The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1880-08-14
A BITTER GAIN.
From HarpeU's Weekly


4 remarkable affinity existed between
the occupants of two separate windows in
one of dingy row of brick houses one
exceptionally hot summer not manyycars
ago; it was the more remarkable that
these two people were very unlike each
other, being of opposite sexes, the one Il
grizzled, grlif, grumpy bachelor on the
wrong side of fifty, the other round,
rosy, rollicking maiden of "sweet and
twenty The man was evidently q
foreigner, the woman an Unmlstakable
American, and these two heads, framed
by the embrasurcs of the separate win
dOws, formed strong contrast. 1t was
about four O'Clock III 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
fOrafortnight, andhope deferred had paled
the cheek and subdued the merriment of
the maiden, while it deepened the al
ready rubicund color and sharpened the
already testy temperament of the man.
Presently appeared in sight the brisk
dapper little fellow, in the gray uniform,
with bis bag strapped over his shoulder,
stepping along from house to house.
dealing Joy and sorrow, surprise, fear,
ccstacy, all the emotions incident to poor
hapless humanity as he went. But he
dealt nothing to the two anxious watchers
III the dingy brick row. Their heads
simultaneously turned to watch him as
he disappeared around q neighhoring
corner The man grunted out bitter
ejaculation, and slammed down the win
dow; the girl sighed. and with difficulty
repressed a sob as she closed the blind.
The next day at four o'clock the same
pantomime was enacted. The same
anxiety, hope, fear, disappointment,
were painted on 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 disappointment, tugged at the blind,
puff of wind blew the light ribbon
from the hair of the girl straight into his
ewes, and from thence to the floor of his
room. He saw it Mt once 1t lay upon
tie 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 had shut him up III this
hot hole during the dog-days His next
impulse was to kick the bauble aside;
but it was not Of a kickdblc nature, ard
chung close to his feet. He stopped at
last and took it from the floor and found
il suspiciously damp.
shes been shifting again, he said.
" As usual, she gets no letter and cries,
| get no letter, and ] swear ] wonder
which Is the most cOnsoling. And why
IN thunder don't she get her letter? She
can't have any rascallv lawyers to deal
with, that lie, and caIolc, and cheat aad
steal. She can't be Whiting for a wit
world to testify in a case that ought t.
have been settled before he went to sea-
| believe 1t was conspiracy on the part
of these internal lawyers to dawdle
along with the case, and not discover the
existence of this Martin Malloy till lie
had shipped again, aud was well ont of
their call. And now it seems that the
fate of the suit depends upon the testi-
mony of this fellow before the mast. At
least five thousand pounds of my money
mt tins present moment Is ut stake III the
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 il was his landlady, Mrs.
Matscn, for whom he had no particular
affection. or her rough featured domes-
tic. that he felt certain was shortening
his life by her miserable cookery. But
q gentle voice said. Did you want any
thing. sir?' And turning he heheld his
landladv's daughter And how III the
I \, : L Ia. +l,.,
fat. swarthv, coarse and commercial fe-
male who kept the house, this lodger
could not imagine. Her eyes were So
soft and brown. - pleading and iuno-
cent, frank and confding as a little
child's. whereas her mothers were mar
row and sharp, distrustful and cunning.
The young girl flushed under this
scrutinizing gaze. and said again: lou
didn't want anything. then, Mr.. Me
Graw? Mother said you pounded on the
floor.
"Pounded." said Mr. McGraw; "of
course pounded. If | don't get letter
soon I'll make smithereens of some of
this horsehair furniture about me. If
your mother has any regard for her
squint-eyed ancestor over there, she'd
better take him down and out OF the
way. He's been following me about
with that damaged leer of his for the
last fortnight. It's a mercy l haven't
stabbed him through the canvass. And,
say, he added, for the girl was fast
vanishing out of his sight, and she was
a wonderous pleasant article TO look upon
IN this gloomy old barrack-" say, SAID
Mr.. McGraw. He was still twirhng the
bit OF blue ribbon IN his fingers and now
held II ont to the young girl. 1t fell
IN the window to-day as we were both
looking for that cOrnfO1D,deI p1strnan