Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-11-05

few odds and ends 81 stale bresd out
lSoi the basket formed morning meal
for Martha and Phil. at dinner
time Mrs. B. cut them each 8 slice Of
meat with q potato, or, If there was
no meat left Ia the family dish, they
had to do with potatoes only. At
tea time they again had some luke
warm water-the rinsings Of the tea
poland some stale bread. Butter,
milk and sugar Il wore denied
them. Mr.. Bannerman used to
say that they were not put into the
world to pamper their corruptible
bodies, and Mrs. B. took care that
they should not do so by locking up
all scraps with her own keys. She
was also vigllant in guarding the kitch-
en- while any food was being cooked
there. Ifshe could not remain in the
kitchen herself she set one of her chill
dren there to espy if either OF the
servants picked and stole stray NOR
sells. = n ##=55@ss
AS to clothes, when Mr.. .Bannerman
had taken all the possible wear out of
pair Of pantaloons, that garment
was altered by tailor to ut one of
the Bannerman boys, and after the
boy had done with it it was handed
over to Martha, who had to adapt it
to Phil's requirements. Similarly
Martha herself occasionally got an
old gown which had been worn out by
Mrs: B. and her eldest daughter Her
clothes were so shabby that she would
not have dared to go out in them;
but Mrs. Bannerman did not want
her to go out, nor to enter into evil
communications, as she put it, with
other servants and with tradesmen's
boys. 1t was Mrs. B. herself who took
the loaves from the baker and the
meat from the butcher and who gave
orders to the grocer's young man.
Martha was never seen. Sometimes
on Sundays she used to see the clean
addressed servants OF neighbors going
to church and she supposed, in her
shame, that they must all be good
girls who had never gone astray like
herself. She was afraid to become
acquainted with any of them, for she
would have to explain how she came
to be toiling in Christian home
without wages, and what would they
say then? Assuredly they would spurn
her as a wretched thing not fit to keep
company with such as they.
1t never occurred to Martha that
the Bannermans were doing her any
wrong, or to fancy chat the weak
languor which used to steal over her
day after day came from overwork
and want OF proper food. She had
racking headaches which made her al.
most blind for whole hours; her limbs
were often so stiff and heavy that she
could scarcely drag herself over the
floor; sometimes crockery fell out OF
her hands because all nerve-p power
seemed to have left her fingers, and
then she would be abused with such
shrlll violence by her mistress, who
accused her Of breaking things onpur-
pose, that she would tremble like q
leaf and find no words to justify her
self. But, much as she suffered, Mar
tina endured less from her own miser-
able plight than from the decline which
| she saw was eating away the life OF
her only friend and companion, Phil.
This poor lame boy. who was so
thin that his Limbs appeared to be all
bone, was getting to be moreA and
more unequal to: his work. Some
times Martha heard him pause. and
groan On the staircase as he tried i'm
vain to carry up a scuttle that was
too heavy for him. She gave. him
what help she could, but if Mr.. or Mrs.
Bannerman caught her assisting the
boy, Phil was made to pay the pen
atty under the form OF cuffs on the
ears. His master and mistress were
never tired OF saying that he was an
Unconditional vagabond, who robbed
them of the bread he ate. They PROM
ised him hell-6re as his inevitable por-
ton, and poor Phil went stun
bling about the house doing the best
he could and bewailing his own
wickedness that made him so slothf,1l.
for Mr.. Bannerman had assured him
that it was all sloth that made him
unable to- Lift the coal scuttle. "Con-
slider the ant, thou sluggard!" said
this Christian to him many times.
One day Phil's sloth mastered him
! and he could not rise from the. mat
tress IN the pantry Ont which he slept.
He had been too weak and listless to
eat on the previous day and, coming
down early on the cold winter morn
ing, Martha found him hot with fever
and biting his counterpart as he sat
up looking wildly about him. Shetold
him to lie still for awhile, and present.
ly, at breakfast time, informed her
master that Phil was too i'll to get up.
"I'll make him get up, the little hyp-
| ocrite!" answered Mr.. Bannnerman,
and down stairs he went, catching up
a stick as hemarched through the hall.
Martha heard the sound OF blows and
a few faint means. but Phil could not
rise. Stealing, fearful and trembling
into the pantry when Mr.. Bannerman
had retired after inaicting his chastise-
ment, she saw Phil lying on the floor,
where he had dropped in trying to
dress.
II can't help it if they burn me,
Martial" he sobbed, feebly. II did
| my best"
''rhey won't burn you, dear-no-
body WILL" said Martha, bling, too.
and taking him in her arms. sDoyou
feel very bad dear? Tell me where it
hurts YOU" 4...
II did my-best," faltered the poor
boy, and soon afterwards he lay quite