Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1881-09-21
from Belgravia.l
JACK--A MENDICANT,

A smooth-haired, whitish-brown ter
fier it was, with cropped ears, black
patch over one eye, and only half tail
"a thin, shadowy sort of thing that
used to grub about in the twilight in
the cutters, and in odd corners where
poor people throw waste and rubbish,
picking up its own living as best it
could. lie it had not known how to
6 fend for Itself, it must have Jared
hardly indeed; for though it had a mas
ter who loved it as he would have loved
the sun in the heavens could his blind
eyes have been hghtened for one mo-
ment by its beams. and who treasured it
as he did the memory Of his dead wife,
dead daughter, dead grandchild, yet he
had nothing but his love to give it, and
love, as we all know, though it never
faileth, and is greater than faith and
hope, yet in hard times cannot so much
as buy an ounce of bread, nor even get
a bone for dog.
Caleb had been blind for more than
twenty years. Once he had been
strong skillful workman who had never
known a dinnerless table nor freless
hearth. Things had gone well with him
In early life; he had married stout
young country woman, and had one
child by her-a blue-eyed, fair-haired
darling, whom they had christened
Martha. She looked as if she had been
born to pet name, and she stuck to it
as a right. Matte was sent to school
and taught embroideries and needlework:
she was not to work hard, as her father
and mother had done before her, but
was to lead the quiet gentle sort of life
God so evidently intended her for; and
if, by and by, when father and mother
were getting old and could not longer
work for their darling, some good honest
workman we're to come along and offer
to marry her-well then he should
have her, and Gods blessing go with
her.
But before Matte was 10 years old, or
there was any thought of father and
mother getting old, Caleb's great trouble
had come upon him. There was huge
fire at the factory where he worked, and
Caleb, in his zeal to save his masters
property, was burnt about his face.
arms and chest. They took him to the
hospital, where they did the best they
could for him, and he came out of it in
a months time with limbs patched, face
sound though scared, but eyesight gone
forever.
How the stout, strong wife would have
wept over him If she had had time to
weep But time meant money in those
days, and she set to work with will to
get the daily bread. No more embroid-
cries for little Matte; sewing and stitch
ing Will serve her In better stead now.
for she can earn a shilling here and a
eb;11;nrr 4boro nv Y,loip ooodJorro,.1z
her poor neighbors.
And so things went on for ten years or
more. Caleb turned woman in the house.
and cooked their small meals, and kept
things straight and neat as he could with
out his eyesight; and the women turned
men, as poor women often have to do,
and brought in the pounds and the
shillings, Or, failing the pounds, the
shillings and the pennies, and even In
those days had always wherewithal to
help brother or sister less fortunate
than themselves.
Then there came another change;
fever set in their neighborhood, and the
brave, strong mother was the first TO fall
victim to it. Caleb was crazed with
grief. Matte wept her heart out, then
set to work again, but this time with less
of spirit and courage. From house to
house Caleb CROPPED his way, begging for
work-he would do what he could for a
sixpence day; he was, he said, "a
giant in strength" "True," said the
people; but blind giant is of no use
to us, and we are too poor to pay six
pence day for nothing"
ST will go into the workhouse," said
Caleb. "No man shall say I live idle
upon my little girls earnings Then
Matte chung about his knees and be-
sought him not to leave her, telling him