The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1888-03-22
SOPRANO. THIRTY-NINE


meat appeared 10 the morning and eTet :
Ing psper:
The Harmony Hall chorus will re
sume iss rehesrsals November 9th. APP
plicalions 10 JOIN tho chorus may be made
10 the conductor. L. 4 Lane. ., Harmony
Hall. previous TO tha, date
A seek lister paper containing the 40
nouscrmeul w.s wrapped abou,a package
OF cut garments aud eiseu 10 sewing
woman who Was vsiting 10 the ball Of .
lhouse on Bentley Avenue. sne The woman,
ItAkins the package. ~ent into the street.
where she was joined by suani oueeyed
dog. Who grimly took bis place by Der
aida, aud walked on down the avenue. and
through street after street, turning and
ever iurnipg As the streets grew narrower, /,
filthy aud more noisy, till they reached
the crowded tenement quarter OF The city,
from whence they came.
From time 10 time the dog stopped and
looked enquiripgly into the womsn's face,
expecting her TO put the package on the
ground that he nigh. take /. 10 bis teeth
and carry II for her. as be bad been &c
cus,omed to do, but to day she plodded
YEARLY on, her heavy thoughts making
her forget the heavy package in her arms.
She had expected Mrs. Wharton to pay
her fer the finished work she bad taken
home; but Mrs. Wharton had been out
shopping aud her purse was empty, and
she disliked TO face the pale woman, so
she sent note by the servant to say the
woman must wait another week for ber
money.
II have less than dollar, and can we
liy, on less than dollar 2" asked the wo
man to herself. as she moved along.
Then she Tell TO calculating how much
brea and how many potatoes could be
| purchased for ninety three cents aud how
il could be divided into seven parts for
the seven days. and each seventh divided
| by three meals day, aud each third Ii
vided again by three, for there we're three
| TO eat and they shared alike, the woman,
the child and the dog. She had long ago
become On adept 10 that sort OF mental
ari hmetic; many au bour her needle bad
gone steadily in aud out while she calcu
| lated the rstons or half rstions on which
they must subslst specified time, till the
rent was paid, the coal bought, or the hard
earned money received. But to day the
weary brain refused the task set before it,
going mechanically over and over the sew.
enths and thirds, without arriving at q
definite result.
How utterly weary she was OF all this;
OF life aud everything it contained, and
how lougingly she looked forward TO the
rest that would be hers when the heavy
feet had taken their last step, and the
tire hands were folded never to unfold
But after moment she drew back hastily
from the comfort of that thought, for she
might not even think OF that rest, lest it
come the sooner; she must live as long as
the child lived and needed her and she
chidel herself sharply for the passing
thought, that il. perchsnce the child
should die she, too. might have liberty to
die aud be at rest Poor, tired soul
By this time the woman and the dog
arrived at one OF those tall, dreary shells
CT brick and mortar in which the city
poor do congregate They went in
through the open street door, and toiled
up flight after flight Of steep stairs
through narrow, i'll smelling Railways
swarming with dirty children and noisy
women Of various nationslities, the dog
quietly making way for his mistress to
he two low rooms under the roof which
they called home.
The woman unlocked the door, and
when they entered locked it again. The
room, scrapulously clean, was lighted by
BY . skyligbt in the roof, and contained
stove, tw, chairs. table and an upright
piano. Tie dog and the piano we're the
aotsom OF former home absolute neces
sites, for the dog was her only protec-
ton, and the piano was the life OF the
child, ss il had formerly been the life OF
her husband.
She stood moment looking at the op
en- piano. and the worn copy OF the "Mes
sish" on the rack open at the chorus,
GLORY to God, noting the accentuation
marks in her husbands neat hand, for he
had been professor Of music, aud she,
when she married him. q somewhat fs-
nous otatorio singer. How vividiy she
remem bered those first happy years the
dainty home with its sunshine and flow
ers-the tolls and triumphs shared alike,
the beautiful children that came at length,
singing with almost their first breath
Then came the clouds under. which she
dwelt alone In silence and anguish, fear
ing TO tell even her husband Of the deaf
nes, that was surely and steadily creeping !
upon her, like al enemy 10 the dark, blur !
ring aud blotting out all the sweet world
OF sound. How she struggled and fought I
against the opcoming tide With all the
force OF her nature; nov in her despair, 4
she called God cruel and unjust L
'Oh," she cried III had been submis- {
sive and otedien. then, a greater evil
might not have beisllen me r
For. right or wrong, she believed that
she had been made to suffer for her sin.
The God she knew Was God who pun +,
ished Ia Iowa and mercy, ID ~ be, bat still ,
punished, and to whom she had fled 10 ,
sheer despair OF escape OF revolt. aud so
had learned TO be still and trust, II no. TO
love. She remembered how. With papg
that only mother could know. che ceAs
ed singing 10 her little ones. lest their fafs
should be trained to false tones, and how