Daily Republican., 1888-02-10
A oRANon ACQuAtNT ANUE
Loves Wipsing ways.
"Black YOUR boots. sirf"

BLACK your Doots, sirt
The familiar sound was uttered by
such q sweet voice that 1, Walter Wet.
more, lawyer, turned to look at the
speaker. / saw q delicate little boy
whose soft blue eyes were turned on
me imploringly, and who looked as If
be might come Of respectable parent
age.
why, my boy. you look too young
and delicate 10 work." | said, and
while my boots were being blacked l
chatted with the lad and learned that
his ma 9 was Rupert, and that his
mother was very i'll and in poor cir
cumstances.
~ wish you could find time 10 look
in on my mother; I'm afraid she's
very bad" he said, as | was going
away, and readily promised to do 80.
l managed to lind Mrs. Lindsay's
address. not without some difficulty,
and was ushered into scantily- fur
nished room, where handsome
though careworn old lady reclined on
q ragged horse hair sofa As stood
there looking wonderingly about the
bare. looking room, | was surprised to
see beautiful young lady standing at
my elbow, offering TO take my hat and
umbrella. The striking resemblance
she bore to the little bootblack con.
vinced me that she must be his sister.
After chatting about sundry things,
the good old lady favored me with a
sort OF epitome of her past lite.
Ahn haA haan Ft ~ Nn
good society; had been discarded and
disowned by an arrogant father and
incensed friends On account Of an i'm
polite marriage alliance. The Object
OF her idolatrous love and sacrifice had
been removed from her earthly sigh
soon afler marriage by reason of ex
cessive literary lAbors and disappoint
ments, leaving two children. sine,
which time mainly dependent on hel
Tor subsistence.
II have grimly fought against pen
Iury," she added, until | am nov
unable to do 60 longer, for"
And here the stricken one bent he
head and wept bitterly.
Have no fears or concern about tb
welfare OF your children" rejoined
apprehending fhe rest of the oDserva
ton. "While 1 live will assume tn
guardianship of Rupert and -"
hesitated and would have include,
her adorable Ethel, as she was named
within the responsibility, but dare
mot, so unwarranted had been my pre-
sumption already.
""I observe with no small delight
!your manifest concern for my child,
al length she continued, checking he
tears: but. Mr.. Wetmore, 1t is m
lduty to declare to you that, whereas
at the death of my husband l had tw
Ichildren, am now blessed with bu
lone; and che is indeed a blessing,
Ipointing to the sweet faced Ethel
who was engaging herself in tn
lpreraration of some decoction Tor th
benefit of the speaker.
"Then my little friend OF yesterda
who was 30 kind as to direct me
Iyour presence, Is not your son" | ia
terrogated.
With one hand supporting her heAC
and with the other still pointing to he
daughter, she whispered, "Yonder
lmy Rupert"
Your statement is very mysterioul
Mrs. Lindsay" exclaimed, with III
bounded astonishment. "Bs please
10 explain; hope my solicitation doe
not merge into an unconscionable a
sumption."
"Most willingly, my dear sir, will
dispel the mystery which you 30 RET
Isonably discover. On Friday of la
week | was prevented from doing m
accustomed needlework, which,
need not tell you, was essentially n,
Icessary for our support. The sym
toms of disease OF the heart, whiC
have for many months predicted n
= death, on that day seemed to Alta
me with increased threalenings al
lvigor.
During the five days Of my last /
n Iress there was, perhaps, great
. danger of my death from starvatit
. than from any other cause. My Eth
then and her voice trembled-"h
q Teen the week before dismissed fro
the milliner's shop where she worke
y on an account OF the failure of the pr
O. lprietress So there was no bread (
us to eatl Well, sir, to tell you wit
u out words-ior am very weak-n
:. darling daughter borrowed the ga
ments and utensils OF bootblack, wi
y had recently died and been reside
q OF the housn, from the use of which,
1.-TWO days, her delicate hands hi
learned nearly five shlllings. Y,
know the rest. Though it was seer
ingly an unmaidenly att'-
j "A most noble act, rather" il
] terrupted. Really, ii quite iranscen
anything ! have ever heard or seen
8 like chsracterw added to myself
. And we talked-all three of us
!, until the shadows, like little ellis, b
gan TO climb up over the small cal
!. ment into the room, when | took I
leave of the gentle Ethel and b
. mother. Early on the day tollowin
OF course. visited the shelter OF I
loved one; but that hard old tyral
who touches the blood into ice, h
paid an earlier visit The mother "
= dead.
= Well, TO tie up my thoughts and {
Experiences into u comely knot, Eth
became my ward-and atterward I
Iwife.
That claar sad hon .niercInR cr