Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1888-02-18
A SUDDEN THAW.
BY MARGARET EYTTNGE.


IL ever there was woman w,.h a
frozen bc.rt, it was old Tabitha Shape.
From whence had CONC the cold waves
that turned it to ice no one in the neigh
borhood where she lived ever knew.
She had arrived in that ncighborhood
when woman of aSOut sixty, with three
vans of furniture and a daughter. The
furniture had been very fine and had
been well kept. The daughter had once
been very pretty, but had not been we'll
kept. / mention the furniture first be-
cause old Tabitha Snare held it first in
value. She saw 1t safely slowed away in
the house before she let herself think
that Ursula might be tired and hungry.
Then she turrcd to her and snapped out
dan Lewis, the van drivcr--hc was a
jolly looking forty -ycar-oll bachelor-
heard her, and told his favorite S: ter of
it in the evening":
''What are you a-wa!k:n' rounl lOokin'
like ghost for! S'pose you're hank erin
after somethin' to eat. | never want
anythin' TO eat when there's work to be
done. / never was slave to crccter
comforts. Git along an feed yours Ii. :"
''Poor thing said Ian, meaning the
daughter, 'she looked ready TO faint.
Pretty woman, too, but awful thin. l
felt like fctchin' the old un' rcslar
smack. Those old Turks of WON N al
ways do make me mad"
Ten years mother and daughtcr had
lived in the ld-fashioned two story and
ahalf brick house, of which they on yS
occupied the basement flo,r, the re be-
ing let to dodgers, when their front at
tic room became vacantOl a bill mott
flying the passersby of the fat was hung
outside the parlor window. "TO single
gentleman only" the bill had read but
a rude storm coming along the very
might it WIS put out carried the ''sing.e
gentleman" away and left only "a room
to let" And the next morning Ursula
answered the bell to find little woman
in Widows dress standing. on the stoop.
Such pretty little woman, albeit the
tip of her dainty nose had been tweaked
by bleak No ;ember wind-unmannerly
old chap-until it was nearly as red as
her cheeks.
"YOu have a room to let," she began,
when Ursula interrupted her with "To
single gentleman only" O
But your bill does not say so," said
the little woman.
"Oh, YES it does, asserted Ursula. o
"Oh, no it doesn't" said the caller.
Ursula stepped out and lookei up at
"Good gracious :" she exclaimed.
"Thc single gentleman has been torn off
by the wino."
"Why can't you make believe Pm a
single gentleman ~ asked the small
widow. NO single gentleman could
behave better than l do. And this is
| Just the location I've been looking for
for long time. Being near the store
FOR which l make pin cushions and
sachets, l would not Glave to leave my
little boy"
She got no farther.
"Your little boy :" repeated Ursula
with dilated eyes. O
And she stepped inside the door again
and made as though she would close it
at once. But the pretty widow clasped
her hands entIeatingly. "Plcase, please
let me come into the hall and finish
what was aAo.t to say" she begged.
Miss Snare or ned the door just wide
enough to aIIit her, saying, in scared
voice, as she did so: 'There's no use of
your talking any longer. It's not me
it's my mother. She wouldn't have a
woman in the house any more than sh d
have "A camel, and she wouldn't
have child any more than she'd have a
whole menagerie. I'm sorry, but indeed
she wouldn't"
pheasant old party" thought the
little widow. But she ''didn't give up
the ship" to speak nautically.
On the contrary she coaxcd onore
coaxingly than ever. "Can't you per-
,uade your mother7 Walter is a very
quiet child and l will promise she shall
aot even hear, let alone see him. Do let
me come. Your face tells me you have
kind heart, and am sure you would
be my friend if you only knew how much
I need friend. My husbands death
eft me alone in this big city. have no
relatives to whom to look for help, and
and-and-" and here she broke down
utterly and began to cry in heart-rend.
way.
That settled it. Ursula's arms were
around her in a moment
1 mere, tueIc, sue Ddlu, 'OOn CIV :
you shall have the room. But listen tc
me. mother must not know it, You
must be sure and keep the child by you,
and when you 60 out never pass the
bas 'ment windows (mother and / live in
the basemcnt) turn the other way. My
mother has not been able to leave her
room since she fell on the ice and broke
her leg last winter. So perhaps We can
manage it, bit il VIC ere found ont
won't answer for the Consequences, for
my mother is vcry-a arbitrary
woman; and now goodbye: she'll be
wondering where I've Lcen all this time.
shall tell her tho room is rented. She'll
never dream that Eve dared to let it to a
woman-and woman with little boy.
shall have to speak of you as! a party.
For really don't dare to go SO far as to
call you "a single gentleman.
THIS set the little widow laughing and
she looked prettier than escr-her smile
cleaning through her tears As she stood
On tiptoe and kissed the faded cheek
that had not been kissed lcfOre for
years.
So the young widow and her lovely
blue-eyed, golden haired boy-''the per-
feet model Of little angel" Ursula, de-
clared him-werc installed in Thea ront
sttic-roon that very evening MD a
osy room it wa. TOO. with eheery fire