The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1892-12-21
SANDY'S BESSIE.

dispose Of MS customer before ehteiHis,
bnt as the little girl did not appear !
opened the door.
Fifty cents; fifty cents" Sandy was
shouting Is I stepped inside. "Canna
ye understan that, ye puir heathenf
Fifty cents.
lie was standing before his bench, ges-
ticulating, with a pair Of newly soled
shoes. two sizes too small for the girl,
who stood in a mutely submissive atti-
tude before him. Sandy has always res
olutely disdaiued learning any foreign
tongue. If the ''braid Scots deealect, "
isn't good enough for his customers they
can 20 elsewhere.
..Sfeine mutter ist todt," began the
child's gentle. uncomplaining voice,
''und7-
Come hither, Owen cried the old
man impatiently. ''Can ye tell what ist
the lass wants
The girItold me herstOry. Her mother
was dead. She was the Oldest Of four
children. and had seen eighteen years,
though she looked but fourteen. She
and two other children had got work
tailors piecework-and they were al
living somehow, but It was very hard
She had the money for mending the
shoes. but the neighbors had told her
that der Herr MacNab7 was such
kind hearted man. and So
The look Of puzzled inquiry in Sandy's
face changed 10 tender regard as / trans
lated. Before / had finished he was
roiding his head energehcally in token
of compliance and wrapping up the
SHOES IN q sheet Of newspaper. Then he
pur them into the girls hands and gently
pushed her toward the door.
-Ach, Du Heber Gott!' said the child,
and dropping q reverent Old World
courtesy, she turned 10 20.
"Whaur are ye leevin, LASS" said
Sandy, following her to the door. ex-
planned the query, and she gave him an
address near 10y. Sandy tucked a cram
pied bank note into her hand, and as he
pat a pinch Of Maccaboy TO MS nostrils
a moment later I thought | saw his hand
dodging suspiciously about his eyes. The
girl looked at the bill IN a dazed sort Of
a way for d moment, and then dropped
another courtesy, this time to the door
Of the shop, and was gone.
"Puir mitherless BARNS. said Sandy,
as he began a loud rat-tst on the s0le Of
a shoe. Presently he paused and in
quired, "What sand she as shegaed ooty7
She said, 'Ah, thou dear Godr re-
Piled. 1t was a prayer Of thankfulness."
..Puir BARN! puir bairnr' said Sandy,
stopping his work TO take another pinch
Of snuff. "She pits the proud an MIGHTY
to shame WI her simple faith. An / cad
her heathenl Hech, Owen, lad, it's a
sair warl for BARNS desertit by their
am kin. Think OF, mon, In O. this
great ceety four little anes fechtin wi
want an poverty an hunger by their lane
in a garret. the Prey o the evil an de-
signin, scoTn'd by them that's no theiI
betters, neglectit by the powerful, except
by way o robbery. WI ne'er a sicht of
the fels an wavin woods o the b0nny
country or the wash O. the sea: withoot
time or strength for childish play-eh.
Owen. What if my Janet-na. na, bet
ter as she Is, puir little one, unner tho
sod / the kirkysrd that leevin sac be-
SCI, and Sandy dropped his head into
his hands. had never heard him allude
before 10 his wife and daughter long
dead in Linlithgow.
Its an owre lang tale to tell" said
Sandy, after a moments pause, seeming
to find a gentle comfort IN speech Of his
loved and lost ones, .sbut Tse cut il
short ! the tellin. Ne'er a mon In a
Scotia was so blithe as Alexander Mac
Nab the day that made bonny Bessie
his bride, nor for mony a year after.
The bairnies cam. two o. them. but
wee Sandie deed In infancy an ainly
Bess was left 10 cheer the little hame
an max bright the ingls neuk. Yet.
stil we were happy, sac happy, Till Bes-
Eie-she was ne'er strong, nor her mither
seemed TO weaken, day by day. an
fade cot an waste ava, till her face was
pale an clear vi the awfu' whiteness o
the great hereafter shinin through the
vail o flesh. Ell, she sud pa made a
bonny angelg'
Here Sandy paused abruptly. and for
some minutes sat silently brooding over
The past. did net interrupt him. an
presently he began 70 speak again in a
Tow. tremalous voice:
Sac SIZE went, lad Better so, per
haps, IN a the purity Of childhood. An
the wife was ike bruised and broken
fow'r that drcopt an droopt weel. An
i ihe kirkyard they were sune side by
side, an a was pit dark as nicht to me.
Frien's o my youth, who had lang syne
ieeyit J. the new Ian, begged me sair 10
rene 10 them, an sac, as all the war;
Was the same 70 my reft hart, 1 cam an
here ! hae leeved my lane, waiting MI
lhe Lord is pleased o his infinite maircy
% ca ne % my ain. a wounds heal !
time, they say, an fve-and-twenty year
IS lang eneuch, but the scars WI me
yet, Owen, the scars WI me vet, an viii
be til my deeins day. an Gamma see a
wee bairn warslin wi this wicked warr
ike the puir Dutch lass, but / naun
think: Hoo, if 'Iwere Bess: Ny ain
wee Bessie"
And the old man. dashing his hand
across MS eyes 10 clear away a mist
that was not all Of age, drew from
his inner vest pocket one Of those old
fashioned daguerre0type cases that used
TO be SO common on country house cen
ter tables twenty years ago and handed
II 10 me. opened IL. and after turning
tie case this way and that 10 avoid the
reflection from the CLASSY surface, saw
two dimly outlined faces. the mothers
and daughters. looking al each other.
II was impossible TO get much idea Of
what they were IN life. but | looked at
them as one wo1ld look at a strange face
in a coffin and then handed back the case
IN silence.
Just then the door was flung open and
a number Of men entered the room, their
forms but dimly discernible il the dusk
which had fallen upon rs unheeded.
Why. its Langdon, said one, ad-
vancing with an exclamation Of sur
Prise. Il suppose you've got everything
al arranged for the picnic, Sandyg"
No" said 1, hastily inteFposing, I'VE
have not been talking about the picnic
at all That's what came for. but MIR.
AscNab has been telling all about the
Old days IN Scotland, and we hadn't
really got down 70 business yet.
Sandy hustled about 70 light a couple
Of gas jets as ! spoke. and when he had
finished he slowly returned, thankful, |
was sure, for the moments respite.
I'm thinkin," said he slowly. ssthat |
sail na gae to the picnic
Not go TO the picnic." said young
IN astonishment. why,
uncle. how can that be- What would