly cleaned lamp, but
it did not light more than half the
room. Although everything about
him denoted poverty, the Judge
could not help noticing the clesnli.
ness OF the room. A little fire
smouldered in black yawning fire.
place, but the room was chilly and
unwholesome. In one corner stood
a bed and beside it sat q gentleman
clothed in seft black clothes who
vas talking earnestly to some one