The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-02-13
TEMPERANCE NOTES.
THE DRuNkARD coBsLER.

10 mousse giving lessons to little children
in the rudimcnts of knowledge. She
was not young, nor beautiful, nor par
ticularly clever, yet she had hosts of
loyal friends, and if any of them had
been asked to name woman whose
life was full, secure and happy, they
would probably have named the poor
governess, Mary Brunt.
Let me tell you an incident which
may, perhaps. give hint of her secret
of life to you.
She lived in Germantown, q suburb
of Philadelphia, and made, twice each
day, the half-hour's journey on the rail.
way which grows SO wearisome to most
people from repetition. 1t never seemed
wcarisome to Mary. Every day she met
with some pleasant adventure. 1t might
be only child to pet, or some old
woman who gave her friendly nod;
but these little things warmed her heart
all day.
On the outskirts of the city the train
passed near to HC--nig's great wooden
mills. A little distance beyond there
was block of old dwelling-houses
which had fallen into wretchedness
and disrcpair, and were occupied only
by the poorest poor. Ragged, dirty
children SWarmcd about the doors, and
women with coarse faces and unkempt
hair stared from TIE windows the
broken panes of which were stuffed
with old hats and rags.
In but one window of the whole
block the glass was whole and clean
A curtain of the cheapest muslin, but
white, hung before it. This window
was in the third story Of the back of
the house; the train, running on tres
ties at that point, passed within Il few
feet of it. Every day Mary watched
this window. Whenever the sun shone
che curtain was lifted 50 that the light
might fall upon a box upon the sill
The box was covered with pane of
glass, and Mary fancied that within it
were ants or moths, or some other liv-
ing thing.
One day the curtain was drawn aside,
revealing bare garnet within. In one
corner was a straw bed, in another a
cobbler's bench; here Il table, there q
chair, beyond a CRATE without a fire.
The setting, in short, for dire poverty,
but-clcan.
Another day a mans face appeared at
Che window as the train rushed by-a
haggard old face, marked by lifelong
dissipation. Afterwards Mary often
saw the man STOPPING over his box or
at work cobbling, but always alone.
He had neither wife nor child.
Probal 7 hundreds of people saw him
as the train passed. He was no more
to them than IL tree or a post. But to
Mary he was human being who needed
a friend One day she left the cars at
the nearest station, penetrated the
house and climbed TO the garnet. Out
side of the door was pine single on
which was scrawled in charcoal: ''E.
Lex. Boots and shoes mended here"
The door stood open. The cobbler
was gone, but she saw on the floor and
on the wall boxes and paper cases filed
with spiders-little black dots, and
hinge, acknowledged monsters.
Mary went home ard looked over her
booll-shelves. Choosing a couple of old
scientific magazines, she wrapped them
up, directed them to L. Lex, and sent
them by mail. The next dav she saw
the cobbler porting over them at the
window.
Throughout the winter, E. Lex re-
eeived by mail every week old books
and pamphlets, or clippings interesting
to n naturalist. 1t was amazing how
much information Miss Brunt found on
Madam Arachne and her habits She
saw, as she flew past, that the cobbler
had made a shelf on which his new
treasures were carefully placed.
One day Miss Brunt, reading the morn
ing paper, saw that Enos Lex had been
run over, and his leg was broken. Lex,
it was stated, had been drunk for sew
eral days, and had fallen on the track.
That evening when Mary had fin
ished her work, she went to the great
hospital at Blocllley almshouse and saw
Enos Lex. She often had friends in
the hospital, SO that the nurses kne"
her well.
There could be no doubt that the cob
bier had been drunk for several days;
nor indeed that, year in and year out,
he was drunk much of the time.
Mary did not lecture him. She did
not even hint at his iniquity. She talked
intelligently to him about his broken
leg, and after he grew used to her, about
his spiders.
Lex was n Scotchman, with all the
Obstinacy, the honesty, the belief in
his own opinions, of his race. He YVES
a shrewd observer of spiders, and, I'M
educated as he was, had written two
monographs concerning them which
had attracted notice. But he was also
o drunkard, and-worst of all-was not
ashamed of it.
One day he followed Mary with his
keen gray eyes as she babe him good
bye, and motioned her to stop.
'Ye're vary proper young Teddy,
he said, with the patronizing tone which
40 always used to her. Nae doot when
I'm on the mend yell be tryin' to re-
form me. Mind what 1 say! Haud yer
hand; it's ma use"
Mary looked him steadily in the eyes,
but said nothing.
The muscles of the grim face worked.
mae USE" he repeated. when was
twenty-four / came till this country,
and laid my plans high. / had my wife
and BARN. l wud be gentleman like
the others. My life wud be in big
hnoaa Tho davi. rot me Miss Brunt,