The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1880-07-22
A LEAF FROM LIFE.


uncommon after all, though the world
may not believe there are such young
girls. For she was pretty, she was poor,
she was alone, she hardly found food
and fire and clothes enough for decency
and neatness by nceasing labors; and
yet she was not q sinner. Her name
was Sarah, vet nobody called her Sadie.
Indeed, nobody called her anything dis
tinguished or individual The grocer
said, with ill-concealed contempt, 'Fnur
cents, Miss" As for the car conduct ),
Step lively, lady" was their salutation,
il after long walk to the shop that gave
ont shirts to be made Mt fourteen cents,
she was tired and expended all the but
ton holes in riding back. els there not a
wilderness somewhere" Sarah used to
say 10 her looking glass, where could
So and make acquaintances?" It seems
she had looking-g glass. But though
the looking glass todd her much that she
cared nothing TO know. it did not answer
ber that
There continued one day TO be in
another room in the attic a young man
named Edward Such things in such
places have no perceptible beginning.
They were not, and they are; like ring
of CRIME ON a shirt cuff. SO with Ed
ward; Sarah did not know when he came.
or that he came, but she began to per-
ceive that he was there. In fact, she
met him on the stairs He was neither
tall nor short, neither handsome nor
plain. When he was in his room he
whistled and sometimes tramped up and
down. Sarah began to be interested,
not in the young man probably. but in
the fact that there was young man.
Well, such neighborhoods always lead
TO certain results. When Edward had
passed her eighty-seven times on the
stairs he met her for the eighty-eighth
time and bowed slightly but distinctly.
Sarah smiled. Three weeks later he
had said, Good-morning," and Sarah
murmured to herself, 81 shall have an
acquaintance shall have an acquain-
ance."
By and by winter one day became
spring. Winter always suggests spring
much as n hard boiled egg suggests
chicken pie. But suddenly one day it is
in the winter air that spring is coming
is coming nearer-is happening. 1t must
be with never ending wonder that we
behold this recurring miracle of the res
heaven does not apparently consider il
worth while to work in the case of the
hard boiled egg. The heather would
have said this is fate. But perhaps
another world will set il right.
=. The spring had not gone when Sarah
began to call Edward, Edward, and Ed
ward to call Sarah, Sarah. This is
always an interesting formative period in
the acquaintance OF q young man and n
young maid. Here it came about in all
simpleness: Sarah, before going to bed
one evening, was combing out her long
but thin yellow hair and tying up the
combings, with the ends all one way, in
n bunch against rainy day. There was
knock ON the lath and paper partition
wal, which had seemed to her as thicA
as the Chinese wall, and which TO Ed
ward had seemed as wonderful and sa-
cred thing rs If it had been built O.
twelve kinds of precious stones--or tllir-
teen kinds, for the matter of thst This
was the partition wall between their
rooms. Sarah finished tying up the saw
ings with which she was occupied, took
off her short print sacque, and, wiping
her hands, clasped them over her exquis-
itely moulded bosom and cried "What is
it?"
"What is your name, my little neigh
bor?" said the calm voice of the young
man from the other side of the wall
Sarah, who had turned to answer the
knock, turned back to look in the glass a
moment before replying, and then caught
up shawl and muffied her shoulders in
il Then she blushed. Then she smiled
u little.
A woman's smile may be an unwilling
winter thaw, or n hearty fervor of sum-
shine. Here it was neither.
After smiling little Sarah said: my
name is Sarah"
my name is Edward, said Edward.
II wish you would let me call you
Sarah"
Every well, Edward" said Sarah
hlushing again. She did not know why
she blushed-
Then there was delicious pause of q
few moments. II was not the woman,
you may be sure, who broke so sweet q
silence. A woman may not be wise at
all times, but she knows wher she feels
like holding her tongue. In this knowl
edge she excels all men.
Sarah, said Edward presently, "why
do you make such q clatter ON the
stairs?"
The young girl burst into musical
laughter; IT am going to bed, Edward
and you had better go too-good night
Edward" was her only answer. In fac
she presently blew out her candle and
fell into sweet sleep. Edward wa.
puzzled
Do you know what the young girl sait
to herself when she laughed? Perhaps
she began to feel more like a sister or
mother TO Edward then like an acquaint
ance.
Days passed and this pair becam
more intimate. An acquaintance grow
at the start not like lump of sugar dis
solving in tea, but like a crystal of Glau
ber's salts forming in q saturated solu
ton: that is, from small beginning
becomes larger. 1t may fall away after
wards, but there always is a point q
which il is greater than at the beginning
This IL the general law of acquaiDtance
and the case Of Edward and Sarah wa
not an exception.
They had never been in each other.
rooms.
"Tell me your history" said Edwar
10 Sarah, ON the stairs one day.
"How can / tell it here?" she sait
smiling. "H you will come into m
room and sit down"
Edward started and plunged dee
regard into the eyes of the young gin
He was obliged 10 confess that !
saw nothing whatever. 81 will come
he said.
Arriving at the little room, he was r
sssmed by it's barrenness. "This sir
plicity," said he to himself, "arises o.
Of innocence" Then he looked at Il
solitary chair with some embarrassment
THAT is for you, Edward, said 4
young girl "I can sit on the bed"
"No, I thank you, Sarah; prefer
stand" said Edward severely, al
handed her the chair With gesture
determination. She took IL with siI