The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-12-24
"Humph, So YOU didn't find anv use

SELF"
A kind of a miser, are youP'
90! no, sir; but it will be such nice
surprise for Tom tomorrow, and it'll
help pay the DOCTOR"
who's Tom?"
"Why, he's Tom, you know; and he
broke his leg, so l have to sell the pa
pers now" l9-.
[" Yes. / see. And where does Ton
liver"
"Why, Tom lives where 1 do; dowr
the next street there to the left, with
Mrs. Andrews. May give you paper
pleaseP'
"Well, don't want the trouble o.
it now; but you might keep it tor me til
later. What are you going to do wher
you sell out?
swell, you see it's Christmas Eve,
and might get some bundles to carry
home"
That's so. Well, meet me here al
five clock, and I'll have some for you
to carry for me.'
Gan right said the girl. as she
moved on with her papers, while the
old gentleman looked about him until
he discovered druggist. where he
found out just where Mrs. Andrews,
who lived on the next street to the left,
was to be found; which lady he called
unon and proceeded to interview, in
qulring into the family history of Ger.
tain Tom, who had broken his leg.
"And q sorry day it was for the girl
xuhon ho h,.nuobt hO,,oa ~, n
stretcher," said Mrs. Andrews. "You
see, he'd slipped sudden like and fallen
down the stairs of the newspaper estab.
lishment; and they had to bring him
here just so. It's been nigh three
weeks now; and he amt never said 8
word bout the suifering-only bout
the girl"
"And the girl-his sisters" said the
old gentleman.
"Lor' bless ye, she amt his sister
neither. You see, it all came about
like this. His ma took room here
when she's at work in the Postoffce
Department. She could have lived like
a lady as she was, only her husband
was dead, and he had left some debts
behind, that she worked and saved and
scraped to pay, SO that, when the boy
grew up he might meet the people his
father owed and never have it flung out
agin him. You see, they had come
from some other place here, and no one
knew them to talk about them, if they
lived plain and quiet like; and l never
thought body could be SO happy as
she was when the receipts come in.
Every one of them is tied up in a little
bundle for the boy. She was a-saving
up so much every month till
she took the girl. You see, that come
about this way. The mother had been
in the Postoffice with her; but she
couldn't stand it, and just wasted
away, till she had to leave. And then
the money went for one thing and
another, till when she died, there was
no more than enough to bury her de.
cent. Then the girl was fetched here.
You see, the boys mother couldn't
turn the child off, and she promised the
dying woman, who said she had nc
friends nowhere, that She tend to her,
ands she just come here to go to school
like the boy. There wern't no money
to pay no debts that month, and it's my
'pinion that the money was used fol-
the poor dying woman, so they could
keep telling her she had enough left to
pay for her burying. After that the
debts begun to be paid again, till they
was all gone; but they wasn't paid quite
so fast. on account of the girl. But
when they's all gone we had a kind OF
a jubilee, and the poor mother. that had
worked so hard for her boy, just flung
her arms round his neck and cried like
to break her heart. For a couple OF
months she was gay and happy, like a
young girl, and then the worry and all
somehow begun to show that it had been
too much, and she begun to grow week,
until it all ended by her having the ty-
phoid, and she never knew nothing till
the end come. She just seemed to finish
what she had set her mind ON doing for
the boy, and then going to meet the
husband she'd helped along. Dear!
dear! but it was sad for the boy and
girl; and Tom told me as how, if I'd
keep them and take care of the girl,
he'd see that it was all right. And so he
has done, sir; bless him! ain never lost
cent by them, and yet l never could
have turned the girl out. l could have
kept her to help me in the house, and
more than paid for her keep; but the
boy set his mind on having her go to
school. The little bit of money that
was left after the funeral and the doc
tor was paid that boy put in the bank
to grow, and to save in case he might
die, SO the girl could have something;
and the girl, knowing he's keepin' it,
but not knowing what for, just set
her foot down and says it shan't be
touched while he's sick to pay the doc
tor nor nothing. And so she goes out
and sells papers and such like, SOS to
keep the boys money from going down
too fast. / reckon she don't like it
much; but then it's for Tom and he
looks SO pleased when she comes home.
declare, it makes my eyes water to
think of them two."
"Humphn' said the old gentleman.
''Do you suppose Tom would care to
have a visitorp'
II guess any one who lies in one po-
sition all day and night. too, doesn't
mind seeing one who is ready to give
them kind word or two"
II didn't say l had anything kind to
say. He might take me for meddle-
some. inquisitive old fellow, better out
of sight than i'm
"Lor' sir, you can butgi him little