The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1890-10-30
ESOs LIN. COEHLER AND DRUNE

ENOs LIN. CORBIER AND DRUNK
AID.
By Ral--rca Harding I,aNi. "a youths Com
pHuiun.
Mary Bruui was a visiting COVER
ness IN Philadelphia. She went
from house Ia house giving lessons
tn little children la the rudiments Of
knowledge. she was not young,
nor beautiful, nor particularly cleY-
CT, yet she had hosts of loyal friends,
aud 10 any of them had been asked
10 nanIp "A woman whose life WAS full
secure and happy, they would prol,a-
bly, have named the poor gOverness,
Mary lIrunt.
Let mp tell you an incident which
may, perhaps, give hint Of her se-
crel life To you.
She lived la Germantown n suburb
OF Philadelphia, aud made, twice
each day, the half-hour's Journey
Ou the railway which grows sO weari-
some To most people fIOm repetition.
IL never seemed wearisOme io Mary
Every day she. met with some pleas
ant adventure. u might Ice only n
child to pet, ar some old woman gave
her a friendly nod; but these little
things warmed her heart all day.
On the outskirts Of the city the
train Iias-rd near To Henig's wOOllen
mills. 4 little distance beyond
there was block Of old dwelling
houses whirh had fallen into wretch
hess and disTrpair, aud were occupied
only 10y the poorest poor. Ragged,
dirty children swRrned about the
door. aud women with coarse fArea
and unk"mpt hair stared from the
Windows, the broken panes of hirh
were stuffed with old hats aud rags
In hut one window of the whole
block the glass was whole and ciean.
curtain nf the cheapest muslin,
but white, hung before IL. This win
dow was in tile third story of the
house; the train, running on tres |
Ties at that point, passed within q |
lew feet nf IL. Every day Mary |
watched this window. Whenever |
the son shone, the curtain was lifted |
so that the light might reach n box |
upon the sill. The box was covered |
with pane OF glass, and Mary fan
cied that within 10 were ants or
moths or some living thing.
One day the curtain was drawn
aside, revealing Il bare garnet within.
In one corner was a straw bed, In
another cObbler's bench: here, a
table, there, n chair, beyond, a crate
without fire. The setting, in short.
for dire poverty, but-clean.
Another day, a mans face appear
ed at the window ~ the train rushed
by n haggard old face, marked by
lifelong dissipation. Afterwards
Mary often saw the man STOPPING
over his box or CObbling, but always
alone. He had neither wife nor child.
Probably hundreds of people saw
him as the train passed. lie was no
more tn them than n tree or n post
Hut tO Mary he was O human being
who needed friend. One day she
left the ears at the nearest station.
penetrated the house and climbed To
the garnet. Outside Of the door vas
\ pine shingle on which was serAwl- (
ed la charcoal: az. Lex. Boots
aud shoes mendpd here"
The door stood open. The cobbIer |
wns gone, hut she saw on the floor =
and on the wall boxes and paper
Eases filled with spideTs-little black
lots, and huge yellOw-legged mon {
,ters. r
Mary went home and looked over
Ter bOok-shelVes. Choosing a coll a
pie OF old scientific magazines, she d
wrapped them up, directed them 10 I
:. Lex, and sent them by mail. The
lsNt day she saw the cOhbler porting d
'ver them at the window. y
Throughout the winter, r.. Lex re- u
eived 10y mail every week old books. q
or clippings interesting +
o naturalist. IL was amazing how u
much information Miss Brunt fnuud d
n Madam ArnChne and her habits. N
The saw, as she flew past, that the A
obbleT had made n shelf on which u
ls treasures were carefully placed cl
One day Miss Brunt, reading the al
lOrning paper, saw that Enns Lex
sd been run over aud his leg hrok- ci
q. Lex, u was stated, had been
runk Tor several days, and had ~
lllen on the track. 81
That evening when Mary had fin M
he'd her work, she went To the In
reat hospital Rt IliockIey aImshouse | Tr
ld saw Euos Lex. She often had ~
lends In that hospital, 80 that the on
lrses knew her we'll.
There could bs no doubt that the sill
'bbleT had been drunk for several
lys; nor indeed that, wear In and M,
Ear out, lac was drunk much Of the ne
me. 81,
Mary did not lecture him. Che
d not even hint at his iniauIty. nN
be talked intelligrnIly to him about sis
Il broken leg, aud, after he grew Or
ed To her, Ebuut his spiders. he
Lex was n ScOtchman, with all the co
'stlnacy, honesty, the belief In his I
I'm opinions, nf his race. He was a ne
rewd observer Of spiders, and, un- on
ucated as he was. had written two In
onographs concerning them which ms
u attracted notice. hut he vas ali
% \ drunkaTd, and-Worst of ALL nv
" not ashamed of Il. M,
O1e day he followed Mary With his
} keen gray eyes a. she bid him del
cd bye, and motioned her to stop. vii
: Iere vary proper young led cor
I" he said, with the pstronizlnR 20 Z
Re which he Rlways used % her. fac
Iae dOot when I'm on the mend I'm
III be tTyiu' To- reform me. Mind
lat say! HSud your hand; us r
; use.m "bs
lary looked him steadily In the haE
=, but said nothing. All
he muscles of the grim face tha
rked. Mae use," ne repeated, lar
ihen | Was iweBty-feuF | came cen
this country, an laid my plans keg
a. ] had my wife and BARN. D. q
be gentleman like the others. i'0u
life aud be In = big hoOse. The win
al got me Miss BrunI, su' made froE
q drunksrd. They're dead that 81 2
ed for me. There's no reason per
EnOs lex should ns taxi n the 50 .
ltort out o. whisky that he can cen.
!" n
larry had no eloquence. She only tres
oh hands with him heartily aud Of '
II away. Doctor C stopped low
be door: is e
foH can do nothing with Lex,
9 BFunt. He's an lneOrrigibls w
. haEd