The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-08-08

sHtS gap Vt uiIaUb 0WU WR5 Certain UhhE
he was under the ban-a marked man.
The family treated him with gloomy
patience. They had taken up their
cross and bore it; but it was heavy, and
he knew they found it heavy. Tom
was never seen by visitors at the table
or in the parlor. AT dusk he would
sknlk out to join some of
his comrades at the village grog
shops, and occasionally, but not often
was brought home brutally mtoxicat-
ed.
Joe's wife disappointed them all. She
was a plump, merry little girl, nothing
more. a very pleasant little heather +
! sighed Grace, after two days had passed.
Il named some Of the best books of re-
ligious fiction, but she never heard of
them; and she did not know of a single
n of our foreign missions"
Good Mrs. Demming was uneasy at
this, and that evening turned the con-
yersation on doctrinal subjects. Polly
grew red.
II am a fraid," she said, ST am not
clear in my ideas concerning those diff
hfcult points. The truth is, after
mothers death / had the charge of my
four brothers, and / had so little
time"
You will have more time now said
Isabella. II will mark out a course Of
d~octrinal reading for YOU
But Mary made slow progress with
her course of reading. As time passed
and she settled down into her place in
the household she proved to be a very
busy little woman. She had positive
talent for finding work; took her part
OF the family mending, tossed up dainty
little desserts, helped Joe with his ac-
counts. When Joe had gone to his of
fee she took tremendous walks, advised
Mother Demming about her fancy work,
or copied the squire's papers for him.
What a clerky hand you write!" said
Grace one day" / often wish mine
were not so delicate when father wor-
ries over those papers. But as for
mothers embroidery, women of her age
ought to give up that useless work when
their eyes are falling"
ut does not seem useless to me" said
Polly, gently. "She thinks you all
yalueit."
Where can Mary go on those inter-
minable walks?" said Isabella one
morning to Eer father. "You should
warn her about Black Lane. She might
wander into it, and bring home typhoid
fever"
"You ought to report that lane as o
nuisance, father, " said his wife. cit is
a perpetual sink of filth and vice"
ut is a disgrace to Balls Ferry that
such wretches can find harbor in i'll"
added Isabella. They oughtto be driv-
en- beyond the borough limits!"
Well, well, my dearl 1t doesn't do
to be too energetic" said the squire.
"They never had a chance"
He was reused, however, to- mention
Black Lane at a meeting of the town
burgesses hat day.
Something ought to be done, or we
will have typhus among us" he said.
Something has been done," said
Judge Paule. II came through the
lane this morning, and hardly knew it.
There has been a general draining and
cleaning, the dung hills are gone, the
cabins are whitewashed, the women
some.of them-had actually washed their
faces"
"What has happened?" asked the
squire.
"I heard the sound of children's
voices singing in one Of the cabins, and
the men told me it was Miss Mary's
class Some good woman has been at
work, / suspect"
Miss Mary"-the squire's face
grew red, his eyes flashed, but he said
nothing more.
Going home he met Polly coming to
meet him. He looked at her with the
eye Of q Judge. Are you the good
Samaritan? Have you been in Black
Lane, my dear?"
She blushed, laughed, and stammered
"Oh, that was the most natural thing
in the world, father. You know / was
brought up among colored people I
know how to manage them. 1t was
only a ditch dug here and there, a few
panes of glass and bushels of lime.
They are good, affactionate creatures,
and so anxious to learn"
The matter was driven out Of the
sources mind before he reached the
house, for he saw Tom skulking round
the stable door. He had returned that
day, and d dull weight Of misery fell ut
the sight on his fathers heart. Tom
did not enter the house until late in the
evening, when the family were gathered
about the lawn. He came into the
room with a swagger, unshaven, his
boots reeking of the stable. ION pur-
pose to mortify US, thought Grace, Bit
terly.
"I came in to see Joe's fine lady
wife, he said. in a loud voice. UNLESS
he's ashamed to introduce his scape-
grace brother.
Mary is not here said Mother DEM
ming. "Where is she Grace?v
I'm Uncle Ben's room She reads