The Owosso times., 1881-11-04


a laugh.
Then you've come to the wrong
place. said Mrs. Dean, frigidly.
Poor Patrick O'Hara was killed yes
terday, in the machinery of the rolling
MILL said Mrs. Graham, ignoring her
neighbOr's response. He has left a
wife and eight children, totally desti-
tute.'
And whose fault is that p said Mrs.
Dean.
will you not contribute something
toward relieving their destitute cOndi-
tion?' urged Mrs. Graham, opening the
book and holding the pencil ready for
use.
Certainly not said Mrs. Dean. I've
no money to spare
But L was told
20, yes-about the money that was
drawn out of the savings-bankp said
Mrs. Dean. But intend to keep that
money for myself, Mrs. Graham
He that giveth to the peOr lendeth
to the Lord, softly spoke Mrs. Graham.
Yes, yes-I knowp said Mrs. Dean.
But nobody interprets the Bible liter
ally, nowadays
Mrs. Graham took her departure, ac-
knowledging within herself that her
errand was failure, and Mrs. Dean,
left to herself at last, indulged in nap,
with the knitting-wOrk in her lap-a
nap wherein she dreamed that the fifty
dollar bill had taken to itself legs and
was running away from crowd of
pursuers, herself among the number.
When she walked up, reused by the
noise of coal being poured upon the
stove, a candle was burning and Mr..
Dean was laughing at her.
why, Betsey,' said he, L thought you
never were going to wake again. Here
you sat, with the fire dead out, and I've
had to kindle it up again.
Bless mel said Mrs. Dean. Il must
have been asleep quite a while. But'-as
she started up she saw that the old
wall-pocket opposite was empty
where is that old number of the Clink-
erville Clarionp
1T was last weeks paper said Mr..
Dean, calmly, we had both of us read
it, so just took it to kindle the fire.
you burned it upT
Yes said Mr.. Dean; Il burned it up.
Why should't I?'
For half an hour Mrs. Dean sat silent
and never spoke word. Her first ut
terance was:
It's the Lords judgment upon me!
Mrs. Dean was resOlute woman,
full of character. She went to her Ia
ble drawer, took out sheet of paper
and wrote to DR.. Bridgman, inclosing
dollar toward lame Dick Bodley's
cart and horse. She sent another dol
lar to Mrs. Graham for the poor little
O'Haras, and promised to donate a bar
rel of russets, a bushel of potatoes and
some of her husbands cast-off clothes
to cut over for the children. And she
sent for Helen Hurst to come and see
her.
Il can't lend you ten dollars, my DEAR
said she, because 1 haven't got it. But
I'll tell you what / willdo. I'll let you
make your home here as long as you
please. There's nice spare room, and
it's an eighth of mile nearer than Mrs.
Swipes' to the district school,
%, how very, very good you arev
said Helen, her eyes swimming with
grateful tears.
'Goodp cried Mrs. Dean. I'm just
beginning to see what selfish, greedy
creature I've been all my life. But
you're welcome, my dear, and your
board shall not cost you cent
She opened her parlor, shook out the
curtains and built a fire in the air-tight
wood stove.
Dean likes the parlor,' said she, be
cause it has such nice south windows,
and 1 don't see why we shouldn't enjoy
it,
She baked fresh batch of ginger
bread, and sent loaf to old Mrs.
Nudge; she took out basket of hickory
nuts for poor little Harry Jones, who
was trying to crack dried up pigmits on
the stone by the roadside; she re-
newed her subscription to the church
charities.
Il can't be very LIBERAL, she said;
but / am determined to do what 1
can
That's right my dear-thats rightp
porous, never fear. I'm awfully sorry
about burning up your nifty dollar bill;
but, if it's going to open your heart like
this, it's the best thing that could have
happened to u.s.
Mrs. Dean was sweeping out the
kitchen. She looked around with a
smile as she moved the wide-leaved
table which always stood under
the wall-pocket, and took down the
pocket itself, rude structure of splints,
lined with red cambria and tied with
cords and tassels Of red worsted, to
dust it out.
Yes she said, / am afraid 1 was
getting to be miserly, and Why,
what's thisp
Mr.. Dean stopped and picked up
slip of crumpled dark-green paper,
which had fallen out from the wall
pocket as his wife turned il upside
down and tapped her finger against it
to remove all possible dust.
It's the fifty dollar billr said he
with mouth and eyes opening in uni
son. 1T must have slipped down
from the folds of the newspaper and
lodged here
The Lord has sent it back to u.s.
said Mrs. Dean, reverently; and He
has sent lesson, wise and merciful,
with it. l4l5
WELL said Mr.. Dean, after mo-
ment or two of silence, there's lesson
in almost everything He does, if we did
but know it,
And all tine theologians in the world
could not have improved upon the
faith of this simple, unlettered old