Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-04-30
him till she had tainted at the door

MN Till she had tainted at the door
OF Nanny Flynn. He was still lame,
but he walked with the help of a little
crutch; and the doctors gave his mother
good hope that he would, in time, out
grow his lameness. During the three
years in which she had been Mrs.
flynn's boarder, the sad little mother
had known much disappointment and
frequent hardship. 1t had been hard to
get work of any kind, and the walk to
the city in the morning and back again
at night had tried her strength severely,
and more than once she had broken
down and felt that all was over. But
as often she had rallied again and made
another trial, and the good-hearted
Irish woman had always encouraged
her; and although she needed the little
weekly sum paid by Mrs. Tingler, she
never asked for it when it was notforth-
coming. At last Mrs. Flynn decided to
move further down into the city, andthat
made it easier for her lodger, for she
had found steady employment in a
book-bindery, where the pay was so
good that she every day put away a few
pennies in the little purse she was saw
ing up for BERTHE, who needed medicines
and strengthening food and a certain
mechanical appliance for his little ankle,
all of which could only be got with
money. These We're bright days for
Mrs Tingler, and she was 80 happy that
she no longer wept in the night or
walked up. from dreams of terror, calling
for the husband, whose ear was stopped
with dust, and then clutching her child
to her heart to still it's aching. Then
BERTHE was growing SO strong and beau
tiful-the thought of him filled her life
with joy. When she came home in the
long bright summer evenings and saw
his sweet face pressed againt the win
dow, watching for her, there were a
thousand rich women with every wish
gratiied before it could be spoken who
would have gladly changed places with
Clara Tingler.
There came an evening when BERTHE
watched at the window longer than'ever
before for the %well-known figure and
the face that was always raised I'd his
with a smile. But the sunset glow died
away and the twilight drew on and
brought the night. The lamps were
lighted in the streets and the stars gilt
tered in the sky above, and Berthe
could not sec any face or
figure, for he could no longer see
through the thick tears that scorched
his eyes. At last Nanny Flynn put
him to bed, wondering almost as much
as himself at the non-appearance of his
mother, but not so much alarmed as
surprised. She comforted the child with
| the assurance that '.mamma would be
there when he walked up" and with
that hope in his heart little BERTHE had
cried himself to sleep.
There had been an accident on Broad
way that day-a stage had been upset,
and another had collided with it, and the
horses had become wild and unmanage-
able. When order was restored a slen-
der little woman in black was picked up
insensible-a blow on tho temple had
done it-and carried to the nearest hos
pital. She never recovered conscious
ness, though for a moment her eyes had
Enclosed, and she murmured one word
-'tBertie." Then a gray shadow crept
over her face, and all was over
There was nothing found on her by
which she might have been identified
the body was kept for two days. but nc
friend claimed it, and she was buried
A little purse of money, all of small
coins, amounting to a few dollars, wae
found sewed within the waist of hel
dress. 1t had been carefully-oh, how
carefully and hopefully!-saved for little
Berthe. 1t now paid for the pine coffin
that held all that could die of Bertie's
mother.
Mrs. Tingler's disappearance soon be.
came an old story in the Flynn house.
hold, except to the heart that pinned fol
her. At first, Mrs. Flynn pitied and
comforted the child after her own way
for she said, che was a big boy
now, and it spoiled children to brine
them up too soft-hearted."
Then she was disguised with the con.
duct of her late lodg er-''For av coorse
she has run away, an left the child on
my hands. seein' as [ hadn't enough Of
my own," she said to a neighbor. Tho
thought made her bad-tempered aAd
discontented, and at odd moments she
vented her ill-humor on BERTHE. But tc
do her justice, such occasions were rare,
and being remorseful afterward she Of
ten gave the child a rough hug and 3
warm kiss to make up for her harsh.
ness.
hut as years passed on her ill-humol
increased, and her regret for it dice
away. Bertse grew week and sickly
without his mothers watGhful care, anc
his lamcness increased. He always
walked with a crutch, now, and there
seemed no likelihood that he would evel
walk without that assistance. He had
grown accustomed to being pushed
out Of the way, and to being told that
he had no right to the little he
ate and drank-and to much
more that, while it sunk like q stone te
the depths of his heart, seemed also tc
cut like a thrust from a knife. Blu
there was one hard speech that cut him
more than all else. He heard it Otter
both from Nanny Flynn and from the
boys, who had grown up to be a care
and worry to their mother, and the
chief cause of her growing discomfort
and bad temper.
"'What are you for, anyway sickly
cripple, a trouble to herself an q bother
to livery one else-eh? What are ye for,
anyway"
These were the words that were like
knife-thrusts to Bertie's sensitive heart