The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-02-26

business in Cleveland. Ohio, and had a
house as pleasant as this, and a wife and
child; but l failed in business; then my
wife and child died, ard l had a long sick
ness. After 1 got up from it l tried several
different things, but finally came to this.
Thank You, ma'am," putting the money in
his thin pocket-book. "You look like some-
body I used to know in Hillsborough, where
I was raised"
But Miss Lois made no answer, except
"Good afternoon" as he went down the
steps.
When the gate closed behind him, she
went up to her chamber, unlocked a
drawer in her bureau, and taking from it q
thin package of letters, sat down with
them in her hand.
There was no need to read tbeIa; she
knew every word in them. They had come
at long intervals during the first nine years
of waiting: she could tell the very day the
last one came. She sat there very quietly
until her little maid called her to tea; then
she put the letters back in their place
smoothed her hair, and went down. And
neither Polly nor the friends who came in
the evening suspected that Miss Lois had
seen a ghost that afternoon. =
The next morning Polly returned from
the grocery in great excitement. A%peddler
had had a b~leeding-spell there the night be-
fore; they had made him u bed in the back
room, and that afternoon the selectmen
WI 6SkhS w pohS hAth W. WIZ PcoA -
Polly had seen him with her open eyes.
Miss Lois finished FASTING the paper over
the last tumbler of currant jelly, then
washed her hands calmly, took of her
apron, and went upstairs. In a few min
utes she cam down with her hat on. "l,m
going out for q little while, Polly" she
said; "and while I'm gone you may make
up the bed in the east chamber"
Polly was amazed. OF course nobody in
the town would come to stay all night; and
I Mice nis hod hoA mn 1attQrc fnr a few
days; besides, there had been no extra
cooking. What could it mean? But, being
an obedient little maid, she did as she was
bid. Bed-making was al exact science
with Polly, who had been carefully trai-aed
in it by Miss Lois; so the feather-bed was
rolled and thumped until it stood up q
great fluffy mound to be laboriously and
critically leveled with the broom-handle,
Polly's arms being far too short for the
purpose. Then the lavender-scented sheets
were carefully laid on, with due regard TO
wide hem and narrow hem, the homespun
blanket, with it's herring bone border, was
spread without a wrinkle and tucked under
the smoothly-rounded edges, and over all
went the big white counterpane: 1t was a
sight to do your ayes good: Polly was
standing with the end of a pillow between
her teeth, her head very far back, trying
to slip the pillow-case On, when there was
a sound of wheels at the door. Without
letting go the pillow she managed to apply
OuO Of0 w u 4u "do Nv PooAAS
carriage, and, wonder of wonders, the
doctor got out, then Miss Lois, and, with
the help of the driver, a man was taken out
and carried up the walk.
But other eyes than Polly's had been busy
and within forty-eighth hours everybody in
Springvale knew that Miss Lois had recog-
nized an old friend in the peddler and had
taken him home to nurse. And l think it
is to the credit of human nature that, while
a few said: "Did you ever?" and "How it
~1,-0 H. ~r~- ~ %ha A1H
and only hoped Miss Lois wouldn't get
sick herself.
But Miss Lois kindness was not to be
taxed long. The man failed rapidly, and
another hemorrhage made the end GER
and talked much of "Maryo and "Willie,"
and names strange to Miss Lois; but as the
end drew near he ceased muttering, n
lay apparently unconscious. That night,
as she sat beside him, he looked up sud-
denly, his eyes bright and clear.
"Why, Lois! !" he said.
eyes, David,'' she answered quietly
laying her hand on the n fast growing
cold.
He made an effort to speak, his eyelids
quivered, a ~breath-and a second time he
had gone on a long journey, leaving her
behind him.
When the town authorities came to make
arrangements. for the funeral, Miss Lois
asked that he be buried in her own lot, for
in the first months of her homesickness sne
had had the remains of her father and
mother brought from their bleak hillside
graves to rest near her. So he was laid be-
side his old townsman, and a few months
after a plain marble slab was placed at his
head, bearing only the name "David
Price" with the date of death, and his age,
''52 years."
When Miss Lois wore the gray dress
again Polly noticed that the lavender rib
BON were gone, and about this time people
said to each other that Miss Lois was be.
ginning to show her age. Not that she
grew gray and wrinkled suddenly: but
there was a change. 1t was not her heart
that was changed, for her friends found
her more and more delightful, and. hel
house was the favorite s~topping-place fol-
young and old. She seemed to have a spe-
cial tenderness for young girls, and many
condolences, blushing or fearful, were
poured into the sympathetic ear, and many
were the lovers q~uarrels healed by heI
gentle counsels. She used to say sometimes
in a wistful way: 81 want them to have all
the happiness l AVE missed" But her
sympathies We're not confined to the young:
they overflowed on all who needed them.
Discouraged men and women slouched into
her gate at nightfall, and came out with
their faces lifted and fresh hope in thei1
hearts. Naughty boys, who deserved and
dreaded the rod, knocked meekly at her
back door for help, which was always
given, mingled with such wholesome re-
proof that a boy seldom came twice on the
same errand. Even hurt and homeless an
imals seemed to know by instinct where tc
find an asylum. and took the shortest
route to Miss Lois door,, and not one was
turned away unhelped.
So the peaceful years slipped away, un-
til one day her friends gathered to keep her
eightieth birthday; and they said to each
other how well Miss Lois was looking, and
that they hoped to keep her for another
ten years; and the house was gay will
| flowers and little children, and Miss Lois
beamed on them until her face seemed
TRANSPORTED.
and elderly, went up to her room, she
stopped to see if her mistress was COM
Portable for the night. She found her sit
ting in her great armchair, her head rest
ing lightly against the cushions, and her
eyes closed as though in quiet sleep. But
it was the long sleep. One hand rested
upon a package of yellow letters, and the
thin forefinger of the other had stopped at
a verse in the open Bible in her lap; and
read the words: "Even Christ pleased not
Himself"
ola and faithful friends gathered up her
treasures, and when in looking over her
papers they came to the package of yellow
letters and read tia signatures, they sud-
denly remembered the name on the stons
in the graveyard, and looked at each other
with pitying eyes, half guessing the story;
but the story was ended.-Lippiacot's
Magazine.
LIFE IN ITALY.
Vast Properties Going to Rack and Ruin
Because of National L.aziness.
Tho rv.aot pnicfnrtpna of M Tt,1;n,,