Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-05-15
which was just across the way from Mrs.
Whelanis and 90 there in q hndv

which was just across the way from Mrs
Whelan's, and go there in a body.
1t was nice bright evening, but Their,
/ was no moon, and so the Whelans did no
see the people gathering, each one will
some sort of bundle or basket and they
would only have thought Miss Springer wa.
having surprise party il they had. But
each one of the party as they came noticed
how strange Miss Springer looked, sort OF
| dismayed and crestfallen, and she was
| actually pale, too. She waited till every
body had come, and then she got up. with
q sort of desperate courage, and said aloud
SO that they could all hear her g / dom
know what you will all say to me. and.
whatever it is, | sha'n't say word; but /
must get it out and have il over-Nancv
| Whelan isn't going to be married at ali !:
she's going TO Boston TO be companion 10
friend of her aunt's"
There was an awful silence for nearly five
minutes, and then every tongue seemed to
break loose at once, and all anybody could
make out in the buzz was scrap OF a SEN
tence here and there like" Of all ere.
ated-' " Did she do it on purpose Or
Who told" Who said" Has he
gone " Was he married." and SO on.
III there was perfect Babel; and there sat
Miss Springer in the midst of it, as dumb
as the Sphinx, and good deal more misera
bic looking. At last there was a lull as
sudden as the clamor had been and Mrs
Renshaw's clear, pleasant voice made itself
heard
My dear friends" she said, ''we all
know Nancy Whelan too thoroughly TO
dream that she would willingly have al
lowed this false impression to 90 abroad
and we know that Miss Springer was per
tectly sincere in her belief in it. Now il
seems to me that this is enough for US 10
know. and |, for one, feel that | have re-
ceived a needed lesson. For twenty.fi
years Nancy has gone in and out among
us, faithful in all her work, giving time
and strength ungrudgingly to all of us who
have been visited by sorrow or trouble. I'M
I'll fear we have come to regard her min
lStrauons as matter of course She has
been PAID the moderate sums she asked for
her eXqulsltely neat sewing but how can
any of us repay her labors of love-" Mrs.
Renshaw faltered here and nearly broke
down, and there was hardly ANYBODY in
the room who didn't choke little. Nancy
had held little Willie Renshaw in her
arms for hours just before he died. when
ms mother was too worn out too take him;
he died of scarlet fever, too. And there
was hardly person there who could not
remember some such experience But
Mrs. Renshaw steadied herself and
went on I'VE have all known that it
took some exertion on their part to keen
that little home: that all luXuries, many
comforts, were wanting in it; and feel deeply
condemned. Mrs. Whelan is nearly help
less with rheumatism, but her cheerful
patience has perhaps kept Us from realiz-
ing what she suffers, not only in actual
pam, but ID the feeling that she is a burden
instead OF help-which must be a bitter
THING tn y,0t L. J
unselfish as she is. If Nancy had married.
II IS to be supposed that she would have
had thencetorth a secure and comfortable
nome and some one 10 provide for her as
IL is, she IS going to leave her mother and
SISTER, | suppoSe-and we all know how
dearly she loves them and her little home
and go among strangers for the sake of
earning needed money. | put it to the
common sense Of all herein which of
these conditions are our gifts most needed
/ am making too much of speech. but
must finish by saying that my suggestion
would be that we all proceed Immediately
10 Mrs. Whelan's, with our gifts in our
hands, and tell Nancy just how highly we
appreciate her, and how sorry we shall be
to part with her. and that we hope our of
ferings may tend to hasten her return. and
10 comfort her mother and sister in her
absence. If anybody has any other plan to
propose, | should be very glad to hear it;
but II nobody has will all in favor of this
suggestion please raise the right hand?"
Every hand flew up, as pump handle
hies when certain mysterious disorder at
tacks the pump.
" Contrary ~ said a Young fellow who
was Secretary of the Lyceum Not hand
stirred, except two, and they seemed to be
making curious cfab-like motion from
their pockets to the ends of the bundles
they carried.
1t was II o'clock when the last of the
surprisers left Mrs. Whelan's door, and as
the gate clicked after them, Nancy dropped
on the stony-hearted little sofa, and, for
the first time in her life, went into mild
mysteries. ITO Think" she gasped, 9" that
they all thought of me that way, and |
never know it And just look-at the cake
and jelly-and oranges-they've left
And that black silk can pr-p-pretty near
stand alonel And we'll never have to buy
another-tablecloth- sheet-or pillow
case-and all these lovely new tins-and
the tea-set-l declare, it's more than / can
stand Mother, you'll have to hold me as
you did when / was iittlel'' And Nancy
fell on her knees, and cried her heart out
on her mothers lap.
There, my dear, there there ~ said
Mrs. Whelan, with tremble in her own
voice, as her crippled hand tried to stroke
Nancg's bowed head "cry as much as you
hke-youll feel all the better for it, I've
known what my girl was these thirty years
and more, but I'm glad to think that other
people know il, too"
Nancy went TO Boston in state of tri-
umphantly cheerful courage and was "a
clear comfort TO old Mrs. Hanson for four
years; at the end of that time the old lady
died, and it was found that she had "re-
membered y Nancy in her will, to the tune
of thousand dollars. With this small
fortune snugly invested, Nancy returned to
the little home, TO find that her mother and
Sarah Jane had taken religious care of her
" trousSeau," as the latter persisted in call
ing it-perhaps because during the four
years she had been, in a leisurely manner,
preparing her own.
But the wedding gifts, pretty and useful
as many of them were, seemed to Nancy far
inferior TO the friendships offerings which
had sweetened her fortieth birthday, and
she marvels yet at the coincidence which
made her vision come true in so sur
prising a manner.-[Christian Union.