The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1880-04-09
Our Young Readers.
THE LOST MONEY.

PATIENCE was an orphan. Her father
was q sailor on board the good ship
"Orion." which, for some reason that /
do not know, went down in mid-ocean,
carrying him and nearly all the other
sailors with it. That is the way he got
to the other world.
The mother of Patience found this
world lonely without him, and was glad
when the call came for her to 90 to the
other world, too. At first, it grieved
her to think of leaving her little girl be-
hind, but she was relieved Of this
trouble in a very unexpected manner.
Her sister, Mrs. Dormer. had three
children, and they all lefther in as many
days. A short and stormy voyage they
made in that ll-fated little craft which
has carried SO many other children over
the dark waters, and which we call
diphtheria. Thus these all reached the
desired haven, and it made no manner
of difference to them how they got
there, or whether their stay in this
world was longer or shorter.
Then Mrs. Dormer said she would
like Patience for her own little girl; so
the orphan was provided with q home,
and the mother was relieved of her last
earthly anxiety.
You will think, perhaps, that all these
things made Patience very dull and un-
happy, but such was not the case. One
day she was frolicing on the beach,
when tall, gaunt, funereal woman,
who had been watching her for some
time. suddenly laid her hand on her
shoulder, as if she had been the sheriff,
and was arresting Patience for some
crime, and asked, sternly:
CHOW can you carry on so when your
poor father is in the ocean?''
81 thought my father was in Heaven"
said Patience, opening her black eyes
very wide.
$50 he is-at least, I hope he u.s."
said Miss MINI.
"Well, how can he be in two places
at once?' asked Patience.
Miss MINI was at q loss what to an
swer, and Patience went on.
81 know he left his body in the ocean.
but he doesn't want it any more. Aunt
Jane said 50. There are ever so many
pretty things down in the ocean. Father
used to tell me about it. Did you ever
see the coral he brought me, and the
whales tooth? I'll show them to you
some time.'
Little heathenr' murmured Miss
MINI, as she turned away and pursued
her walk in disgust.
But that was not what Parson Hawly
said when Miss MINI related the Incl
dent to him. Chow these little ones
put to shame our unbeliefr' was his re-
Spouse.
So neither the ocean-grave of her
father nor the green graves of her
thought they were all happy away be-
yond the stars, somewhere, and she
was going there, too, some time, and
what was there to cry about in thatp
As for Mrs. Dormer, or Aunt Jane,
she missed her children, of course,
but not as she would if she had been
rich, because she had not time. That
is one advantage that poor people
have over their more prosperous neigh
bors. And although the Dor1ners owned
the pretty little white cottage which
was their home, they had nothing be-
sides, and were dependent on their daily
toll for their daily bread.
Patience was only nine years old,
but she found many ways in which her
nimble little fingers and willing feet
could be of use. She could set table
and sweepa floor quite nicely, and it
was real pleasure to her to carry her
uncle his dinner when his work took him
SO far away that he could not spend
time to come home at noon.
Besides this she often earned few
pennies by doing errands for Miss MINI.
who was q dress-maker, and frequent
ly wanted some triiing articles from
the stores which it would have been
very inconvenient for her to 90 for
herself.
She had signal which Patience I'M
derstoOd. It was to hang towel out
of the window. This had gone on for
months without any trouble at all, al
though Miss Mimi was not reckoned
pleasant woman to deal with, when an
event occurred which threatened to dis
solve the partnership altogether.
Miss MINI wanted materials to finish
Mr.. Hawly's dressing gown, and it must
be finished that night if she sat up till
midnight; so she told Patience:
cit will come to just forty-five cents,
and as have given you dollar, there'u
be fifty-five cents back. You see, don't
youp'
"Yes'm."
cts great deal of money to trust q
child like you with; so be careful, and
don't stop to play by the way. shall
know If there's q cent missing"
'rll be very careful" said Patience,
and she tripped away with the money
inside her mitten.
She made her purchases and returned
without once stopping by the way; for
althollnh sha was several times accosfpd