Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-05-01
JACK AND JILL.

out of the little box of parsonage that
we were actually man and wife. DR..
Pitcher, the Lutheran dominic, eyed us
sharply as he came into the coy study
How well remember that morning The
sunshine fell across the window garden,
with its fragrant flowers and made golden
spot on the carpet at Jacks feet. In front
of me was a Beatrice Di Cenci, after Guido,
on the wall, and the sad, pathetic face
haunts me yet. 1t almost seemed to speak
10 us, saying, Children. you are so fool
i,hm DIR. Pitcher evidently thought so
TOO, for he was bachelor, and questioned
Jack quite while, but Jack was manly
and frank, and he had a letter of introduce
ton from good old DR.. Clark, who had
known him from boy, and SO our domi-
ME was satisfied.
1t was very solemn after all The serv-
ing man ana maid came in as witnesses.
and l nudged Jack as they looked at US in
establishment, as much as to say: What
do these children want to commit such
foOlishncss for?" But we answered the
questions, we took each others hand, the
good doctor prayed so tenderly, as if his
own past had toned his words, and we
went out into the sunshine, past the gray
church, one, TO climb the hill of life to-
gether.
Jack kissed me in the shadow of the
tower, although / told him he shouldn't
on the public street, and we turned our
faces toward home. Jack was 20 and was
16. No wonder you grow solemn and shake
your heads, you older ones, and / believe
the young folks will envy us now, but not
By and by, perhaps, for life is tough
thing, and the hill for Jack and Jill was
no exception. But we commenced to
climb vito light hearts we were strong
and young, and we loved each other.
Until death do part" did not seem very
hard thing to answer to from the doctors
lips.
We had four rooms to ourselves-a little
bird-house of a tenement-kitchen paror
and two bedrooms; yet what in the world
We wanted of an extra bedroom one could
hardly tell, as we were both orphans in
this Western city, far away from any one
we knew.
We were alone in the world, we loved
each other, why not climb the steep hand
in hand Jack worked in great Touring
mil; his day began at and closed at 6
what nice long evenings we had to study
and read and dream! To be sure, Jack had
only $40 month, and had many sums in
addition and subtraction to keep out of
debt, but he said | didn't grow poor, and
my Dutch ancestors certainly would not
have been ashamed of me in that regard l
was accustomed to take my hair down at
night TO please hint was blonde, the
color of gold-and he called me the Mer-
maid, so covered was / BY the meshes of
light. ] was just little proud of my hair,
like silly child, and used to tell Jack,
Joklngly, " II worst came to worst, l could
sell that for bread One evening our
landlord came in, Just as had allowed the
last coil to fall. He inquired OF Jack if
was younger sister. My wife, Mr.
Lane, said Jack, smiling | thought ii
too bad that | looked so young but nv
cheeks would be red, and l was as PLUMP
as partridge.
But that first year sobered us little; we
found fate was no sentimentahst, and hard
facts must be faced and conquered if pos
slble. ] looked after the house, did the
marketing, and planned 10 see how far
twenty dollars month would go in pro-
yiding our food. The first month ! spent
thirty, which made Jack look sober. but
the next did better, until finally was
able with ease to do what | desired. Jack
and were determined to lay by something
II we went hungry: we had dreams for the
future, which we hardly breathed 10 each
other. OF course we did not live in very
ample style; pastry ana cake were not al
ways on our table. | kept at a few things
until / could do them well. Jack was
patient ! had a good cook book, was
blessed with common sense, and kept
brayely at it.
Perhaps you are quite tired of all this
recital, but Jack and ! lived il all with
hearty faith in God and each other. We
had but little, but from that little We ex-
tracted every ounce of happiness. | had
small library from my father, and when
the curtains were dropped, the stand drawn
out, and the lamp lighted-our student.
the one luxury we INDUCED in-the little
kitchen was not place TO be deapised by
people Ike US. We read aloud in turn, a
dictionary on the table for reference. and
an encyclopedia in one volume which we
priced very highly. We found the reading
aloud a good exercise, and we acquired
valuable information. We went through
Macaulay in this way-his essays and his
tory, some of the British dramatists CON
temporary with Shakespeare, particularly
delighting in Christopher Marl0We's Dr.
Faustus" Homers =" Illiad," in Bryant's
translation, Mommsen's History Of
Rome Oh, we were very literary, Jack
and I. that first winter We had some hot
discussions relative to the merits of the old
English authors and then with all, We took
German. We could do the grammar about
our work, there were many Germans in the
mill, and we did get on quite 4 little in that
throat distorting language.
You think il was AL sunshine if it had
been, l should not be telling this story to
you. You hope Jack never broke his
crown, but he did, all the same-me, as a
little sprite at my elbow says about her
playthiDgS Love thank God, can last not
only until death, but beyond but the rainy
days are quite necess Try in the Journey 10
make us thankful for the sunshine, il for
nothing more, We were to have our share
of dark day4 but no one could take away
from rs the happy remembrance of that
year of work and pleasure.
One day Jack came home in high spirits
the mill would stop a day for repairs.
" JILL, we can have a holiday and well
have a lark Our first dav together since
we came out of the little parsonage how
pleased we were, like two children let loose
from school We arose the next morning
with the sun, we did the work together
and arrayed in our best clothes left our
dear little home, with the sunshine
flooding the tiny kitchen, and " Dick .
IN his cage singing as if he would split
his throat in ecstacy. How happv we
were The people we met all seemed
friends, and we danced along like two
kittens on frolic Jack had proposed
that We 90 to 4 city twenty miles away
and spend the day. We reached the sta
ton In good time, and the express ia half
an hour left US at cur destination and
steamed away, kissing ike some wild
creature mad with fury The pet,ple nust
have thought us half demented. for we
raced about, into the book stores, looking
at pictures. pricing fabrics at the dry goods
houses, and altogether behaving shockingl,
for old, staid married people But Won
must remember that Jack had only reached
his majority, and Jill was but Just Il. All.
well, what a red-letter day it was, with its
autumn glories, the markets full of blush
ing fruit, glamour on everything II
seemed to Jack and an enchanted land
everything was free to us; we could see
aud enjoy II all. We got our lunch at
little Dutch parlOT, with a motherly attend
ant, who evidently regarded us as two ba
bies who had escaped our parents for dav.
She accepted a ridiculously low sum for it
al