The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-03-04

and help, and that's all that's asked of
you, so far" said the father. when get
this big stone off you and your mother can
better waste your time than / can mine
handling over the little stones in the pit
underneath"
It'll never do for mother to be out here
In this air" said Pauliny. Its bad enough
in there
''Pauliny," said her father severely, sit
would do you good TO have one first rate
lesson in want and then you'd find out how
comfortable you are, in spite of your I'M
grateful hearth And he heaved away
with his crowbar, bidding Pauliny push in
the prying wedge with every heave. Per-
haps the effort brought the color to her
cheek, perhaps it was blush of shame at
catching a glimpse of Joram coming that
way and finding her thus engaged.
'WeI, l never!' cried Joram. "Ar.
Prounce, what next!"
Pm earning an honest penny, Joram
Setting an example to them that come
after me-" said Mr.. Prounce over his shout
der. "a penny saved is a penny earned,
you know"
''Well, don't know as you've right to
break Pauliny's back for the sake of your
penny, and that's what it looks as though
you were doing" said Joram. Here, let
me have that weaver's beam there, Pau
liny!' And he began to heave and thrust
and push in her place. WHATS it all for!
Lost cent?"
"a cent spoils the face of dollar, I've
told you before, Joram," said Mr.. Prounce.
land I've lost five"
''And spoiled the face Of five dollars;
guess that's about it! A nickel. You
can't ever get that nickel again, so what's
the uSe!"
Its worth trying for. A nickel;
nickel" grunting over his crow-bar, will
buy an almanac full of learning and
science; it will buy a tract-a tract like
Henry and His Beaver that will take you
to the ends OF the earth; it will buy a news
paper that'll let you sit down and hob
mob with Kings and Presidents
well, who'd have thought there was so
much in a fve-cent piece! Mr.. Prounce,
I'll give you a nickel if you'll give this one
up for some little boy in the next genera
ton to find, and go in now with Pauliny
out of this frosty weather"
You'll die as you'll live, Joram-a poor
man"
I'm have had good time, anyway"
That's what I've heard lots of folks say
that were beggars before they got through
"a little more to the left, Joram-but you
won't have a good time on any of my
money, you'd better understand. If you're
Pauliny for her money"
''Courting Pauliny for her money!" cried
ments quite incapacitated him for eXertiOn.
'.Now, Mr.. Prounce," he said, you let me
have Pauliny as she stands, and I'll let you
have all her money!
"Pauliny hasn't any money, and she
never will have any. Heave, no; stand
jerk to his bar With the words the stone
gave way-lifted, swayed, cracked and
broke across the old seam. Mr.. Prounce
went over backward-the iron bar flew up
in the air and came down across him and
he lay there with his back broken.
Mr.. PrOunce never spoke again. He was
taken tenderly as might be into the house,
FASTENED for help. He could not move his
finger or close his lip, but for a little while
his eyes followed Pauliny and her mother
in their movements-followed Joram and
the doctor. The doctor! He had never
allowed doctor in the house, and here was
that had sprung into being like little
lemons, galvanic battery, brandy, beef
Yes, champagne! He would
not have swallowed it if he could; he could
not if he would. He fastened his eyes on
5he old painted secretary where he had
always kept bis sacred papers locked away.
Pauliny understood that agonized gaze
she was always so quick to understand.
Pauliny was good girl; a good girl-was
she going to fail him now! rs there any
thing there that you want, father dear."
she kept asking. But his eyes still re-
NAMED fixed upon the spot; and long habit
her-she dared not open it.
As the day died the fire was frightened:
The candles were lighted-not one candle,
nor one cut in two, but half a dozen-aS
The DOCTOR in his eudeavors, ordered this
and that, and JOram and Pauliny swiftly
md silently Obeyed; and one neighbor and
another came in to sit with the mother in
he next room-the helpless, shadowy
mother too long suppressed to rise to any
now.
And not only fire and candles Mr.
'rounce saw, but a supper. Joram had
ent round basket from the store; and in
he range of Mr.. Prounce's fixed vision was
| corner of the table spread with cold
'anned tongue, and hot potatoes, and
bakers bread, and a pat of butter, pre-
served greengages and coffee. This was the
way the money was going then. Fire,
lights, luXuries. There would be carpets
md curtains next, and books and pictures
md his wife would wear silk gown on
sundays. A silk gown on Sundays. Good
Heavens! that paper was yet unsigned,
and there would be nothing to hinder her
rom wearing silk gown every day in the
year!
And it was for this he had wrought and
'inched, and gone without!
Ii there is any way of contracting more
uffering into twenty-fOur hours than Mr..
'rOunce i'll his painless condition was now
fate has not yet found it out.
Strange phantaSmagOria now began to
weep their clouds through Mr.. Prounce's
Door brain-some of them perhaps the
Kings he might have had, and that with
'ut doubt now they would have-shining
harnesses, prancing hoofs, the cleaning of
piano keys, candelbras with cut glass
,rismS, his wife's face in the halo of a lace
zap, plum pudding with flames of brandy
BEING blown about it, balls of butter all
hining in gilt edges and gilt imprints.
Vow 1T was Joram, bending over him
md trying to shift him TO other
in a beaver cloth great
,oat with a sealskin collar. And then at
asst sense of impatient journeying,
ushing of waters and foam, an azure dis
ance of great mountain peaks, sun break
ng through clouds, growing and in
,reasing shining sun like vast silver
lolar with a blurred face-or was it
oauliny's sweet tear-Stained face over his,
Is she whispered words of love he never
lad deserved! He was conscious of her,
,ut he could not answer her; now he could
lot see her. If he could only say: mo
it all-it's yours"-but his |
yes never wavered, his lips never trembled,
hat vast silver dollar with the blurred face
vas shutting out all the rest of the world /
,ehind its disk, was the wheel of the Four |
Jherubim blazing through Heaven-the |
pirit of the living creature in them-and |
lie heard the voices that the prophet heard, |
rying o, wheel! and he was off and away
N unknown worlds where he could not take |
lis money, and Joran1 was closing his dead |
YES. Then Joram gently lifted Pauliny, |
Who cried as though her father claimed her |
ears, and took her to her mother, who still /
at rocking back and forth in sort of |
maze, without a tear. without sigh, and |
With a sense of strong relief that, if it were |
eceit would have been almost joy
Harriet Prescott Spo6ord, IN ". Y Star.