The Northern Pacific farmer., 1880-03-25
KINDNESS AND ITS REWARD.

AllC6 SaG- III 1rO0G OF the lille table
washing the breakfast dishes, bright
haired girl, with large, wistful blue
eyes, whom you would never suspect of
being cripple until you saw that she
was seated on a wheeled chair by means
of which she propelled herself back and
forth.
Yet, although she herself was the
only servant of the establishment, the
floor was dainti]y clean, the windows
shone like sheeted diamonds, and the
curtains were white and neatly darned.
For little Alice, at eighteen, was g.
born housekeeper, and took as much
delight in the details of her homely
domestic life as if she had been child
playing with a dolls house, instead of
Moses Haywood's crippled daughter.
ut is puzzling, sometimes," said
Alice, wrinkling her pretty brows over
the housekeeper's book; "because
there's only so much money, and tho
expenses have got to be met; and if you
get only just the least little bit in debt,
there it is, hanging like milestone
around your neck until the end of the
year. But if there weren't any diff
culties in this style of housekeeping,
where would be the credit?"
And then Alice would shake her
bright brown braids, bite the end of her
pencil, and begin again with the trouble
some array of figures.
But this particular day the color
burned more feverishly than ever in
her cheek; the teacups clinked nerv-
ously together as she rinsed them.
But Moses Haywood, white-haired
prematurely old man, sat over his
''Classical Dictionary" at the other end
of the room and only smiled quietly.
"Fifty pounds" said Alice; "it's a
deal of money, father, dear, and you've
been years saving it up"
''You are right, my DEAR" said the
schoolmaster, calmly. 1T is deal of
money. But what is money worth if
we can't use it to help our fellow crea-
lures with?"
"And dare say he's ever SO much
richer than you, father" pursued Alice.
"He is my wife's cousin, Alice" said
the old man, "and he is in sore need.
Be comforted, child, it is only a loan"
Alice. Father, you'n never see it
again. People are always borrowing.
:: and nobody ever thinks of returning
money"
Gently, daughter Alice, gently"
chided the old man. "It is best to be
charitable to all men in thought as we'll
as in deed. It is true had anticipated
laying this ESQ pounds out in few
books for myself, new dress for you
and carpet for our sitting room;
but never mind. We shall do very
we'll as we are, and if Mr.. Watkins
really needs this money"
II don't believe he needs it half as
much as we do" burst in Alice.
And she wheeled her chair across the
room to give the innet his fresh seed
and water, while Haywood, folding up
the fifty pound note which had been
the bone of contention, placed it in an
envelope and walked quietly away.
"I's too bad of father" thought Alice,
left alone by herself, Il do believe he
would give the coat off his hack if any
one asked him for it. But he ought to
think Of me-"
And q few unconscious tears splashed
lown on the linnet's water.cup as Alice
thought of the long treasured fifty
pounds.
Just week afterwards Mr.. Walter
Watkins sat in his back parlor, q
wrinkled old man with his light blue
eyes like staring marbles and a curious
upward sneer to the curves of his
mouth, while on the table in front of
him lay pile of letters.
"Now we will see," said Mr.. Watkins
to himself, "what all the ties of rela-
tionship are worth. I've written pitt
ullettera to my six cousins, and I'll be
willing to wager the biggest diamond
in my ring that there isn't q penny in
all these letters. Well, we'll see, we'll
see."
The first, as it transpired, was from
the Rev. Theodore Talkington, who
stated that he was quite unable to help
his cousin Walter, except by good ad-
vice.
IL thought so,' said MIR. Watkins.
The second was from Mrs. Calista
Jones, the wife of a prosperous mer-
chant. -.
"My.dear COUSIN" it said, in little
spider-webby characters, "your letter
fills me with surprise. Such necessity
can only have its source in dissipation
or speculation. With neither OF these
can you expect me, a Christian woman,
to sympathize. Under the circum-
stances must decline further commu.
nication with you. Yours respectfully,
etc." -
The upward curves around Mr.. Wat
kin's mouth heightened themselves out
. into the nearest approach to a smile in
which the caustic old gentleman ever
indulged as he neatly labelled and
docketed this letter also and opened