Sharp County record., 1881-03-17

she asked, gazing admirlngly up az the
cage.
Dinah followed the look. "The ca
nary bird?" she said. "No. He was
brung from York. It's the Doctor 5
little gals. Her gran'fther gin it to
her Christmas. S'pose he thought she
c'u'd take keer ont. MasSy! She's all
highty-tighty. She'd fergit her own
head eff 'twaSn't fastened on-let it mos
starve, time an ag'in, she did. The
Doctor, he took t way from her tin'lly,
an he's seen tot hisself sence."
"Well, when our canary comes l
guess he shan't want for anything"
said JEANNE, her eyes shining. "We're
going to have one"
You be?"
Eyes. Miss Day raises 'em an she's
keeping one for us, and Allie and have
most saved up money enough to buy
him."
:" Do tellr'
Eyes. We've earned it doing things
when we could get time out OF the fac
tory. Mr.. Meeker, at the market,
bought all the dandelion we could cut
when it first came, and all the mayhow-
ers, and we weed in his strawberry
beds. Mother won't know anything
about it till we bring home the canary
bird and surprise her."
"You don say! Wal, you'll set store
on him. Got a cage to put him imp
80, yes. That's what begun it. A
lady gave mother a beautiful cage and
then Allie and | thought it up what we
could do. But here stand talking and
l ought to be hurrying home to moth
en-" and JEANNE started off on a run
as fast as her nimble feet could carry
her.
1t was very little good that the Doc
tors prescription could do. His sur
misses were right, and Mrs Green had
to suffer many days before his lancet at
last broughtrelief.
"Well, now," she said, with a
troubled look, when his directions had
been given and he was about to 60,
{" this is a great disappointment to me,
that can't 90 right to work again. |
don't see how | can lose any more time,
"'Haste makes waste you know,
Sallie," said the doctor. You would
lose more time in using your finger too
soon than in waiting patiently"
But''-she hesitated. "Well, then,
Doctor, if you will be so good, l shall
have to ask a favor of you, and tell you
little trouble I'm in"
Lets hear what it is" he said, sit
ting down again.
"Well, it's the rent-agent, Sam
Grind. He's dreadful hard man to
get along with. SEEMS if he's so over
bearing an hash. l owe dollar and
a half on last month, and now here is
this month going on, too. There amt
a day but he comes round talking ugly
and threat ming"
JEANNE and Alice came and stood by
their mothers side, with panied faces.
"Why, l could have paid it easy
enough" she continued, "if it hadn't
been for this fnger-bein' idle with it
so long; an Pm sure he knew it, too.
But they say he'd be glad to get me out
of these rooms and have in those cousins
of his-Haines' folks, that come a while
ago-and just now, it happens so bad
that haven't little money laid up;
for it took all we'd put by, Susie and
me, to fit her out good and respectable
when she went away, and there hasn't
been time yit to git started into savin'
ag'in. The children here" continued
Mrs. Green, looking at them kindly,
"don't get paid much at the factory,
it's only light work they can DO. But
now, Doctor, l thought if you'd be will
ing to speak word for me to Mr..
Grind, maybe it'd kinder shame him
out q bein' so hateful to me. l dc
: drea6 his comm round and talkin'
worssn pizen. Why says he, this
mornin "-she glanced at her children.
"Well, faint no matter what he said, "
she ccncladed abruptly. "Tain't worth
tellin'."
"rll see him." said the Doctor.
"rll--n
"No; wait, Doctor! Mother, don'tn
exclaimed the little girls anXiously.
: They had not uttered aword while theil
mother had been speaking, but had
listened, their hearts in their faces, and
their looks had taken counsel together.
They went quickly out of the room fol
a moment, and came back each with a
small box in her hand, which was eager
ly emptied of its contents-small silver
pieces and a quantity of pennies-intc
their mothers lap.
There dollar and a half, mother,
= said JEANNE. "Its Allies and mine
and you take it and pay the rent"
"Why-what?" asked the widow,
wondering.
"We've earned it," Alice said, earn.
estly. "doing things out of the factory
hours when we could"
"We've been saving it up ever SC
long," added JEANNE; lever since you
had your cage"
"We was going to buy you canary
bird with it, to put into the cage. Miss
Days been keeping one for us"
"But we want you to give this money
to Mr.. Grind. We don't want him COM
ING here to say ugly things to you, "
said JEANNE, flushing, her eyes filling
with indignant tears.
"And we don't want you to BEG
mother of, Doctor" earnestly contin.
/ ued Alice. "This will pay for last
/ month, and all of us together shall dc