The Labor enquirer., 1883-01-20

SOIIcu UuCe. ~ tho eetuSlsSi4of PiSooShhAioe',N
not only reminded Mr.. Bostwick of her
father, but of things heard after his
death. How that his estate had proved
to be insolvent, and that his family was
left, in the ordinary phrase, without a
dollar. ~ >,.a Il +.
We will not here describe what. passed
at the brief interview between Mr.. Bost-
wick and Miss Wild. r.
"Who was she?" asked Mrs. Bostwick.
as her husband came back to the family
| circle = Il y rMr
"Howard Wild's daughter" was almost
abruptly answered.
Howard Wild's daughter" responded
Mrs. Bostwick, in tone of surprise.
Eyes"
"Wbat did she want?"
Money"
Money"
Eyes. Asked me to lend her twenty
dollars p
You didn't do it."
""Oh, noW
"The girl must have considerable as
surance,n said Mrs Bostwick
$50 it strikes me. She tried to look
very sad and embarrassed but I saw
through her poor disguise. 1t was
mere speculation on my purse but it
didn't succeed"
"Was it Mary Wilde" asked low, in
terested voice; that of Mr.. Bostwick's
eldest daughter.
"She only called herself Miss Wild
nothing MORE" returned Mr.. Bostwick.
"Was she about my age and size?"
Eyes"
"It was Mary! Poor girl Pm so
sorry. l wish you'd given her the
money" said Annie Bostwjck.
This was met by an almost harsh re-
buke from the father, who denounced, J
rather intemperately, both Mrs. Wild !
and her daughter
why don't they 60 to work, like
other poor people, and make an honest
living?" he said. Begging is immoral,
no matter who engages in it; and |, for
one, shall give no encouragement to the
vice."
Annie looked hurt by this response,
and Shrunk back into silence.
1T was all Bham-all speculation"
went on Mr.. Bostwick II haven't lived |
fifty years in the world without learning
how to detect false coin. Twenty dol
lars l wonder how many she has
called on to day?-how many twenty
dollar bills she has received?"
No one answered. After muttering to
himself for awhile, the annoyed gentle
man, who really believed all that his de-
implied, dropped down into
an uncomfortable silence.
There is another side to all this Let
us see what it will unfold Mr. Bost-
wick may be right in his Judgment Of
the. case; but we will not accept that
Judgment until we have examined for
ourselves.
Only three blocks distant from Mr..
Bostwick's comfortable, or, we might
say, luxurious home, lived Mrs. Wild,
the widow of Howard Wild. At the
time of her husbands death, twelve
months before, she and her children
were dwelling in equal comfort with the
family of Mr.. Bostwick Misfortune
came with sorrow. Death took from
them sustenance as well as love. The
home in which they lived had too costly
furnishing to to be spared. Creditors,
eager to get, their own, seized upon and
sold everything not secured by law; and
when the, wreck and dispersion ended,
only,a few NECESSARY articles of house
hold goods remained; and with these
Mrs Wild shrunk away, stunned, fright
ened, shivering in face of a dark and |
drearv future, and sought shelter for
herself and children in small house,
the rent of which was moderate.
The ways and means to get bread
these came next into consideration. The
extremity was close, and had to be met
by early action. What could Mrs. Wild
do? Alas! In girlhood her educational
advantages had been limited. She was
not competent to teach. In the needle
hand alone lay all of her resources. |
There W Were four children, of whom Mary
was the oldest; and she was still at
school when the storm of misfortune