Sharp County record., 1880-12-23

COIuST were luc MDIuS, lOI 4hlSn nlol
garet." showed them to her triumph
antly and Blanche was convinced
"But what does he mean about aunt S
losing her property" | asked.
II heard her telling him the last time
he was here that she was absolutely GER
tain that she would die in the Poor
house, replied Blanche. Il told him,
in my answer to the letter, that aunt
was cracked, and that was all non
sense"
$50 you answered the letter" |
cried, in dismay. "Of course you did,
for | saw him receive it. Did you ac-
cept himP"
Certainly not" replied Blanche,
with great decision. s. told him that
aunt had another premonition, which
was that | was a fool and would marry
beneath my station, but that | would
show her that she was mistaken; for
meant to 90 to Vassar College this
winter and should never marry any
one-least of all him."
| groaned aloud.
II must say you are very hard to
satisfy, Maggy. Would you have liked
it better if | had married him?n
"No, Blanche, but don't you see, he
will think it is l who have rejected
him."
$50 he will. Well, I'll explain to
him the next time he calls"
He will never call again; won't you
write him a note OF explanation dear?"
"Indeed l won't; it seems | have
written too many notes as it is, and |
can tellyou one thing Aaggy Sturtevant
| shall never have anything more to do
with any of your secondhand old beaux
never. l had to wear your made-oVer
dresses until grew taller than you and
could have new ones of my own and ]
don't want any beaux until have them
brand new, too, and that's why I'm go
ing to Vassar; and l don't intend to
come out until you are married and out
Of the way. So there!"
Blanche had founced out of the room
and | was alone with my trouble-no,
not alone, for Aunt Prisca had returned
from the Poor-house and began reci-
tai of the woeful sights there.
"They have no matron, my dear and
the superintendent is a widower, so Of
course the poor things under his care
suffer for many things which they
would have if there was woman to go
to. went over the whole institution
and l think that l was most touched
by what saw in the old peoples ward,
my dear; for l shall be old before many
years myself, and they seemed SO COM
FORTRESS and desolate. They ought to
have bathroom with hot water; but
instead of that they have to 60 out to
the pump in the court, and it is pretty
chilly to wash out there these cold
mornings. intend TO take my next
railroad dividends and the interest onmy
bonds and have bathrooms put on every
floor in that building"
"But won't the authorities think you
are meddling?"
81 don't care what they think. l
expect to 90 to the Poor-house myself
some day, and | intend to have things
comfortable when l get there. 1t would
have made your heart bleed to have
gone into the nursery department, Mar
garet; bright little children as ever
were, with only one-armed Irish SOL
dier 10 amuse them and keep discipline
with a shingle. No primary school
nor Observation-Disclosures twenty
children going to ruin! 1 have pre-
monition that before many days there'll
be a change there. Pll pay you any
salary you'll name, Margaret, if you'll
90 out there every morning and start a
Little Housemaids school among
them, and III get you all the spelling
books and apparatus you want, too"
81 would like to do it very much,"
l replied, "but you must let me get
permission of the Supervisors first" "
Aunt's plan struck me as grand op-
portunity for losing sight of my own
trouble in working for others. A poem
of Chadwick's came to my mind:
For the fathers and the mothers that God
gave US
Perished with their OVerWOrk and sorrow,
And we turn from their dead faces unto you.
Will you helpus to be innocent and happy?
Win you help US to be womanly and pure?
VIII you save us from the trouble and tempta-
tonS
That forever lie in waiting for the poor?
and | took up the work with eagerness;
for the Supervisors manifested sublime
Indifference to what was done or not
done at the Poor-house. The Superin-
tendent, we found, welcomed our help
with eagerness. He had been fearfully
overworked, and with no womanly ad
wiser by his side it was not strange that
much was neglected. He complained
most of the physician appointed to the
care of the establishment. GO He has
charge of the city poor in general, and
says that the alms-house should
have physician of its own; he lives at
the other end of the city and only comes
once a week except when specially
called for" "You shall have physi-
clan to visit you daily" replied Aunt
Prisca. &c will see to it. There are the
rents Of that downtown building of
mine accumulating from quarter to
quarter; they would make an excellent
salary for some rising young medical
man who has not yet secured city
practice"
And so the days went by, Aunt
Prisca and myself making pilgrimages
to the Poor-house and.seeing one abuse
after another fall before her resolute,
unwearied determination. Thanksgiv-
inn was annrnachinr and hamnars