Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1888-01-13
A SUDDEN THAW.
BY MAReAarr EYr1NeE.

4
From whence had come the cold waves
that turned it to ice no one in the neigh
borhood where she lived ever knew.
She had arrived in that neighborhood
when woman of about sixty, with three
vans of furniture and 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. l mention the furniture first be-
cause old Tabitha Shape held it first in
value. She saw it safely slowed away in
the house before she let herself think
that Ursula might be tired and hungry.
Then she turned t. her and snapped out
| (Dan Lewis, the van driver-he was a
| jolly-.ooking forty-year-old bachelor
heard her, and told his favorite sister of
it in the evening":
''What are you awalkin' round lookin'
like a ghost for2 S'pose you're hankerin'
after somethin' to eat. l never want
anythin' to eat when there's work to be
| done. l never was olavo " Creeter
comforts Git along an feed yourself. "
Poor thing said Dan, meaning the
daughter, 'she looked ready to faint.
Pretty woman, too, but awful thin. /
felt like fetchin' the old un' a reg'lar
smack Those old Turks of women al
ways do make me mad"
Ten years mother and daughter had
lived in the old-fashioned two-story and
a half brick house, of which they only
occupied the basement floor, the rest be-
ing let to dodgers, when their front at
tic room became vacant, and bill mott
fujnCr fho rNoccapclNu cf IN 70 h,,,,
| outside the parlor window. "To a single
| gentleman only" the bill had read, but
rude storm coming along the very
night it was put out carried the 'single
| 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 November wind-unmannerly
old chap-until it was nearly as red as
her cheeks.
"You have room to let, she began,
when Ursula interrupted her with s'To
single gentleman only"
&C But your bill does not say So" said
the little woman.
y" Oh, yes it does, asserted Ursula.
"Oh, no it doesn't" said the caller
Ursula stepped out and looked up at
" Good gracious y' she exclaimed.
"The single gentleman has been torn of
by the wind"
Why can't you make believe Pm a
single gentleman ~ asked the small
widow. " No single gentleman could
behave better than | 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, would not have to leave my
little boy"
She got no farther.
"Your little boy !" repeated Ursula
with dilated eyes.
And she stepped inside the door again
and made as though she would close il
at once. But the pretty widow clasped
her hands entreatingly. "Please, please
let me come into the hall and finish
what was about to say" she begged.
Miss Shape opened the door just wide
enough to admiC her, saying, in u scared
voice, as she did so: There's no use oil
| 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-a-camel, and she wouldn't
have child any more than she'd have a
whole menagerie. Pm sorry, but indeed
she wouldn't"
''Pleasant old party" thought the
little widow. But she "didn't give up
the ship" to speak nautically.
On the contrary she coaxed more
coaxingly than ever. "Can't you per.
suade your mother2 Walter is very
quiet child and will promise she shall
not even hear, let alone see him. Do let
me come. Your face tells me you have
a kind heart, and am sure you would
be my friend if you only knew how much
need friend. My husbands death
left me alone in this big city l have nc
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 moment
"There, there" she said, ''don't cry
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 go out never pass the
basement windows (mother and | live in
the basement) turn the other way. NY
mother has not been able to leave heI
room since she fell on the ice and broke
her leg last winter. So perhaps we can
manage it, but if we are found out
won't answer for the consequences, for
my mother is a very-a very-arbitrary
woman; and now goodbye; she'll be
wondering where I've been all this time.
! shall tell her the room is rented. She'll
never dream that I've dared to let it to a
woman-and woman with little boy.
! shall have to speak of you as 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 ever-her smile
cleaning through her tears as she stood
on tiptoe and kissed the faded cheek
that had not been kissed before for
years.
So the young widow and her lovely
blue-eyed, golden haired boy-''the per.
feet model If little angel" Ursula, de
clAred him-were installed in the front
attic-room that very evening And 4
/ ooev ,on, ~, IL xyaa too with m ,boar,, FIR