The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-01-26

|
low to pick up To-day the lad tried &c
climb up before they had slowed down, and
missed his footing and fell"
'How he must have suffered! !"
HE never seemed to think Of himself al
all. Was possessed with fear that the
| fireman might be blamed. Beautiful little
fellow, in spite of his shabby clothes. Broad
white forhead, curling brown hair, and
thoughtful gray eyes. Do you know can't
get rid Of certain fancy that I've seen the
| child beforel"
probably on the street," suggested Mrs.
| Belden.
mo, no. Years ago; when l was boy,
or in some other existence"
"Where do they live2"
II declare, Bessie, 1 never suspected
| there was such restitution in this place.
You remember those wretched dug-outs on
the other side OF the railroad! Nothing to
screen the entrance but piece Of WORKOUT
| tent-cloth. We had to perform the opera
tion by the light of coal-oil lamp. She
held itn
"The mothcrs"
"Yes; and never finched. Shielded II
with her hand TO keep the rain from putting
out the light. In all my professional expert
ence l never saw such self-command."
Indifference, should call it, suggested
the indignant listener.
Il don't know, my dear; 1 don't know.
When we got through wondered that she
did not move or stir. looked at her, and
her eyes were fixed upon the face of the un-
conscious child. had to unclasp her hands
from the lamp. Her fingers were cold and
clammy; she was like person in a catalep-
tic trance. l thought she was going to
fall to the ground. But, instead"
"1nstead-what?"
'Instead, she insisted upon staying there
alone tonight. Would not listen to our
offer of watchers. Seemed in hurry to get
US Off"
"But how can the child recover in such a
place! 1t is criminal to leave him there"
1.-THE citizens of Palmea may be a triie un-
civilized, my dear, but they are not wanting
in the common attributes of humanity. The
boys have been busy this evening. They
have rented that little house Browns family
vacated last week, and couple of hundred
dollars will be placed in bank tomorrow to
the little boys credit"
But the citizens of Palmea found that
they had difficult case with which to deal
Face to face with the exigencies of her stu
alton, the mother consented to more to the
house made ready for her, but she drew
sparingly upon the funds placed to her
credit, and took a careful inventory of every
thing the house contained, with view to
paying for every thing as soon as she should
be able. In an inconcoivably short time,
thanks to the reactive powers of healthy
childhood and the pure air of the elevated
southern plateau the child was able to be
about the house, b!ithe as q little MANNED
bird on his single leg and crutch. The scant
sewing that the mother could procure was ill
paid and inadequate for her needs, and she
quietly opened another industry. She made
the fact known that she was ready to wash
the soiled linen of the town. Hop Wing,
who had hitherto monoplized this industry,
at prices so eXtravagant that he was fast
rising to a position OF afauence, viewed this
encrOachment upon his peculiar province
with unfeigned alarm. He lowered his scale
of prices and starched the bosoms of Pal
meas shirts until it became necessary to
use gimlet for the insertion of shirt studs,
but in vain. A generous tide OF patronage
flowed in upon his competitor.
The doctor and his wife sometimes dis
cussed the anomalous character of the
woman with whom Fate had brought them
in contact.
Il can't quite make her out" the doctor
once remarked: Ito look at her one would
think her incapable of feeling-that she had
scarcely a human instinct. She is develop
ing into the hardest business woman ever
saw. Yet l am inclined to think that the
night first saw her she was stimulated by
courage of the highest order. an heroic self
forgetfulness that conquered her own ply
steal weakness"
~ understand her perfectly" returned
his wife, with prompt femni ne decision;
''she is constructed on different principle
from ordinary women. Some gentle in
stnct of sympathy-of womauly tenderness
is wanting in her composition. l have
seen her day after day. you know, my dear,
and l ought to be able 10 judge. Though
she is not a bad sort of woman at all" she
generously conceded.
Curious sort of a name, isn't it!-MrS.
Ruthstan. 1t has q very fancy sound"
1T doesn't sound like rell name at ALL"
returned Mrs. Belden, severely; ''oh, she
has history behind her. and we shall know
it some day, depend upon it."
1t so happened that the very next day the
doctor stumbled across an old friend,
newly arrived in the place, and brought
him home. bessie, you remember Jack
Grosvenor-the Oldest friend | have You
remember he would have been the best
man at our wedding"
''If he hadn't been busy getting married
himself Thousand miles away. Yes l re-
member, and l am very glad to welcome
you to our home. Mr. Grosveuor" said the
doctors wife, holding out her hand with a
winning smile.
But there was no answering smile on the
face of the man she SO cordially greeted.
She remembered her husbands description
Of the gay, light-hearted fellow, and tried to
identify him with this sober-faced, reserved
man, who had silently seated himself by
the window, and was looking out over the
plains with an distracted air.
'Jack has just come back with a party
from Guaymas," explained the doctor; 'he
has made rich strike down on Pocahantas
Mountain"
"That is very good" said Mrs. Belden,
absently, wondering why her husband
should make such a point OF his friends
business success, or speak of it as il it were
Of vital interest to her.
lam glad for jack" proceeded the doc
tor, a little awkwardly; "he has been telling
me something of his experience to-day
you don't mind my telling Bessie, JGck!-
and he's had a hard pull. Worst of all, he
lost his wife"
II am very sorry"
mo, not that wayw hastily interrupted
the doctor; ''lost sight of her. He left her
in Denver three years ago. Heard from her