Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1882-12-21
Miss Becky's Hone
Ut in 4Our Continent. y

had outhyel her usefulness? Having passed
her days in o.har peoples houses, SO = speak,
she might nor mIHd it as much, perhaps, rs 3
moro fortunate being.
~Yes, she said, there's q vacancy in the
Old Ladies Home and the hundred dol
lars tina; Old Parson Amory left me will pay
! my way in. but it won't last me long if began
70 spend it YOU know, and shall have a warm
bed and my regular meals without worrying
lsbout where the next ones coming from
I'm most tired worrying about ways and
means, Seems as though had been about it
Al my lift: ever since father was taken with
heart disease hearing the class III algebra
Now that the rheumatism has got the better of
me, SO lat | can't work in cold weather, and 5
Che doctor says that I'll draw my fingers mp so
that ! can't use them soon, it doesn't seem as
IL there Was anything left for me in this
world but lie Homeland ought to be thank
Itul for thar"
Miss Becky had had other expectations
in her heyIay, when young Larry Rogers
met her and carried her basket; when his
Strong arm padded her down the broad river
20 church on Sunday mornings; when they
.ang together in the choir from the same
hymn book, when they lUIered homeward in
he fragrant summer dusk, and heard the
7hip-p> will complain, and startled the
sre-hesIG the hedges as they brushed by. II
= tomeyimes seemed to Miss Becky as if all this
ad happened i'll another planet She was
Dung then with bloom on her cheek; but
though the rheuma tism had bent her figure
nd rendered her more or less helpless at
jmes, yet her dark, yelvety eyes looked ont
Ike soft stars and the ghost OF djmple still
-ickercd on cheek and chin in spi,c of her
alxty odd years, Miss Becky's father had
cen the district school teacher in those far
t6 days Of her girlhood- He had taught her
ne simple lore at his command, but it was
garry Rogers who had taught her music, hour
fter hour, in the empty old school house;
ley had practiced together, while he
Erote the score on the blackboard. But all this
-ad not suIited to enable her to earn
- Avehhood Her education. musical and other
wise, had stopped short of auy commercial
>alue. In those days she had never expected
, earn her living by the sweat of her brow
AIRY was going to give her everything How
Ivial the lCte quarrel seemed to-day, which
rcumvented this fine resolve of his! But
that magnitude it had assumed at the time!
. a his return from q trip to a neighboring
ty, some busybody had whispered to Larry
lat Miss Becky had been seen driving with
quire Eustis son Sam behind his trotters-
I'm was just home from college, harum-
farum fellow they said, who made love right
nd left and gambled bit; and when Larry
1sproached her with it she had not denied;
lie had simply said: What then? If you
moose to listen TO gossip rather than wait till
3 tell you"
-@But you didn't tell me, and I've been home
lweek."
Il had forgotten all about it till you re-
nded me-" said Becky.
its such an everyday affair for Won to
i've with sam Eustis which incredulitv so
lung Becky that she would not condescend to
splain that she had carried some needle-work
/ , to Squire Eustis' which she had been doing
II his wife, and that as she had left to walk
Ame Sam was Just starting OFF with his smart
aise and new dapple grays, and the Squire
Il d said, Take Miss Becky home, Sam and
ow her their paces;" and how she had been
named to refuse the kindness, although pre-
4Erring to walk a thousand times; and how,
nee In the Chalse Sam had been the pink Of
Jurtesy, and had begged her to drive over
9Th him to Parson Amory's, three miles out
T her way, that Lucy Amory may see that
"a don dlsdain my company. For you see,"
id Sam, who was not as black as he was
-mted or as many liked TO suppose, Lucy
make me what she will; without her I
7au be nothing and nobody: but they've told
II all kinds OF wild things about me; they've
Id her she might as well jump into the river
3 marry such sCaPegraCe. And perhaps if
made her little ,iealous-.you know there's no
- arm in thar, IS there? Ais fair in love; and
srhaps. Il the old folks see me driving about
9TH Miss Becky Thorne, my stock
nay go up, and 1 may be saved
ON the burning, as Parson Amorv says"
nd Becky had consented; how could she re-
t.se to do d service for such q true lover? So
tight thing, too. She had often traversed
-,e same road since on foot, on her daily
FUNDS Of toll or mercy. sam Eustis had mar
. ed Lucy Auory years ago, and was the fore
ost man in the county to-day Strange how
at friendly drive had interfered with Miss
tscky's prospects; how the simple fact of
trying home Mrs. Eustis' needlework should
we determined her fate, and devoted her to
life of hardship and the sold Ladies' Home"
the end Talk OF trites! Poor Miss Becky!
le remembered that once or twice the oppor-
nifty had offered when she might have made
up with Larry: but pride, or a sort of fine
-l3erve, had locked her lips-Larry ought
know that she was above silly frtations
ce, when they met at Lucy Amorys we'd
ag, when they all went into the orchard
l,sts looked for fouU-ieaved clovers, she had
md herself-whether by accident or design
could not tell-on the grass beside Larry:
ir fingers met over the same lucky clover,
r eyes met above it. and for an instant she
it on her tongues end to confess all about
- drive and Its result, to put pride IN her
ket, but just then Nell Amory called to
Try.
oh horid sp;der!-on my arm, Larry!
! him quick-lO! Oh--oh-oh l shall
i shall faint" And that was the end
he old orchard, with its fragrant ounce
Jhes, its gnarled apple trees, its four leaved
Jvers, was a thing of the past cotton mill
,Ired and Numbered there all day long. where
birds built and the trees bourgeonad thirty
4 years age. 1t 10 longer blossomed, ex-
Ut in Miss Becky's memory. She had
med her thoughts to raising plants, when
was left to her own resources. bat one
lei winters night killed all her slips and the
Jital was lacking by which she might renew
stock. Since then she had gone out for
Iy sewing, had watched with the
K, had been in demand for tempo
~ housekeeper whenever tired matron
he'd an outing; but latterly, her eyes no
tger served her for fine work, and sewing
chimes had been introduced; she was not so
tin the sick room as of yore; she moved
",e slowly, and her housekeeping talent was
.onger IN request; added to this, the bank
pre- her little earnings had been growing,
day failed and left her high and dry
ne of her friends had travelled to pastures
:, some had married away, some had ig-
led or forgotten her. AS for Larry Rogers,
had been away from Plymouth this many
bar. Somebody had sent him abroad the
r after Lucy Amory's marriage to develop
mr''ical genius He had grown into a
Gus violinist, playing all over the country
rowded houses, before the finest people in
land. 1t was a beautiful romance to Miss
ky to read in The Plymouth Record about
r gifted townsman;" she seemed to hear
iecho of his violin when the wind swept
.ough the pine boughs She had no bitter
lights; she did not blame him because she
in shadow, because her life had been color
She sang again the old tunes he had
,yht her, and made little sunshine in her
,rt. ALI of happiness she had ever known
rad brought her. Why should she
:n2 And now she was gong to the ~Ulo
lies Home"
1t isn't exactly what expect in my youth, -
- said to tie old Doctors widow.
No; but you'll have nice room and q
l,ht fire, and the neighbors will drop in to
you and make it seem home-like. Now
e's old Mrs. Gum. Nothing eau persuade
to go to the Home. She says it's only.a
EEL almshouse after all; and so she rubs
g with what little she can earn and what
l.. L.