The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-12-15
Miss Becky's Home


had outllYed her usefulness! Having passed
her days in other peoples houses, so - speak,
she might not mind it as much, perhaps, as
more fortunate being
"Yes she said, @there's a vacancy in the
old Ladies Home and the hundred dol
lars that old Parson Amory left me viii pay
my way in, but it won't last me long if began
to spend it you know, and shall have warm
bed and my regular meals without worrying
about where the next ones coming from.
Pm most tired worrying about ways and
means. Seems as though had been about it
all my lift; ever since father was taken with
heart disease hearing ..the class in algebra
Now that the rheumatism has got the better Of
me. so that can't work in cold weather, and
the doctor says that I'll draw my fingers mp so
that can't use them soon, it doesn't seem as
If there was anything left for me in this
world but the Homeland ought to be thank
full for that!
Miss Becky had had other expectations
in her heyday when young Larry Rogers
met her and carrirl her basket; when his
strong arm padded her down the broad river
to church on Sunday mornings; when they
sang together in the choir from the same
hymn book; when they lOftered homewsrd in
the fragrant summer dusk, and heard the
whip-poor-wil complain, and startled the
fre-fes in the hedges as they brushed by. 1t
sometimes seemed to Miss Becky az if all this
had happened in another planet She was
young then, with bloom on her cheek; but
although the rheumatism had bent her figure
and rendered her more or less helpless at
times, yet her dark, velvety eyes looked out
like soft stars, and the ghost of dimple still
fickered on cheek and chin in spite of her
sixty odd years Miss Becky's father had
been the district school teacher in those far
off days Of her girlhood He had taught her
the simple lore at his command, but it was
Larry Rogers who had taught her music, hour
after hour, in the empty old school-house;
they had practiced together, while he
wrote the score on the blackboard. But all this
had not suffced to enable her to earn a
livelihood Her education, musical and other
wise, had stopped short of any commercial
value In those days she had never expected
to earn her living by the sweat of her brow
Larry was going to give her everything. How
trivial the little quarrel seemed to-day which
circumvented this fine resolve of his! But
what magnitude it had assumed at the time |!
On his return from trip to a neighboring
city, some busybody had whispered to Larry
that Miss Becky had been seen driving with
Squire Eustis' son Sam behind his trotters
Sam was just home from college, harum-
scarum fellow they said who made love right
and left and gambled bit; and when Larry
reproached her with it she had not denied;
she had simply said @What then? If you
choose to listen to gossip rather than wait till
tell you"
sBut you didn't tell me, and I've been home
week"
q had forgotten all about 1t till you re-
minded me, said Becky.
sits such an everyday affair for you to
drive with Sam ustis!"-which incrednlity so
stung Becky that she would not condescend to
explain that she had carried some needle-work
up to Squire Eushs' which she had been doing
for his wife, and that as she had left to walk
home Sam was just starting off with his smart
chaise and new dapple grays and the Squire
had said, "Take Miss Becky home Sam. and
ashamed TO refuse the kindness, although pre-
ferring to walk thousand times; and how,
once in the chaise, Sam had been the pink of
courtesy, and had begged her to drive over
with him to Parson Amorys, three miles out
of her way shat Lucy Amory may see that
you don't disdain my company. For you see"
said Sam, who was not as black as he was
painted, or as many liked to suppose, Tucy
can make me what she will; without her I
shall be nothing and nobody; but they've told
her all kinds of wild things about me; they've
told her she might as we'll Jump into the river
as marry such scapegrace And perhaps if
] made her little iealous-you know there's no
harm in that, is there? Ais fair in love; and,
perhaps If the old folks see me driving about
may go up, and may be saved
from the burning as Parson Amory says.
And Becky had consented; how could she re-
fuse to do service for such a true lover? So
slight thing, tool She had often traversed
the same road since on foot, on her daily
rounds of toll or mercy. Sam Eustis had mar
ried Lucy Amory years ago, and was the fore
most man in the county to-day. Strange how
that friendly drive had interfered with Miss
Beclly's prospects; how the simple fact of
carrying home Mrs Eustis needlework should
have determined her fate, and devoted her to
a life of hardship and the sold Ladies' Home"
at the end! Talk of tridesl Poor Miss Becky
she remembered that once or twice the oppor-
tunlty had offered when she might have made
itup with Larry; but pride, or a sort of fine
reserve, had locked her lips-Lauy ought
to know that she was above silly frtations
Once, when they met at Lucy Amory's wed.
ding, when they all went into the orchard
while the bride planted young tree, and the
guests looked for four-leaved clovers, she had
found herself-whether by accident or design
she could not tell--on the grass beside Larry
their fingers met over the sauna 1ualv olOvar
their eyes met above it, and for an instant she
had 1t on her tongues end to confess all about
the drive and Its result, to put pride IN hel
pocket but just then Nell Amory called tC
Larry.
sob a horid spider!-on my arm. Larry
Kin him quick-dol Oh-oi-ohI | shall
die-I shall faint" And that was the enc
of it
The old orchard, with its fragrant ounce
bushes, its gnarled apple-trees, its four leaveC
clovers, was thing of the past; cotton mil
roared and Numbered there all day long, where
the birds built and the trees bourgeoned thirty
odd years age. 1t TO longer blossomed, OK.
cept in Miss Becky's memory. She had
turned her thoughts to raising plants, wher
she was left to her own resources, but one
cruel winters night killed all he slips and the
capital was lacking by which she might renew
her stock. Since then she had gone out fol-
daily sewing, had watched with the
eAChg udu bSSu III u6ulduQ lOr tempo
rary housekeeper whenever tired matroH
wished an outing; but latterly, her eyes M
longer served her for fine work and sewirl
machines had been introduced she was not 81
alert in the sick room as of yore: she moved
more slowly, and her housekeeping talent wa
no longer IN request; added to this, the banl
whore her little earnings had been growing
one day failed and left her high and dry
Some of her friends had travelled to pasture
new, some had married away, some had ig
nored or forgotten her. As for Larry Rogers
he had been away from Plymouth this man,
year, Somebody had sent him abroad tin
year after Lucy Amory's marriage to develol
his mrsical genius. He had grown into
famous violinist playing all over the countr
to crowded houses, before the finest people il
the land, 1t was beautiful romance to Mis-
Becky to read in The Plymouth Record abou
"our gifted townsman;" she seemed to hea
the echo of his violin when the wind sven
through the pine boughs She had no bite
thoughts; she did not blame him because sh
sat in shadow, because her life had been color
Jess. She sang again the old tunes he ha
taught her, and made little sunshine in he
heart All of happiness she had ever know
habad brought her Why should she 'np7
pam: And now she was going to the I'll
Ladies' Home"
ut isn't exactly what expect in my youth,
she said to the old Doctors widow.
No; but you'll have a nice room and
bright fire. and the neighbors will drop in t
see you and make it seem home-like Now
her to go to the Home She saws it's onIv
genteel almshouse after all; and so she rub
along with what little she can earn and wha
the nelghbOrs have a mind tn send in o.,