The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-23
s RESER VEDl

Aot c1L4 sue Was uudDlc I'd
anything but sew, and sis often very nigh
starving, l believe" said the shopwoman
ana Johnny listened with an unmoved
countenance to this sad statement, his small
mind being fully occupied in coveting the
string of figs.
,'"Ohl poor thing" said Ruth pitifully; and
aIter all she spent her half-crown, buying
Tea, bread, eggs, and little bacon tor tbs
poor widow, and observing the fixed direc
ton OF Johnny's blue eyes, she purchased
tne string of figs also, and presented them
TO the delighted urchin.
together they left the shop, Johnny de
Vouflng the figs by the way, and then went
fort
NANNY lives there" said Johnny, point
ing 10 small cottage; ''she's room there.
! Wen, be a good boy, and take her the
lungs you have got, and tell her I'll come
ana see her tomorrow" said Ruth; and
Master johnny needed no second bidding
ne started of at run, and then sudde1ly
stopped, and after moments hesitation
returned TO Ruth, who was standing watch.
Ing him. with a SMILE
Please, Miss" he said, "thank ye," and
tnen again he was off as fast as his feet
could carry him. and Ruth walked home
peensively, glad to think that she had beer
able to do little good,
que Kept her promise, and went the next
day to see Mrs. Robson. She found 8
woman bent and bowed by the heavy bur
dens she had born so long; but when Ruth
looked into her wasted face she was aston
lshed to find an expression there at once
sweet and serene.
my little lad told me about We, Miss, >
she said, addressing Ruth; may the Lord
himself bless and reward We for what We
have done"
oh! it was nothing" blushed Ruth.
IL was everything to me, miss; there
was neither bite nor sup in the house. and
now 1t Is full" answered the poor woman
with deep gratitude in her voice and man
ner, and Ruth felt not little affected.
She sat down and looked around this
poverty-stricken abode. 1t was clean. but
from the patched and tattered coverlet on
the meager bed to the bare floor and cold
hearth, everything told one sad tale of bit.
ter prlvatiol. The poor woman's own dress
also was thin and worn, and her features
pinched and pale. But she made no com
plant, and the deeply devotional tone OF
her conversation told of one whose hopes
were fixed beyond the grave.
Ruth left her deeply impressed. Here
was a woman, i'll, miserably poor, and yet
thankful for her daily bread; VINO found
comfort and help in the worn book which
lay on the little table near her, and consola-
ton in the precious promise it contained that
for her would come day when all her tears
would be wiped away.
There must be something in it." thought
Ruth, as she returned home; returned to
find her father grumbling about small things
--fretting and Tuning over his comfortable
dinner, using bad language if this or That
was not cooked to a turnl The colonel
CHANGED to. be in particularly bad temper
that day, and to his young daughter the
contrast between the one who had so much
and the one who had so little was very
great.
Ruth went often after this to see the poor
widow, carrying with her each time some
little comfort and help. And, gradually,
| she heard of others in great need and
! trouble. and to her sorrow and regret found
more who wanted than she had money to
give to. When she and Frances were girls
Col. Forth had allowed them each G25 a
year for their dress. And when Ruth had
returned to him, and after it was settled
that she would receive nothing from Maj
Audley, the colonel half-grudgingly had
offered her ESQ year for her personal OK
penses. But Ruth had d ,clined to receive
more than the half of this sum; therefor
she had very little money to give away
But one day she saw advertised in news.
paper that in large town, at no great dis
lance from Headfort, the proprietor of cer-
tain journal was Offering prizes for shor-
stories; these stories to be sent in by a cert
tain date. The first prize was 95, the
second 93, and so on; aud Ruth deter
mined to enter this competition SO that she
might try to earn a httie. extra money to
give to her poor frieads
She had tried to write before-crude,
sweet lines-immature as the mind which
created them. There was song of unend-
ing love and happiness, penned in the bright
days when she first knew Kenard Seaforth,
and written before the dark shadow of
sorrow had fallen on her heart, over which
shenow shed some bitter tears as she turned
over these girlish productions. Then she
began her ale, aud contrived to turn the
''old, old story" so prettily that she actually
won the second prize, and was the richer
by 93 in consequence; one of which she car
ried with no small pride to poor Mrs. Rob-
son, who received it as a boon from God
And Ruth was quite happy in her success,
and sent copy of her story out to a friend
in India, to whom she often wrote. 1t made
a new interest in her life in fact, and the
editor of the paper was so pleased with it,
he asked her to write another for him, for
which she was to receive 35, and Ruth felt
she was on the road to fortunel
Thus, between her work and her kindness
to her poor neighbors, she had not much
time to notice nor to heed that her richer
neighbors ignored her existence. And 50
the days passed quietly on. until one morn
ing her father, who was reading his news
paper at breakfast, gave a sudden excla-
nation and brought his hand heavily down
on the table with very strong expression
Of wrath,
"What is the matter, father T" asked Ruth
looking up.
81 just guessed it," said the colonel pas
sionately, s'when Kenyon went up to town
last week, that this COMPOUNDED affair was
coming off. He's got his divorce; there
was no defense, of course and he flung the
newspaper across the table to Ruth, who
lifted it with trembling hand, and read
there ''the petition of Col. Hugh Kenyon
for divorce by reason of the misconduct
of his wife, Mrs. Frances Kenyon, with
the correspondent, Sir Arthur Beaten, Bart.
There was NJ defense"
Col. Keuyon's deposition followed; the
date of his marriage, his perfect faith aud
trust in his wife's affection, and the entire
happiness of their brief married life, until
the day that she left him with Sir Arthur
Beaton. he further deposed that, until she
had written to her sister to tell her that she
was with Sir Arthur Beaten, he had been
totally unable to believe it.
Further evidences was then given-the
painful and degrading evidence, with which
we are too familiar-and it was further
stated that citation and petition had been
served on Sir Arthur Beaton and Mrs.
KENYON, at cir hotel at Monte Carlo, and
that Sir Arthur Beaton wrote acknowledge
ing service on the back of the citation
The Judge of the court then pronounced
n Jaorao 7asei with costs. and Col Ken