The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-08-10

BeauElIui story OF the d8ppInees
Which One Poor Soul Impaired to AL
Who Net Her in Her Daily Round of
Care and Turmoil.
She was only little woman dressed in
shabby, well wern gray, and her face, no
longer young and fair, had grievous
marks upon il. that were cares sharp
writing of life history none too joyous
and butdenless, bat her smile was as bright
and sunshiny as pleased ch1ld's. And as
she walked down the long, commonplace
street morning after morning on her way
to work-for it's of one Of earth's humble
tpilers that l am telling You-she went
smiling her friendliness upon every Great
ure she met.
The dog that every morning led the
blind man to his corner close TO the book
sellers stand, and sat patiently by him all
day waiting TO lead him home when even
ing should come, he knew her, and greet
ed her with wag of his stumpy tail as q
sign Of good fellowship, though she could
seldom spare q coin TO the ragged hat his
master held, and his honest brown eyes
said as plainly as if he had bad speech with
which to voice it, You would If you could,
know"
The little lame-tailor stitching away in
his door glanced away from his work
again and.sGain till he saw her coming,
and the butcher, b1tly and bare armed, in
variably wiped his hands to return that
friendly smile. Old Poll, the apple woman,
who had never been known to give pleas
ant'word to any other creature and whose
sharp tongue was the terror of the neigh
borhoud, actually had a civil nod for the
little woruan who persisted in smiling at
her. The postynan.fotndshi his round trifie
less weary when he met the small, gray
figure going its CHEEKY way. The school
children were her friends and returned her
silent greeting with interest from the same
bright mint.
ONLY 4 SMILE.
The druggist behind his gay glass bottles
knew her, the invalid child that spent so
many long hours of pain and loneliness
looking out of-the window tn-the fine big
house across the way watched for her
wistfully, and sighed and turned impa-
tiently upon'her pillow when she had gone
by. Yes, they all knew her for a friend,
though in the+g great rush of life and the
struggle for bread shehad no time to stop
for the exchange ofeyen word with them,
but she gave them al l=she. had-a smile,
that blooIned, however, in>therich soil of a
heart full Of love, as; a rose is but the-out-
ward token. ofSthe kihdly, benefcent earth
from which it springs.
But whsn at last morning, came, and
the little shabby figure did not appear, all
these friends of hers were troubled, and
had you said to them, why, you never
10 TO a ",
would scarcely have believed you. The
tailor found himself stitching up the ends
of the sleeves In the coat he wasat work
on, the butcher sent OFF 'fQins for shoulders
and brains for pigs feet, and the druggist
caught himself up sharply twice and thrice
as he hammered away with his pestle at
entirely wrong ingredients in his mortar.
OIL Poll grew crosser and sharper as the
morning grewnearer, and nearer to noon,
and still her one friend came not and her
uneasiness grew.
The sick child. could not be coaXed away
from the window but lay pressing her
thin, whiteface against the pane, peering
anxiously down the crowded-street. The
children remembered with disappointment
as they entered the school house that they
had returned no CHEEKY smile that morn
ing, and the blind mans dog, hoping to
the last that she would come, kept making
little starts forward as be cahght glimpses
in the hurrying crowd Of vanishing skirts
that he mistook for the familiar gray
dress, only to come back dejectedIy to his
masters side and sit bordering over the
matter in his faithful dog heart.
YET SIZE IS MISSED.
But when the next day came and went
and the next was gone and still she did
not come the Deighbors' of a little tumble
down house sadly lacking paint, which
had hidden itself shyly away between the
two rows of crowded renemeuts, were sur
prised to see the number OF callers that
came to knock softly at the door and go
away again in a few moments with faces
graver and sadder each time. They saw q
big, burly- man, with very red face, and
sleeves for once drawn down, supporting
another little chaps. halsing. steps, fol-
lowed by an Old woman with singularly
grim, cross face, who turned very savage
when she was caught going up the broken
steps blythe. others Ginning down. The
children came. subd1ed and quiet for.Once,
to leave Loving messages at the door, and
twice day a grand carriage, with sleek,
TcSGdeSS DhIS, UrtW up DcicIo Iuo LULU
house, and footman, gorgeous in green
and gold, went in to deliver fruit and
flowers. and bring back news of her who
smiled no more
And somehow united by their anxiety
for this hufnblesisser, WHO had only been
tender and loving, this ODD assortment of
people grew closer together and forgot to
eye each other coldly and suspiciously, but
realizetlthatin spite ofthe hardness Of the
world they were brethren. But she stole
out from ifes shadow all UNCONSCIOUS OF
the good that she had done. and many who
passed gayly and pornAousiy in their wealth
and hauteur down the street she had
Enlightened with a smile would have called
her life wretched and ingloriOos, but the
Angels, vino sejcies 70 wsSch the path Of
those humble, patient soais'tbe foolish old
world never Knows, or knows, alas, too
late, welcomed that day greater than
them sH-Philsdelpbia TIMES.
Something OF q TEckster.