The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1885-12-10
SAVINGS FOR A RAINY DAY
ny EDWARD II. rRAFToN.

little household was strictly homemade.
Homemade things may lack style and
polish and great many other qualities,
but they are solid and satisfying The
widowed mother was brave and patient
tourteen-year old George was manly and
helpGul Baby Bess, Il wee tot, insisted
that she was mammals sunbeam and
Georges JOY and between them the
love these three had for each other WAS
their principle fortune, To be sure, they
had their cottage, nestled like n brown lit
tie wren of house among the cherry
trees, but so far from the moro preten
tious street of the Village as to be quite
secluded in its modest retirement-a
home-nest where there was more peace
thaa plenty
One thing this tiny residence had in
common with many stately mansions that
unwinkingly stand forth rs if begging
for public admiration-there was a mort
gage on it. 1t was so very small house
that it really seemed as though it would
not take much of a mortgage TO crush in
| its low, rambling roof. like too heavJ
load of snow, and, like the snow, is a mort,
gage on the poor mans home, n cold, pitt
less dead weight
Next after her two children Mrs. Nor
ris loved this wren.like house best of any
thing, and for three long years she had
worked at that mortgage, saving up and
paying it of "by little" until ut last when
of the original $500 there only remained
tribe less than $40 TO pay, lawyer Hard
| ing had given her notice that he had
hn Of m ts,n,
that he could no longer extend the time,
and that unless the balance was paid by
| the first day of the month he would fore
! close. This simply meant that she would
| lose all she had paid and be turned ont of
doors in the bargain, At the same time
| the lawyer had intimated, on giving this
| disagreeable Intelligence. that if Mrs.
Morris would consent to marry him he
would relieve her OF all further trouble,
not only in regard to this but all future
| financial emlarraS sments.
| The mortgage itself was trouble enough
| for one. poor woman to bear; but she
would rather have had all the mortgages
in he world to fight than endure the
| thought OF life with man with the mean
traits of this lawyer. She gave him to
understand this fact as clearly as a good
use of plain, mattcr-of-fact English could
| do it. His words were smooth enough
| too smooth, in fact-as he went away, but
there was the sort of smile on his face
and its sinister counterpart in his soul
that BODIED no good to the object of his
| thoughts 1t was as evident to her as
though he had said so in so many words
that the time mentioned would lie the last
day of grace.
April first Came-but not the paltry bal
ance needed to clear off the mortgage And
no sum of money is paltry when one must
have it to avert disaster-and cannot get
it, Mrs. Morris could see no earthly way
out of her troubles that morning. Every.
thing looked dark. 1t was hard TO have
worked so long, to have struggled fol
weeks and months and years, as she had
done, only to lose all at last. No, not all
For she had George and Bess left. Think.
ing of them made it still harder to bear
for it was for their dear sakes she had
toiled and economical and saved. There
was q suspicious suggestion Of what hel
eyes had been doing when George came
cheerily in to his breakfast.
what my little mammies eyes are
half drownedw he exclaimed in his
hearty, boyish way, with part fun and
more tenderness in his tone, as he Rugged
her like young bear, ana dabbed kisses
into each damp eye.
"Tisn't me-" he continued, searching
for cause for the rather unusual display
of discomfort. No: I'm glad of that
lOI NOl llililh We tpilc tliilis5 uON IL
right awful lately, and it can't be Bess
She's all right, know-no measles OIL
whooping cough, or anything-for ! Just
saw her sleeping like a-a-n here he
paused for satisfactory smile, dabbine
more warm kisses from rosy lips into
red eyes the while" like a happy little
kitten"
"Georgie. do eat your breakfast. It's
as bad to have ones eyes kissed out as
drowned out"
ooh, l know p he confined, pursuing
the subject with no intention of Icing puj
off. That old Harding is coming again
I'll bet anything"
Eyes, dear. he is coming" but the lit
tie woman had not the heart to tell al
that dreaded coming implied.
"Pshaw, mammie. Don't worry Sc
about it. That blamed mortgage is almost
paid Off and you won't have TO see the
mean sneak many times more
81 don't like to hear you speak that way
1t doesn't help me and it hurts YOU
More kisses that said as plainly as word.
could, at was because | love you an(
can't bear to see you SO unhappy, but j
it hurts you | won't do it any more"
Then he pitched into his breakfast witt
as savage earnestness as though hi
thought he was q half-starved Gambia
and his food was the luckless, but well
cooked Harding