The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-05-08
MISS RHODA'S TRAMP"
BY HELEN T. CLARK.

sponge by the sitting-room stove, or it
will take forever and day to rise"
eyes, Miss Rhody."
"And be sure to move the plants before
you 60 to bed, especially that new wax
plant. wouldn't have that nipped for q
dollar. You can lock all the doors, and
I will take the key of the little side
entry"
s'Yes, Miss Rhody."
"Oh-and, Savifla, be sure to put an
extra quilt on your bed. The turkey-red
knotted comfort is to be put On the best
bed when Cousin Palmyras folks come,
so don't take that"
. s'No, Miss Rhody."
The tall, straight figure of Miss Rhoda
Goodwin moved down the garden path,
between the now desolated fower-beds,
out at the gate, and down the crisp,
crunching road. She was bound for the
Wednesday evening prayer-meeting, and
carried her copy of "Gospel Hymns" in
side her large, old-fashioned muff.
81 hope Savilla won't get nervous
about tramps. It's dreadful night for
any poor, homeless creature to be roam
sing around. I don't believe the Lord in
tended things to be so unevenly divided
in this world"
And Miss Rhody began to ponder in
her honest heart the old, veXed question,
old as the hills, unsettled as the rest
less ocean-the question of poverty and
wealth. She could not shake it off, even
when she entered the vestry of Little
Zion meeting house, and greeted the
faithful few assembled there in the sub
dued manner consistent with the place.
The minister delivered his short, in
formal discourse, the last hymn was sung,
it chanced to be "The Ninety and
Nine"-and there was the movement of
loosened tongues and preparation for de-
parture. Miss Rhody exchanged good
nights with two or three friends whose
homes lay partly in her direction, then
FASTENED on alone The session had been
long, and she was afraid that Savilla
might forget some of her parting injunc-
tions.
"Sayilla means WE'LL" she said to her
self, "but you can't put an old head on
young shoulders-nor young one on old
shoulders" she continued, as singing
blast whirled needles of fine, sharp snow
into her face, ears and neck, even under
her thick, white "nubia."
The storm had come up suddenly while
the worshippers at Little Zion were sing
ing the final hymn, the words of which
were still echoing in Miss Rhoda's ears:
stAway on the mountain bleak and bare
Away from the tender Shepherds care"
Again she thoght, "What a bitter
night for the poor!" and hurried on to
reach her own warm, tidy sitting room.
The point of view makes all the differ
ence. Miss Rhoda, kind-hearted as she
was, formulated her thought much as one
would say: 'What o beautiful sunset"
or "What a cross dog" and she congratu-
lated herself the next moment on the
snugness and comfort awaiting her at the
end of her short, bracing walk.
Another woman treading with chilled
and weary feet the sclf-same snow, and
battling with feeble strength the self
same wind, few rods behind Miss Rhoda,
thought the same thought with far diff
ferent sequel.
''It is bitter night. God makes such
nights to reconcile the poor, desperate
wretches like me to death. But when
the river is frozen one must lie down in
the snow or some icy doorstep to die"
Some inexpicable attraction drew her
after the tall, military figure before her.
cit makes small difference whether I
turn down this road or the next. The end
must come in the morning"
When Miss Rhoda turned in at the
garden gate, and opened her little side
entry door, the woman leaned heavily
upon the fence-pailings, and devoured
with her fearless, restless eyes the COM
Portable outlines of the house, the red
glimmer on the snow from the isinglass
windows of the Radiant Home" heater
in the sitting-room, the yellow fare of
the lamp that Miss Rhoda lighted. When
the latter came to the windows and drew
down the curtains, the woman at the
gate gave a sudden choking sob, and
then, like Dickens ''Joe," s'moved on. !"
Miss Rhoda sat down to warm her feet
and to look over her weekly religious paper
before going to bed. Savilla, with un-
usual thoughtfulness, had set the teapot
on the back part of the Radiant Home"
and prepared plate of buttered toast,
nicely covered with clean napkin.
Miss Rhoda's eyes frightened and
softened, as she murmured: "Savilla is
good girl-a most excellent child. l
am really quite fond of Savilla."
She had poured out cup of tea and
broken tempting slice of toast in halves,
when faint cry arrested her attention.
She listened, and it came again. Miss
Rhoda put down the tea and toast I'M
tasted, and carried the lamp to the side
door. When she opened it the rays fell
upon dark, snow-sprinkled figure at
her very feet. The woman had come
back, still urged by mysterious power,
and had thrown her weary body across
Miss Rhoda's threshold, whether to die
or live she knew not, and scarcely cared
Miss Rhoda set the lamp on the entry
table, and raised the exhausted creature
in her arms. 1t was the work of few
minutes to get her into the sitting-room
and upon the old-fashioned chintz sofa
which Miss Rhoda wheeled close to the
stove.
IL y,