Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-12-10
What She Fonno.

On sultry July afternoon, about five
rear ago, an accident occurred on a
crowded street of Philadelphia. A
wagon trying to pass basket phaeton
had wrenched the wheel off and broken
the shaft. The lady who was driving was
forced to take refuge in shop until
her carriage was repaired. She would
be obliged to wait three or perhaps four
hours. She looked about with III con-
cealed disgust. What had induced her
to make the 'short cut" out of town
which brought her TO such a quarter'
Mrs. c. was refined, wealthy
woman, whose ruling taste for years
had been love of art, of tho beautiful
or sublime in nature. IL she had been
wrecked in one OF the miserably poor
districts of the city she would not have
been so bored. There was always some.
thing picturesque and interesting In
poverty and crime. But she was i'm the
neighborhood of the great wooden
mills, and mile after mile of little
dwellings and shops stretched out about
her-a wilderness Of cheap groceries,
cheap ready-made clothing, cheap tin.
ware. The streets were narrow as lanes,
the atmosphere hot and foul. The
room in which she sat was an eight.
by-ten drug shop; tho smell of cop.
peras and ipccac heavy in the air. The
apothecary, a little, old, keen-eyed
man, watched her as he worked his
pestle.
"You do not find much to interest
you in this street," he said, after an
hour had passed.
81 think never saw any place SC
drearily commonplace she said,
Sand the faces of the people who pas:
have but one meaning: Work fol
your bread.
The old man smiled quietly, grinding
away in silence.
Take that woman who bought a
stamp Just now"-Mrs. C con.
tinued, to relieve the monotOny OF
her wearisome waiting-"middle-aged,
neat to fault, and half-fed; suppose
the history of her life is: Work for six
days for money that will barely keep
her alive fivep'
That's about it! That is Anne
Scott. She makes women's skirts on
the machine at dollar dozen. She
has been engaged to be married for fiji.
teen years to John Furlong, that
stopped shouldered man on the other
side of the street."
"Why don't they marryP"
''It's Johns mother, ma am. She
had fever and it touched her brain
and she went quite mad. 1t takes all
John makes at the loom to keep her in
private asylum. There's some men
that would have quietly put her in the
almshouse. But Furlong'll never de-
sert his mother even to marry poor
Anne Scott. He's fond of her, too.
He waits ut that corner half of his
noon-hour every day, just to see her go
by"
Fifteen yearsr' said Mrs. c.,
under her breath.
"You see," the old man continued,
"Furlong's not skilled weaver. His
earnings are smaller than those of the
other men. He is shepherd by rights;
. herder from Scotland. But he
landed here without dollar And
what could he do in that case? There
are no sheep in the streets of Philadel-
phia."
Mrs. c. rose quickly, and went
to the door. The stopped, high-featured
working-man and tho prim little wo-
man who passed each other with sud
den tightening of the face, were more
interesting after all than any piece Of
old Satsuma or Capo di MONT. Yet
what prices had she not paid for these!
She followed Anne home and spent
an hour in her solitary little room.
Then she went to find John Furlong.
She was eager, enthusiastic. Never
had any chase for Capo di Monti in
Europe been so exciting as this. Mrs.
C was widow, the owner of n
country seat, farm and many flocks.
She wanted trusty shepherd and a
woman who could take charge of the
house in her absence.
John Furlong and his wife have been
established in pretty cottage on her
farm for four years. They have gained
home and happiness, but her gain is
greater. She has found higher uses
for her life than artistic devotion to old
china and bric.a-brac. The heather
maxim for life was know thyself"
but the Christians is "Know thy
brother!'-Y Youths Companion.