Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1884-09-26
iIii.. DARK iiNGn.


No. 49, 'N''''N"! ilH I"Htl, SOMEHOW,
".t i..r - TT IN" h2>"a 'liaur'' 20 !,,,'p a
= ;i,''"t"r y"ir had. | n"w I'm n"t al /
r,i. 81; j'; %. a':i I'm runi~lr'
l.".'.,l y. - a.I'~, IA" rron ard raittd iuT
/; ;-:.;.lr: "a tii.. !a-!-
'.>..~ .i.r,t talk" un. Nicl-. don't" sl,c said
-. .i ,.:i1it '" frr iI.> k'inv> all knows hn,v
god l"l .,rc. E"ttcrtinr.~' Il come ThnN re
,'Ir' -: anil y"u'n l." rewarded fn7 all vour
l;i.',l,rr lvt The darkest hour is iris l.c-
fore '.at."
,.il Ter shook ilis head.
'-t->o in uji hnl@,. Ep.l.v." h" SAIL. what
Wi:ii the ron, and ,!ir hill for nr.lrinr. It
;y,i> ilk,. me L. get SIX Just at the worst and
no ..ur'. comm. iu and the r',r >hop with
the - >i,1l tempting f"lhS from ";'r shabby
Ia-e:ncni even fur tn" uen'ln:s "f ;irir old
,i."~. i'm crushed down. Why. you are a~
iiin and white rs n ghost. N;.u haven't
ta~."i meat this week. Becky"
-" NOR" have you." said Becky "Hnt In,
wly th,rc i; folt> think meat unhu~nme
Wre-tariarS, Nick. thcv call EN-; where
lived cu: ON" >aw ono
'!iil h ,ay Tread WAS unhuls.nnr. toe -
a,lci Nick. "oh. cal. wish Id h,it y",l
living cut at service. rosy AMI bright and
haiI': bat | meant I" Ito httcr than dill.
II | was IN able bodied man III work some
Eow and >'livwh"Ic. hut is the last or not
In. with ne. Becky. why didn't you take
Tim Rolf. the wh"clwiicht. ami send the lit
lie limIln- c".i.lrr about hi, business"
Il don't ike Tim" said Becky. "and i,Ist
in"w how NEE AMI cosy WEI, hr together.
Never urarrcl. Nick. And how we used to
ro tn li"hut,n ami have lemonade in the gar
Ken and come bone artcr,'ark an atterro on.
/ nrl how used 10 go TO church Sunday
n,rnine in clothc> as good as any ones"
( ''l.-l." sighed poor Mix.
WHY. il can't Ec all up hill" said Becky
II haven't the time to go gallivanting now,
Int. n. don't miss it. We're steady mar
ri"l folks now. You know"
/ "Gl. becky" sail he colhlrr. ''you try to
keep ny hart, hut you know its come to
ItnrVing.
/ They looked at each other. and then Becky
put her arms about her husband. She did
not weep uron his bosom: she was so big and
strong aud he sn small and frail that 1t only
] seemed natural to reverse matters. She
huggcd hin up to her shoulder and covered
h head over with her aprcn. and put her
meek down outside the hurdle thus made,
and enotl,nl and ratted him as if h" lIn'! been
] I ialv. Rr. She cried, too and the an!on
va, wct through in no time.
! II was Lad state of things. No money.
~ f"cd, no t're. and winter at its coolest the
children .cnt to school brealfasilrsS for the
'ahe of the warmth and comfort of the school
! horiSc: no work TO e had; the little cohicr
/ rS helpless as man could well I've. except at
liz trade. and Beckys washing stopped.
/ 'o- heaven only knew how long
/ hv II great fclon in the palm of her right
hand. l'ut Becky loved the queer little NOR
tai She had married so we'll that She stnrped
rr, ing. and picked up his head ami patted it.
rnl kissed him between the cveS-great.
frightened, liSht-hiue eye, that seemed made
! fnr r, inc.
