Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1880-08-12

Bringing, in joyful harvest home,
Some yellow sheayes! ~
-sunday Magazine.
A BITTER GAIN.
IFrom Harper'e Weekly.l :
A remarkable affinity existed between
the occupants of two separate windows in
one Of dingy row of brick houses one
exceptionally hot summer not many years
ago; it Was the more remarkable that
these two people were very unlike each
other, being of opposite sexes, the one a
grizzled, gruff, 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 unmistakable
American, and these two heads, framed
by the embras1lres of the separate win
dows, formed a strong contrast. It was
about four o'clock in 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
for fortnight, andh hope 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 his bag strapped over his shoulder,
stepping along from house to house,
dealing Joy and sorrow, surprise, fear,
ecstacy, all the emotions incident to poor
hapless humanity as he went. But he
dealt nothing to the two anxious watchers
in the dingy brick row. Their heads
simultaneously turned to watch him as
he disappeared around neighboring
corner. The man grunted out bitter
ejaculation, and slammed down the win
dow; the girl sighed, and with difficulty
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
aud disappointment, tugged at the blind,
puff OF wind blew the light ribbon
from the hair of the girl straight into his
eyes, and from thence to the floor Of his
room. He saw it at once. It lay upon
the 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 in this
hot hole during the dog-days. His next
impulse was to kick the bauble aside;
but it was not of kickable nature, and
chung close to his feet. He stopped at
last and took it from the floor and found
it suspiciously damp.
''Shes been shifting again, :" he said.
AS usual, she gets no letter and cries;
I get no letter, and swear. I wonder
which is the most consoling. And why
in thunder don't she get her letter? She
can't have any rascally lawyers to deal
with, that lie, and cajole, and cheat aad
steal. She can't be waiting for wit
ness to come from the other side of the
world to testify in a case that ought to
have been settled before he went to sea.
believe it was q conspiracy on the part
OF these internal lawyers to dawdle
along with the case, and not discover the
existence of this Martin Nalloy till he
had shipped again, and was well out 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
at this present moment is at stake in the
life of miserable sailor far out at sea. ~
Here his soliloquy was interrupted by a
light tap at the door. "Come," he
growled, without turning his head.
He thought it was his landlady, Mrs.
Matson, for whom be had no particular
affection, or her rough-featured domes-
tic, that he felt certain was shortening
his life by her miserable cookery. But
agentle voice said, "Did you want any
thing, sir?' And turning he beheld his
landlady's daughter. And how in the
world she could bear that relation to the
fat, swarthy, coarse and commercial fe-
male who kept the house, this ledger
could not imagine. Her eyes were sc
soft and brown, so pleading and limo.
cent, frank and confiding as a little
child's, whereas her mothers we're mar.
row and sharp, distrustful and cunning.
The young girl flushed under this
scrutinizing gaze, and said again: "You
didn't want anything, then, Mr.. Nc.
Graw? Mother said you pounded on thu
floor" 80.
"Pounded!'' said Mr.. McGraw; so
course I pounded. If I don't get lette,
soon I'll make smithereens Of some @
this horsehair furniture about me. I
your mother has any regard for he
squint-eyed ancestor over there. she'(
better take him down and out of tn,
way. He's been following me abou
with that damaged leer of his for tn,
last fortnight. It's mercy I haven
stabbed him through the canvass. And
say" he added, for the girl was fas
vanishing out of his sight, and she wa
a wonderous pleasant article to look upo1
in this gloomy old barrack-" say" sait
Mr.. McGraw. He was still twirfing tn,
bit of blue ribbon in his fingers and nov
held it out to the young girl. cit fe]
in the window to-day as we we're boil
looking for that. counfounded postman
l hope we'll have better luck tomorrow
Maggie"
81 thought sure we would to-day. sir.
said Maggie, blushing and signing. e.
had good sign this morning.
"What was that, Maggie ?" said Mr.
McGraw, still holding his end of tn
blue ribbon, f
"Why, see, sir, she said, and pointe.,
to the skirt of her dress. II pat it O,
wrong side out this morning, and neve
changed it, for Martin used to say it wa
Sign of good luck. >" - Fl = ~
"And' who is Mr.. Martin ?" said Mr.
McGraw: :. 1T SO happens that am in
"The one I'm looking for a lette