Rock Island daily Argus., 1893-02-06
REST FOR THE WEARY
HOW A TIRED LITTLE SALESWOMAN
SECURED NEEDED REST.


A Pathetic Story of Faithful Young Girl
Who Wore Out Her Short Existence Be
hind the Counter of a Big Retail Store.
Her Long Vacation.
She was tired little saleswoman, with
brave heart and a sweet temper in spite of
the manifold cares and troubles which had
made her so old for nineteen years Ever
since her mothers death, eleven years ago,
she had worked in the same stole as cash
girl, wrapper and clerk, and in all that
time she had never had whole days rest,
excepting when she had buried the little
cripple brother for whom so much of her
patient work had been done She was tired,
body and soul, and the desire and longing
of her heart had always been to take va
cation. She had never been outside the
city since she could remember, and yet she
knew just the farmhouse in which her de-
sires rested would stand back from the
dusty road, and she had thought of the
hammock in which she would spend twelve
long, idle days until it had become an alb
solute reality to her.
1t often seemed to her that she led dou-
BILE existence, for when in winter time the
icy draft from the door blew over and
chilled her to the bone she consoled herself
by thinking of the warm, pleasant spot
where the hammock swung, and in sum.
mer the thought of the great green trees
which shaded it seemed to relieve the burn.
ing heat and dust. When her head ached
and her brain whirled with the many and
various noises around her, she dreamed OF
the lovely silence of that ideal country
place and ceased to mind the man at the
col {r,syt,
her heart she was musician, and his mo-
notonous rendering of popular airs drove
her nearly wild.
Three months ago the little brother had
died, and though as all the boarders told
her, his death was a blessing to him and
a relief to her, she was foolish" enough to
mourn him and feel doubly desolate when
he was gone
Ever since his death she had felt weak
and queer, and today nothing but the stern
necessities of board bill in arrears and
balance owing to the needy little undertak-
er who had looked after Bobbie's funeral
kept her at her post. when get all paid
I'm going to take a rest" she thought in
the intervals of selling candy and answer
ing questions as to the whereabouts of ev-
erthing, from the candy right under their
noses to horse blankets and cloaks, "for
I'm so tired | feel as if I should die. /
can't go away, but if / could save enough
to pay my board for two weeks I'd Law of, ="
she finished with a sad thought of how
lonely her room was now. But as the bills
were not paid stay she must, though her
feet grew heavier every minute and the
strange lghtness in her head increased
And how that man opposite did rattle off
those tunesl Presently he began to play
Rest, rest for the weary" and she didn't
mind so much, for that was the hymn they
had sung at Bobby's funeral
There is rest for the weary,
There is rest for the weary,
There is rest for the weary,
There is rest for you,
she hummed softly, and the words bac.p
to sing themselves in her brain. row in 4
dreamy undertone, then with nii,.tv
crash which drowned everything else
There is rest for the weary" she remarked
in answer to a question. Yes, ! know
il" retorted the customer, stout, good ma
tured looking woman, ''and I'm glad of it,
for you look as if you needed it, and I'm
kind of tired myself. But that doesn't tell
me where the stocking counter is" "Oh,
did you want the hosiery department."
said the poor little clerk; three rooms
north; turn to your LETT
And so the day wore by until it was time
to put up stock and leave the store. Bv
this time everything around her seemed to
be dancing a merry Jig and she thought
Il wonder if I'm going to have the fever
like Bobbie." Coming up stairs with hat
and coat she was met by the floor manager
who had some directions to give, and while
he talked she grew sick and faint. "What
eyes the child has, )" he thought, "and what
thin little face" And he kindly told her
ito run along home"
She tremblingly hurried to the door, and
as the cool, fresh air seemed to revive her
she started to cross the street But why
did al! the people scream to her to look
out, and where was the great sea whose
roaring was in her ears? Blindly she STUN
bled on, and then moment later-oh, nv
Godl gr-r-r-she was under the cable wheels
Some minutes later she was tendery
lifted into the patrol wagon and taken to
the county hospital No use doing any,
thing" said the doctor: ''past all hone"
The sweet faced, slender young nurse grew
pale and shiveTed, and all night she tender
ly watched by the unconscious girl. Just
as the first CLEAN of daylight glimmered
on the whitewashed wall the patient stirred.
and the nurse, bending over her, heard her
murmur softly, "Pm going-top floor; way
to the front; new huilding-take elevator
to take a vacation" The last word had
hardly left her lips when her eyes closed
again, and the nurse saw she had taken
the elevator" and started for the top
floor" And as she tenderly smoothed the
pretty, soft hair and composed the face
which was meant to be so pretty and bright,
and which, alas, was so sad and worn, she
whispered:
There is rest for the weary,
There is rest for you.
Chicago Inter Ocean.