The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1884-01-17
THE LITTLE SAMARITAN.

-clC0oT, LOT t0at IOaLCef! DuC MISS mar
James own browning dislike, whic
$embittered her whole soul, as much a
1t was impossible to embitter so swee
=" anc sunny a soul, was her hatre'
for her name. The man of Han
could not be helped; it was the paterna
iatronymic; it belonged to the unfortu
nate son of Noah; but why should he
mother aggravate the matter by addin
: the plebeian Mary Jane? There wer'
hundreds of feminine appellatives tina
were quite as inexpensive and tina
would have added some grace to the in
cvitable. Ham. Without petition
ing the general court, Mary Jan,
had managed to tighten in small way
her grievance. Her friends called hel
Jennie. She signed her name in fault
less chirography, as became Massa
Jehusetts school ma'am, NJ. Jennie Ham
Md she had faith that, in the near fiji
thre some fahltless young man woul,
endow her with name far more en-
durable than the one her father had ]ef
her and which was all she had ever re-
'rceived from him. It was, therefore
Swith a sort of shudder that she read the
superscription, which ran, in bold bust
ness like letters, across the envelope
"Miss Mary J. Ham, Rifetown, Mass
The post mark for once not blotted over
was Chicago; the writer who? M. Jennie
had no acquaintance in that famous
western city. and only by dint of hard
thinking did it occur to her that her
mothers eldest brother, John Rivers
lived there; but he was reputed to be o!
immense wealth, and very likely he haC
never heard Of her existence. She tore
open the envelope and read:
"My dea, niece: I expect the reception
OF this letter will cause you some surprise,
and the reading OF it more. I am your mo-
Sther's eldest brother. When first came to
Ehicago / used TO correspond with your
somehow our letters grew more and more
infrequent and finally ceased entirely.
~ Then your dear mother died, and in the
heat Of money getting I lost all traces OF
my Eastern relatives. Latterly, must con-
TESS from selfish motives, I have been look.
ing them up: am getting. old. Ny wife
!, is deas. have no child. need a home.
You must know that business men frequent
~ suffer great reverses. I have written to
each Of my nephews and nieces much as
have written toyou. My letters have most
y remained unanswered; or, if answered,
furnished but q cold comfort. Will you
take pity on Al old man? Iawait your an.
swer with Intense interest,
Is Your uncle,
- JOHN RIVERS"
;. NJ. Jennie slowly folded the letter,
Chemically replaced itin the envelope,
:, and. with preoccupie1 air. turned her
fsteps toward her home. She had been
left IN orphan at an early age, without a
relative to claim her, and had won her
way only by indefatigable industry and
n grit, First, as sewing girl, going from
hoase to house, she had saved money
s,enough to fir herself for teaching; she
had toiied night and day, and within
= The past twelve months she had obtained
Y Q situation in the Rifletown high school,
ata salary of 500 per annum. She liked
yielding carpets, and pretty furniture.
She had woman's longings for delicate
. laces and fine linens and crispy silks and
soft cQshmeres, and, recently, in very
small way, she had commenced to revel
>in their possession. She had even, dur
ling her coming vacation, contemplated a
,. Visit to the White Hill, and over maps
and in the dulcct pages of Starr King,
in imagination had foated over tie
bright waters of the Winnipiseogee and
drank in the beauties of the Pemigewas-
set, the Saco and the Androscoggin val
sleys; and here, in the face. of
was a letter asking charity.
NJ. Jennie had tender heart. Her
struggles with poverty had left no cal
louses on it. Her mind went reluctant
ly back to those old, unpleasant days
and then reverted to Uncle John. He
had been wealthy and now he had no
d.. nome; he was old, his wifi, was dead,
he was her dead mothers brother, and
lie needed some one to care for him.
) AL! well. IIer. life, SO fur, had been
Qna&iong repression; why not let it con-
Hhus. SO to the end? And after all, is
there not sometimes as much pleasure
in the denial as we'll as in the gratifica-
ton Of q wish?
- Long before she reached her home
i>Jennie had come to 4 decision. The
little brown cottage must accommodate
one more. With friend OF her sewing
days she had rented little cottage on a
back street, and thus satisfied the in
tense longings of her heart for home.
Her ar engagements were soon compile
ted, and the next day the mail carried
an answer to Uncle John. IL, too"
sshe wrote, shave known what it is to
offer yon may sadly disappoint you; but
"A will try my best to make it pleasant
for you. Your room is ready, and with
my warmest welcome, waits your
coming" -"
A week later an express wagon landed
an old man, with battered trunk, on
the doorstep Of the little brown cottage.
4 It CHANGED to be on q Saturday, when
Jennie had fno school duties, and the
!. cordial words with which she welcomed
Uncle John were interrupted by kiss
on tho old man cheek, which the lat
ter did not fail to repay. From under
= pair OF bushy eyebrows there peered
out two keen, sagacious gray eyes. which
took in every look and movement OF the
A1ittle schoolma'am.
Z $50 Y on dear little Samaritan" he cried.
s..Y You, of al my relatives, alone consent
"a soft hand was placed over the old
mans mouth.
Is. Hush, Uncle John" she said. "1ou
come as my honored guest, and you are
to nuke no Samaritan references to me-"
Then she introduced him to her COM
4 panion, showed him through the little
brown cottage, and, with many q tug
y and little cry, helped him carry the old,
battered trunk up the winding stairway.
The task accomplished, she proceeded
to store it's contents in tAultlesS order in
the bureau provided for the purpose.
So like your. mother in her girlish
days. said Uncle John, interrupting her
Gin her work toindulge in one more good,
long look. And. what untold posses
Bions and pleasures do you deny your
self for the sake of giving an old man q
/ llome7" =. ~.
rs Z. All! Uncle John" she answered; with
merry laugh, my life has had 80 many
denials. that q few more or less are of lit
4 tie consequence. And, besides, I have
found, with the German Leasing, that
the seeking the pleasures of the pursuit
and anticipation i greater than the
AsTealization. rs.
sS..'.A And soyou are deep in: the Germans.
Do not let their Haeckels and Buchners
dim your faith. = (.
Then they sat down and took Q men
Ilrauee Of each other. From German
&e6phy they drifted to poetry, from
poetry TO history, from history to
science. - 81 34 (
Uncle John has not found business
40 absorbing that be has not taken time
rs read. Perhaps his deVotionst 10 books
scatlsed him 70 nj I; ~ thou9hts Jennie.
The Httla Samaritan hAd not allowed
poverty % Int feiris 18th the develop;
6ent 81 fer higher hatlfe. t6hesfs thor.
s On1h la I'LL her ellocf aaIs nj ailments