'HoI 'tay home and mind the place -he
sHii. I'm going out awhile. Perhaps
,Eere'l be n bit OF luok-Who knowsr'
s'h" mt on he" bonnet ani shawl-sIch n
thin little hawl, which had te,n used for IN
ircrn" cloth, aud had an iron-Shapcd scorch
ie'vecn tie shoulderS-and took up a basket.
TIE cobb'er 'oo';ed at her
"Te ky" Re aid. hoarelv: Becky"
Sho knew ju what he meant.
The little children. Nick. she said 1--WE
could starv = ut them poor little critters.
/ Mel, it won't seem like begging whedits for
! lhem."
And then the door shut behind her and
Nick limped after her. as though TO stop her.
| then paued and fairly flung himself down
upon the focr. wishing he were under the
rro,nd beneath it.
God forgive the man that marries n
woman to starve her" fc sobbed. "Why. if
I'd known it would have come to this ia
ntver have courted her. It's time was
l,ead
Perhaps. tcing strange, impuISivc. little
follow, there might have teen tragic end ia
This scene Mt that tie children came in fry m
sc!ool and legan to crv, patty at the sight
# their prostrate father. partly because of
hunger. and Nick forgot himself to do what
he could for them.
lie had no dinner, hut he had great deal
Of love to give them, and some pieces of red
kid. Only the youngest chewcd the kid And
the fact that mother ard the basket were
gone together impressed them with hope of
provisions.
Meanwhile. Becky had gone a-begging 1t
would be horrible. 10 doubt. she thought. to
take food from strangers bnt she found there
was one thing even more terrible--not to take
il.
Door after door was slammed in her face
Once a dog was set at her, or she thought so.
Professional beggars had made themselves
miisances to many people. and how were they
10 know real poverty when it asked aims!
Men whom they bad ptte1 as paupcrs
proved to be tic owners Of real estate. Grip.
pies and bird men whom they had aided
were fourd to have bound up strong limbs
and glued their eyes together-so they were
hard upon real distress and refused it broken
bread
At that evening Becky stood at a street
corner with one crust in her basket-no
moro.
Beyond lay a pawnbroker's shop, and
Becky looked at its golden balls and at her
wedding ring. She had worn it fifteen years,
and it was thin and frail, but it was pure
gold. Through all she had kept it until now
Must it go. The thought was worse than
begging.
Becky took a step forward. another back.
Then she began to cry little. Nick's ring
that he put ON her hand so long ago-oh dear,
| oh dear.
But she grew brave again. and wale ed
into the shop and pawned the ring 1t was
not much they gave her for it, but it would
buy supper, and perhaps Nick wouldn't no
tlce. and perhaps she could get it back; That
was very faint perhaps" however.
\ woman was in the pawnshop as she
waited, bargaining with the proprietor ovei
a suit of little girls clothing--costly things
strangely out of place in her hands Eecky
noticed this, saying to herself that they
We're never fairly come by. But she had
forgotten all about it wben coming out Of tho
bakers little. voice fell on her ear, and
looking down, she saw harcfoo. child oi
four, IN wret''liei rags, sohhing lteouslv
/ Becky was soft of heart: Int in poo,
quarters CRYING children were common
enough. and her own were waiting for i'll,
loaveS in her basket. She walked on hastily
and upset the t~lGler. Then Becky must
needs stop u,.'l rick her up.
why don't you go home to your mother
this night time" she sail ''and not stand
mere To he knocked DOWN.
And a little silver thread Of voice
answered:
81 can't fnt mamma. cant find my
hGn". Where is mamma. oh. mamma
Becky knrlt down. y white head OF
,rumlrd crrls and pair Of blue eyes swim
ming III tcars she could just make out.
Eu. the child could tell nothing It was
3 llainlv Inst R,,rl.y tool IL il, haI- md