The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1891-01-01
HER ONLY PROPOSAL.
Translat d from the German for the
News-Demacrat by Il. KlussmanD,
OF the V0lks.Z itung.

| At the eastern end OF the city limits, at
! the black trellised gate of the cemetery,
| there sat from time immemorial a huck-
| ster woman who sold her stock, which
| consisted of apples, eggs and cheese. As
| the old woman sat there, motionless, with
| her head against the fence, she looked
| like n Netherlandish picture. This was
| owing to the dark red cloak with the wide
| hood over the head. IL brought out q
| wrinkled face, blue eyes and snowy white
| hair. She had lived four score years, had
| always sat at the cemetery, aud funeral
| professions had been the poetry of her
| life. All her tears, her sighs, her prayers
were lavished on the dead who passed si-
| lently by in their narrow boxes. The poor
| who were brought hither without flowers
| and unattended by friends, touched her
| heart and she shed tears of sympathy; at
| the funerals of tue rich she melted into
| tears of admiration, but when on the
! breeze was borne to her the sound of n tu-
| neral song the wind rustlCd through the
! black poplars over her, or wuCu the mid
| day or the setting sun shone warmly on
| her head, then the old woman was in the
seventh heaven. Not often, however,
| could she delight i'm all this. More poor
| than rich died, and more than half the
| year the wind whistled about her ears,
! and rain and snow splashed down on her
! large blue umbrella. As everything which
| moved this old heart concerned those in-
| side the graveyard gate, she naturally had
| but little, # any feeling for the living out
! side of the gate. The complaints of poor
women about the high price Of eggs NOV
| ed the old woman just little as the
| grumbling Of the men about the high price
| of the small cheese cakes. The eyes of
| hungry children she met with cold, APP
athletic glance, for poverty, hunger and
cold appeared so natural to her that it
did not affect her in the least. Never les
sening price once fixed, IL also never
occurred to her to overCharge people who
appeared to be we'll OFF, If such happened
to stop and buy some fruit. The old wo-
man was honest-as well in her dealings
as in words.
No one on the street could say the wo-
man bad ever spoken friendly word to
secure patronage. On the contrary, If
ever one dared TO make remark as
THE cheese cakes seem smaller today
than usual,n she would sharply say: "Go
into the store and have one measured by
the yard.n
One bright autumn morning as the aged
woman was at her place, there appeared
on the steps of an old house opposite a
little boy scarcely five years old, who look
ed gravely about; in his hand he held a
long iron hook and over his back dangled |
q tin kettle. The boys eyes met those of
the woman. 1t might have occurred to |
them that one could scarcely be younger |
or Older to earn the daily bread; but such
an idea was far from their thoughts. The |
boy moved his crooked legs, wrapped up
in rags, and started directly for the basket |
of apples. "Say, give me an apple" he |
said.
"Bless my soul, no." replied the old wo-
man; and after an awkward pause the boy
turned away to follow his occupation, |
which was gathering rubbish from the |
street.
In the course Of the afternoon he came |
tottering along the street, fatigued by the |
weight of the heavy kettle, which was fill |
ed to the rim. Again the shining apples |
enticed him. He looked at them long |
time and finally said to the old woman,
who sharply watched him: Say, I'll give |
you something out of my kettle, if you |
WANT
"Aud | will give you something, too" |
she declared, with an unmistakable gest- !
ure. Ugh! Get away with your filthy |
stuff ~
Sadly he slipped away. Next morning |
he stood there again a funeral procession |
was just passing by and the old woman |
was cry ing. The boy waited for the prop
er moment and then asked; "Say, will |
you give me an apple when am deai?' |
Dead people don't need any apples" |
replied the old woman.
"But do,N he asserted.
"What a rascal she started up, "he |
does not even let me look at my dead in
peace-get away-I sayW
The next time the little fellow stopped |
before the fresh nlled basket Of eggs he /
asked: "Where did ali these come from? ?h
and as he received no answer he answer
ed hims If: "Oh, l know-from the hen
il i very nice OF hen, TO lay such good |
eggs" ,.,,.n.,,,,,
growled the old woman.
After pause of delibcration, the boy |
said: "But l couldn't do II if was a |
hen"
Even these words, in which lay certain- |
ly great appreciation of her goods, did not |
affect the old woman in the least. An
other time he naiyely said: "Say, there is |
a woman waiting for you on the corner, |
she has been calm you to come there a
long time"
$50 and tell her TO come here,n the old |
woman replied, and the little story-teller |
went away and did not come back.
One dayas an elegantly dressed lady in |
black silk passed by the old woman and
the little fellow, the old woman blev out
her cheeks: "PoJh" she said, that's a
grand one, she won't look at the likes of
us, but we all come at last to the same
burying ground. that's one consolation
us she one of those who don't work 2" |
asked the little fellow, "they get a good |
whipping from Santa Claus"
"Gracious goodness' interrupted |
the women, "is IL possible that one |
can know so llllle ABOUT llle WOrlu "nep |
did rich people ever work, stupid young |
one?"
But he still insisted. Father says, work
or a whipping"
stop talkingr" the old woman cried,
"you little Donkey
The boy hesitated moment and then
he said: "Well, don't care--but will you
give me an apple now?n The women
reached for the rope that she used for
tying her baskets, and the little one under
stood the gestures and skunk off. He en-.
tered the house, crept up stairs on all
fours and went into the low attic room,
which never was locked. In there stood
a bed, a table and few chairs; the floor
was filthy and the windows were so dirty
as to almost exclude the light. Some
clothes lay and hung about; no fresh air
seemed to have been admitted into the
room for weeks. Here the little ragpicker
grew up; neglected from his infancy he
often lay in bed until his father came
home and shared with him his midday
meal. Then the man put the boy
before him on the table, ate his bread and
cheese and every now and then gave the
little one bite. Sundays he soaped him
and washed him and took him out with
him.
AS the boy was now five years old the
father thought II time To accustom him to
work. In the evening when the man came
home from his work-he was lampliRhter
was filed, well and good; l. not, he pun
ished the boy, saying: "Work or a whip
ping.n And this was the only philosophy
which the little fellow comprehended and
70 which he stuck.
Although the old woman grew angry
every time when the little fellow planted
himself before her basket, II happened
- a. -