Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-13

gance and yet no one could help noticing
the natural grace which showed in the
whole presence of the girl, especially in her
large blue eyes, full of gentleness and deli
cacy.
Miller, of Millertown, looked over the
girls shoulder into the room.
"How are you, Helen, my anpelI' ex
claimed the old woman, "come here to me,
my child"
''Ah! Is it Helen?" cried the bow re-
joicing, "She surely brings something to
eat"
With these words he sprang up from his
bench and began to examine the girls pock-
cts. Now Miller also entered.
Dear neighbor," he said, give me lit
tie black thread; you see my Goa. is in greas :
trouble: shall have to sew again the whole
evening""
directly, neighbor."
She went to the drawers to get the thread.
In the meantime. little Andrew had found
paper with raIsins in Helen's pocket. Shout
ing with joy he fell upon them, while Helen
laughed merrily.
You scapegraceI' exclaimed the old
woman, and just then, noticing Andrew de-
vouring the raisins, she added: ''What are
you doing there? Surely you have taken
something again from Miss Heleai Are
you not ashamed to beg and at the same
time to steali
"But must eat something" replied the
boy, with cheeks stuffed full; "you never
give me anything"
At that moment the door was thrown open
suddenly and Nicholas Popoff, Lina's eldest
son, rushed in, deadly pale. wet through and
utterly unneryed. In one hand he held a
bottle OF brandy, in the other a portfolio
hi oh hQf otr-ov haa IL,
unusual sight all drew back
Nicholas next seized his little brother,
raised him on high and looked at him with
bewildering eyes. Lima had in the mean
time recovered from her fright and went I'D
to him, saying:
"What is it, Nlcholas?"
"You shiver," said the man to his little
brother. "You shiver all over and cry from
cold and from hunger, cry ON, my boy, for
henceforth you will always hunger. You
will never have piece of bread any more"
He kissed the boy passionately ana let him
fall so suddenly out of his arms that the poor
little fellow crept behind the stove and lost
all of his raisins.
"What do you mean, my son?" asked Lima
aloud.
Mother" said Nicholas, "you thought
that, thanks to my work, you would be able,
now we shall have to beg in the streets and
die in the hospital. Helen, your father, a
wealthy merchant. allowed you to visit US
and promised me your hand when should
have secured better position. Go home,
Helen, and look for another husband, for 1
shall never marry you. Neighbor, guard
your money well, for 1 might steal it, if 1
should live here; hunger is a bad counselor"
Nicholas, are you mad?" asked Lima
sternly.
"Not yet, mother, nor drunk, but shall
soon become both. Here is bottle of brandy,
the last present shall ever bring you; 1
have spent my last penny on it,"
Helen approached the unfortunate official
and asked him in gentle, soft voice:
Nicholas, what is the matter?''
Nicholas pushed her back.
"Hush! Do not say a word. Your voice
pierces my heart. You ask what is the
matter? They have turned me out of the
Ministry
She wiped her tears and asked, in a quiet,
resolute tone OF voice:
"And why have they turned you out?''
"The chief was in bad humor Yesterday.
At he went away. l could not anticipate
that he would come back as soon as s O'Clock
and went to dinner. When l returned they
told ME His Excellency had been there. but
had driven away again in great wrath, be-
cause the fire had gone out in the crate and
the lamp had not been lit. You know every
officer, when on duty, has an hour free for
dinner. 1 was not a minute behind nv
time; but because the great man stayed an
hour beyond his usual time 1 also had to
wait whole hour before / could 20 to nv
dinner. The way from the office to nv res
taurant, you know, is pretty long, and a
man must, after all, eat at least once day.
When they told me that the chief had been
angry feared at once that some of us would
have to suffer, but 1 never expected that
matters would be quite as bad as this This
morning the head of the bureau told me
that l had lost my place under the Govern
ment.
"At first thought this sentence could not
be final. begged, implored. 1 wished to
speak to his Excelency. But there was no
help. These six years that I have been in
service I have never had q complaint
against me, and this is the way they reward
services rendered the Carl For long years
we work hard and earn little more than our
daily bread. Then one day the chief is in
bad humor and the poor subordinate is