Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-11-20

the great pare room WIN ia o.,,,,,-
III disguised and pinching novar,r
Everywhere he saw the darna ard
patches and makeshifts OF a sk;,is,,t
woman's fingers trying to put the best
side out, and there was a pathos IN Il
when contrasted with old Renwicl,s
high tone and exalted pretensions
Judith meantime was surveying tha
cold kitchen, where the wood FIRE Sas
always allowed to die out bet,yasr
meals to save fuel. The place was cb,ll
and dreary, and she shivered sliohtlv
through her shoulders as she loolred
about her. Already she had investigated
tho safe and the cupboard. She had
found nothing but slice and half N
bread; four cold potatoes On a broken
plate, saved from yesterday; no tea or
coffee, no meat, no dessert-not food
enough, all told, to satisfy the appetite
of one healthy person There, to DO suls
was the bag of oatmeal But how could
she offer dish of oatmeal porridRe to n
dinner guest. Moreover she had taken
only pint of milk that morning, just
enough to put in her fathers tea.
The girl stood thinking, quite at her
wits end. She had only few pence in
her pocket, and the Renwick credit was
not good at the grocery store and the
meat market. Where was Mr.. Mild
mays dinner to come from? Suddenly
light broke in. She remembered that
Mrs. Sparkler owed her quarters tut
ton of the children, and here seemed a
la1n - g.
hedged path. She had left her shawl in
the living room and would not 20 back.
Hastily she threw an old red tablecloth
over her head, and softly opening the
back door sped through the garden to
the gap in the wall She found her
neighbor in the clean kitchen mourn
fully connecting squash pies. There
were pots and saucepans on the stove all
bubbling and boiling and emitting
good odor, proof positive that the family
dinner was well in hand.
Have You heard any news of them
children Mrs. Sparkler cried excitedly
as she saw Judith fit past the window
with the red tablecloth over her head.
mo indeed only wish | had. |
have come to you, Mrs. Sparkler, on my
own account. am in great strait"
"You in trouble too? Poor thingi
Well, it does look us il the whole world
was all crooked today-gone topsy turvy.
There's Sparkler gone off nearly dis
tracted, with his horse and wagon, to
scour the country, He's locked his shop
and put out sign, Closed on account
of misfortune, Folks will think he's
burst up or gone crazy. But what is
the matter with you, Miss Renwick9 Is
your pa took poorly"
Judith shook her head. mo, it isn't
that. It's something perfectly ridicu.
lods," and she burst into hysterical
laugh. He has brought stranger, a
Mr. Mildmay, home to dinnerl-
Mira. Sparfler paused in the act of
trimming the crust from around a pie |
plate, and looking over her shoulder she
repeated vaguely, Home to dinner"
Eyes, and that is the joke OF it." and |
Judith laughed until the tears ran down
her cheeks. "There isn't anything in
the house to eat-not enough to feed a
cat"
And you want some Of my dinner"
Blu mta' Spafkler Engineering, glad to |
do kind deed and for moment to for
get hor worry. Whats neighbors for
If not to help each other in a pinch, and /
haven't you helped me, Miss Renwick,
and been real streak of sunshine, what
ever happens to them youug ones? |
don't know what | was about cookin up
big dinner if it wasn't for you in your
hobble, Sparkfer amt here, and
mouthful would choke him if he was
and as for me hal y no more appetite
to eat than a sick kitten.
81 guess kind of did it to distract my
thoughts. There's boiled beef and yeRe-
tables, carrots and turnips and beets and
potatoes. I've got some bread new
baked Had the best kind of luck with
my bakin this time, and you shall have
one Of these squash pies and pot Of
coifoe. Now you go home and lay the
table, and I'll bring the dinner in basket
through the gap in the wall around to
your back door in less than half an hour
Judith could have fallen down and
kissed Mrs. Sparkler's old shoes. but she
lid dash home with the red tablecloth
over her head, singing pmans of thanks
giving in her heart.