The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-01-16
BAG WITH HOLES.


right 10 sit there, for she paid her
board punctually, having "means, as
the neighbors said.
What the Potters would have done
without her board to help them they
could not think-now they had it. Yet
before Mrs, Potter's Uncle Ebenezer
died they had lived just as many other
pnor people live. Uncle Ebenezea had
never helped his niece at all since he
gave her modest outfit and a hum
dred dollars in cash when she married
Rowley Potter, young fellow who
was getting good wages in the great
rifle factory at H.
Louisa was pretty, capable, bright
girl then; but that was twenty wears
ago. Now she was a thin. sallow,
fretfui woman. Potter still worked in
the rifle shop. as they called il, but
be had only 81 day more wages than
when he was married. and there were
four children. Lofty, Is years old,
pretty. pert and vain, worked in )
hosiery Tom, IS. was in nut and
bolt ssshop;" Italia. girl of IA. was
"eash girle in Holmes & Harper's
great dry-goods store Tom and Lofty
paid their board. sIdyn clothed her
self, she could get bargains and REM
taNt4tS 80 $ttCApS AtACu sue SnQutQ De
promoted into a .ssales lady, she. too.
would pay like the others. The fourth
child, little Davy. was only 10; he went
to a public school
When Aunt Pratt was left = widow,
she made up her mind to sell the farm
and board somewhere: she had no
children. but she did have rheumatism
enough to tire her with its aches and
stiffness more than a family OF the
noisiest boys and girls could have tired
her The farm was q good one. well
improved, the house and barns in
thorough repair, and there Were six
COWS and two horses, as well as plenty
of farming implements She got $4.-
500 for the whole. The neighbors said
il was worth more; the buyer said it
was worth less; so shrewd Aunt Pratt
considered the price fair.
Then there was 81 800 in the Dalton
Bank. the slow accumulation of butter
money, egg money, the sale of poultry
and cal yes; 5000 in all, and every
cent OF it her own. Squire Hart, of
Dalton, who was executor of the will.
invested the money in safe ways mt s
per cent aud Mrs. Pratt began to look
about her for home She knew that
Louisa Potter had felt hurt about her
Uncle Pratt's will; he only left to her
her grandmother mahogany furniture
and the savings bank book in which
he had deposited the profits made ont
OF the Friesland hens and the white
heifer calf she had left in his hands
when she married. sum amounting
10 500 now
But Louisa and her husband had ex-
pected more, and Mrs Pratt was a
Just woman, capable of understanding
other peoples feelings; so she did not
wonder. After much thought, and
without any suggestion from them,
she proposed 70 come into iii. and
board with Louisa So they gave M
10 her Lotty's front bed room, and put
Lofty IN with Ida; and as theveooked
aud ate in the same room where they
sat at evening, Aunt Pratts rocker,
her f0Ot-stool, her small round table
and her work-basket were established
In the sunny south window, where she
could look down into the street and up
into the sky; for this tenement was on
= corner, and the Potters had the third
story fat.
It was great change for Aunt
fratt. but she was woman brought
up IN the old New England fashion, to
&osghat she perceived TO be a duty.
-N0 ~ AtAA E4IA5At4L dtt1 M1lA-
ont shrinking or complaints and she
had made up her mind that it was her
duty to help the Potters.
She missed the fresh air of the farm.
the quiet OF her own house, the new
milk, the sweet butter, the good bread; |
but she said nothing rs she sat, day
after day. in her window knitting Or
mendlngs her big bible open on the
stand, and her thoughts very busy with /
the things around her, as well as with
the things that are above For Aunt |
Pratt had made resolution to leave |
her money in the way it would do her
relatives the most good, and she must |
study them and their customs before |
she could discover what that way was. /
She soon found out that they were al |
ways IN debt. Potter had good wages
Lofty and Tom were of his hands, Ida |
had only board given her, and |
Davy was inheritor to Toms old |
clothes aud his fathers, too. 1t seemed |
TO Aunt Pratt that there must be a leak
somewhere that she did not discover /
at once.
She was reading her bible of course.
and one day came upon verse in the
of Haggai that seemed to ex-
plain the situation to her, and opened /
her eyes. The next day Lofty came. in
she had caught a severe cold /
and huddled over the cook-stave
wrapped in an old shawl, coughed and
sighed and scolded all day, till she was
too hoarse to speak.
Have you got on yoaR winter fian-
qelsg asked Aunt Pratt. for it was now
..Flanaetsr / guess not. / haven
got any
SWfy. Bottyw
We'll, poor folks can't have eyery.
thing. I'd got to have a winter suit,
and there was such a lovely one at thei
Boston store; satin petticoat, with
drapeEy of camels hair-imitation, II
mega, but awfully prctty-and real
Aaldid basque, with satin vest and
ft buttons; only $50. ] tell you, Aunt
Pratt, it was a swell and no mistake
but | couldn't afford soft fannels after
that"
Is it a thick dressp'' qaeried Aunt
Pratt.
No. not so very; not so thick as this
pop dress; but don't mind that
int cold-blooded-
And your shoes, are they thickPv
stOh, they're just cheap boots; thick
sles do cost so. Ny best ones are
-ench kid with lovely high heels.
icy can't have thick soies. y
And have yon got a warm petit
atp
wMercyt / don't want to be all
nped up with things I've got an
felt skirt and a striped cambria for
y day, and four white ones,
med with edging
Mt Pratt shook her head.
the bagi A hole in the