The Southern herald., 1886-05-15

my DpeaQ t0-usys'
"There it isl-earned your bread.
Margaret why will you earn your
breadP"
Because l deem it safer than to pill
fer it." Three furrows formed between
his eyes.
How long must this thing go On7'
Isighed I very deeply, then going to
the door laid my hand on the knob.
Until l cut it short thus.
"Stay! May l join you this after
noon?n
"HowP Where's"
ITO Lula Browns"
"Eavesdropper!"
81 cry peccaUi,"
IF you promise not to bore me with
nonsense, yes" And we went our
ways-he to the hotel, to my private
lodgings.
Irving Winter, Jr., occupied that
easy sounding, much underrated posi-
ton of assistant editor; in other words,
he did all the arduous drudging, and
prosaic part of the editing, while Irv-
ing Winter, the elder, editor-in-chief,
sat back in his well furnished sanctum,
stacked the silver, entertained, cursed
much and clipped little. l admired
Irving the younger in the direct ratio
that detested Irving the elder. We
had grown up together in. the same es-
tablishment-he started as printers
devil and | as paper-folder-and had
struggled up the ladder, round by
round, to our present eminence. Old
Irving Winter mot meaning irrev-
erence by the epithet, but merely to
avoid repetition of senior, you under
stanO was what is vulgarly called
close-fsted. In other words, he was a
mean, miserable, sordid old miser.
Young Irving-my Irving-was as free
hearted as the sunshine and did more
charity in year than his long-faced
deacon father did in ten.
Irving Winter, Sr.. $780," you
would see in large letters at the top of
every charity subscription list; while
away down toward the bottom In an
unpretentlous hand was:
| Anonymous, 80"
| understand. God bless himl There
was never nobler man, never one
that could do more good with his
money; and I, Margaret Vance, plain,
pennilcss story-reader, would come be-
tween him and it. Had not his father
threatened to disinherit him if he mar
ried me? And who. knew bat he
would? No! it must not be. Wemus
drop the dream of our youth; i should
tell him so this afternoon.
1879 Gilmore street. was part of u
tenement house. s"FRoom No. ~
Here it is. You just wait outside here,
Irving, till l see." A tall, gaunt wom-
an came to the door. 44rs...
There's dead woman in here. Be
you friend?' / shuddered and bowed
my head A young girl, apparently
eighteen years old, was laid out on a
snowy bed. Evidently kind hands had
shrouded her Kneeling between the
bed and the wall, her head buried in the
bed clothes, was little girl, weeping
violently. LULA | said, sis this
youP' She shook off my hand and
looked up. ''Who are you? Do you
know EllieP" "A friend, Lula. Come
with me-" "No, no" and she sank
back on the bed. ''God was mean to
Lula; He didn't answer her prayer and
send her the money. God was mean to
Lula"
"Hush!" l said, "God is good Your
story is, accepted, Lula, and | have
come to bring you the money" She
looked up with a half-glad smile, then
turned her head away. '1t's come too
late. Ellie cant drink milk now"
"But, Lula, we can buy some flowers
for her grave. Did Ellie love fowers?"
''Come, come" she said, starting up
and fairly dragging me from the room,
81 know where they keep beautiful
ones, crosses and rings. Well get a
white cross--comem . .--
A tall man brushed by us as we
passed through the hall.
"Why, George! you? Where did
you drop fromP" l heard Irving say.
"Come, come" urged Lulu as l
turned around to see who he was. We
hurried along, first down this street,
then up that, till l and my youthful
guide were both out of breath.
Here" she said, stopping at last be-
fore a flower shop. "Will you make
me white cross for these9" and she
held out the five silver dollars to the
bewildered fowerman.
Where'd you git that, sisP" he
asked, suspiciously.
II made it," she said, turning to
me appealingly,
f." Yes" said, sit belongs to her.
Can you fill the order at onceP"
" Jes, step inside miss, an I'll show
you some already made.
l let Lulu make her own selection
white japOnicas and tuberoses.
ellie loved the tuberosss So she
said. I'VE used to stop by here and
smell EN-. And one day she bought
one" Then. holding the cross out
very tenderly on both hands and arms,
And Ireally made the money" she
said. "You are sure my story was