St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1884-02-23
AN OBJECT OF CHARITY.

AN OBJECI OF CHARITY.
''Mirandy," said Mrs. 10. run II,
to the attic an fetch me down all tn,
old truck you can find up there. 1t.
going to be hard winter an | 'spos,
It's our .bounden dooty to give to The
poor"
''Thet's about accordin' to Scripter,' =
and Deacon 10 looked up from his pa
per and nodded approvingly. Feed
the nayk ked, clothe the hungry: we hey
the poor with us all-wise, keSiah.'
''Takin' it by small an large we give
ez much ez the rest on EN-" said
Mrs 10, as Miranda disappeared. "Tm
one ez believes that charity begins at
hum, but if there's ennything left over
that we've no airthly use fur I'm free
to give it,
Pretty soon Miranda returned with a
great armful of clothing, which she
threw in a heap at Mrs. JOS feet.
Bring me the shears N the work
basket" said Mrs. Jo, sorting over the
pile on the floor.
BE You a-going' to give away my
last years coat and thet fur cap?" asked
the Deacon, leveling his spectacles at
the heap.
1.-The coat'll do for chores for spell
yet;" said Mrs. 10, holding it up and
inspecting its faded back 1.-The
sleeves are broke. and the skirts tore,
but the rest of it's hull; the cap amt
good-for-nothin'." !"
''Sho', now," chuckled the Deacon,
81 think it is good for nothin'."
I'll give it to the poor" continued
Mrs. 10; lit ii keep some shiftless mans
ears warm if it amt much account.
Now here's a good shirt. Gimme the
shears, Mirandy"
Then Mrs. 10 thriftily cut the buttons
off the shirt, and, holding it up to the
light, inspected it infinitely.
The sleeves are a bit ragged" she
said, land the body is worn thin, but
there's good buzzum in it. I'll save
that" and she deftly cut out the square
of linen, leaving the collar in its place
on the garment.
The shirt added to the ''poor heap"
she next took up an old .'harvestin'
coat of the. Dcacon's; it was made of
seersucker cloth and was as thin and
airy as a mosquito net.
Iii get a new coat to them buttons"
said Mrs. 10, as she dextrously nipped
them off; 1.-THE poor man that gifts that
will have good coat to his back"
1T won't be very warm" hazarded
Miranda, who was Mrs. JOS second
cousins orphan, and had been raised in
the family.
'.Beggars mustn't be choosers." said
Mrs. 10 significantly. Il should say
that any poor man who gets a gift of
that coat with the seams all overcast |
and pockets hull. needn't expect to have
a set OF mother-of-pearl buttons thrown
in. Now thereis them jean pants-they
amt much worn if they are faded yeller:
I've a good mind to give them to the
poor"
Don't give away anything you
mought need YOURSELF" suggested the
Deacon, who just caught her closing re-
mark.
Il shan't want them, l reckon" an
Swered Mrs. 10 shortly, land if dew,"
she added, piously, 1.-THE Lord will pro-
vide"
..Kesiah, exclaimed the Deacon.
as she folded the gar
nents, shave you looked in all the pock-
ets?'
Never thought of it," she answered
'olemnly. and turned them all inside
mt; from the last one a cent fell to the
ioor.
The very penny I lost in the sum-
ner, and I-we-thought-you mind,
lesiah-that somebody might have been
empted' he glanced in the di-
'ection of Miranda-s.into stealing"
When the bundle for the poor was
made up it was very light; Miranda had
10 trouble in carrying it to the base
nent of the church, where the charita-
'le organization. known as the Helping
land, convened. There she dumped it {
N the floor with a hasty announcement :
# who sent it, and sped off home again.
A few weeks later, in the beginning
+ the season, Deacon 10 was laid up I
With broken leg, and Mrs. 10 tried to s
ire man to do the work; but as she t
ad a wide reputation for being very '
near in her dealings, no man could
e had. AT the last moment, when n
he was almost discouraged, there a
anne clumsy knock at the door, and v
4 answer to her ..comem bundle of q
ags. surmounted by an old, shrewd c
lack face, walked in. Mrs. 10 fell t
ack on Miranda in some CONSERVATION. C
n there was something appallingly
lmiliar in the objects appearance.
Where have 1 seen you afore?" she c
lquired. c
..He-he-he! missis, I done can't b
H. said the apparition. snatching a Ii
'mical old fur cap off its head. Il e