The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-01-08
THE MISER's REFORMATION.
The American Rural Home.

The American Rural Home.
Yes, l came pretty nigh wrecking
body and soul both, and I'll tell you
how. Losing wife and child while l
was still a young nan brokemedown.
For a time Ididn'tcA re whether lived
or died. but l still kept on with my
business, and presently l found my
self beginning to love money. 1t be-
came thegreatest pleasure OF my exist
ence to count up my gains, and to
add dollar to dollar.
The house Ihad furnished so prettily
for Marie, and which shehad taken so
much pride in, left to itself began to
show signs of neglect. For Il time J
retained the old housekeeper, to
brighten up things and keep them
tidy, but that luxury cost too much,
and | dismissed her.
Then, not liking to see the pretty
things that had been so dear to Ma
RE go to decay through dust and neg
lect, I had them carried up to the
great garnet that extended the whole
length OF the house.
| did feel for q time very unhappy
when they We're all banished, and |
was left with the bareboards and two
Or three chairs, but | consoled myself
with the reflection that some day |
would have them all back again.
| turned the once pleasant 70 ON in
which l had spent so many cheerful
hours with my wife and little one into
a sort of second office, and there ]
slept, ate my scanty meals and did
much Of my work. 1t was a sordid,
sorry life. denied myself every com
fort almost, but that OF fire. in the
dead of winter. That / would have,
and Of the best hickory, no matter
what it cost. Meats and d~elicacies
could do without, books and comforts
OF many sorts, but q fire, that was
the one link that bound me to the in
stincts OF my kind.
l grew shabby, seedy, lean and ugly.
My hair began to stand up on my
head through lack of sufficient moist
ure, my eyes grew hollow, my cheeks
were sunken, and | looked like what |
was, a miser. To gathereold, to count
it, to gloat over its accumulation, land
that for its own worsliipped sake, be-
came the ruling passion OF my life.
Not houses and lands, and friends
that might have been bought, butgold,
gold, gold! For this Islaved, neglect
ed my kind, and denied God.
! shall never forget Tuesday the
18th day of January, Anno Domino,
eighteen hundred and siNty-seven.
That is the way Ihave written it down
in my day-book.
Imagine my coming to my solitary
house, in the lower part of the great
city OF New York, hemmed in by
warehouses.
say, imagine me shiveringin a thin
coat, buttoned up over a pocl6etbook
rs plethoric as [ was lean, entering
the implanted and cobwebbed front
door, and walking through the large
hall, solacing myself with the thought
that l should soon be comfortable in
front OF q blazing fire, and finding, as
| opened the door to my W den, a
great red flame upon the hearth, and
covering over it the thin, almost skel-
eton form OF a child.
Shall | eve forget the unearthly
look of the great dark eyes she turned
upon me, eyes that seemed to light up
the very OF the room, to my
frightened, excited fancy. Icame for.
ward slowly; she never stirred, only
continued to gaze on me with a
strained, pitiful expression, until she
spoke, seeing that | came to q pause,
ooh, the fire is SO goodl'
"Whatdoyoumean? Who reyou!
How did you get in here2" ] asked
sternly.
81 crawledin through the bars, down
into the cellar. guess l stayed there
all night. Oh, it was so dark and
cold! But I'm used to that now.
Then / found the cellar door. and it
was open and l came here, and there
was Goals on the hearth and | made q
fire"
If the child had not been pretty, ]
am~sorry to be compelled to say,
pretty i II spite ofthe CRIME, the tousled
hair, the rags and tie marks OF hard
living, and perhaps brutal treatment.
or il she had come there in any other
fashion, at the door as a mendicant,
or even been sent there by any friend
l should have expelled her on the in.
slant, but she had thrown herself
upon my bounty-the fire lit up the
dark eyes, that somehow made M
think OF those OF my own little pet,-
she had stood her ground withou:
finching,-she had prepared an agree
able surprise by making the fire, for
was very cold, and she did not seem il
theleast afraid of me-"
"Where do you belong?" I asked.
ri don't belong anywhere"
"Well, who takes care of you? Who
do you live WITH"
81 don't live with any body.
haven't got any home. Mother died
and father died, long ago, and I'm al
alone by myself
Her words and manner touched me
but avarice was tugeing at my heart
| grudged this poor little mite the food
she would require.
"Well, you've got warm now; l car
not keep you any longer-thcre is the
way to the door" I said.
She rose up, holding the rags of he,
shawl together, and then l saw that
her arms and chest were bare for hel
dress was u summer one, probably
some gossamer thing that had beer
given her. Shelooked at me pleading
ly, and for the life OF me | could think
OF nothing but the eyes OF my dead
child.
It rushed over me as I followed he,
to the door. Fancy if this wa: your
own little Kitty" and my heart be
gan to beat %furiously.
AS | opened the door n cold vino
blew in that chilled me to thecore, ant
the child looked pitifully up at IN.
again. l couldn't stand it. l tool
her by the shoulder and led her bach