The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1894-04-13
JEANIE'S LOVE LETTERS.
Her Romance Was Certainly q
Peculiar One.

Jeanie Campbell came back from the
tailor's shop where she worked and
found u company of boys and girls con
gregatcd round the doorstep of the tall
tenement house in which she rented
one small, back room They were
hooting and jeering at man seated
in his shirt sleeves on the doorstep
placidly smoking a huge German por-
celain pipe. The man did not seem
in the least disturbed by their jeers
and shrieks, but smoked on with his
eyes fixed upon the only strip of sunset
sky visible above the griny roofs
Jeanic pushed her way in.
whats the matter?"
.'Yah-Dutchy! INT e blooming
soft! Give boy a sniliin' To 90 and
fetch i'm something TO eat, and Is witIng
ere for I'M Tnt 'e a style! Wonder
'ow long he'll wite-'
who Is hep"
"a blooming Dutehy! 'e carnt speak
no English, 'e carnt-'as to MAKE sisus
and nobody ere can speak nothInk
else. INT e softy,''
The girl paused and looked at the
man. There was something in his
patient attitude that aroused her pity.
before she came To this great, wicked
London came over her. The mans
eyes, SO blue, clear and bright, and the
healthy tinge of his wbo.rsome face,
snote upon her with pang of recol-
lection of the honest SCOTTISH faces ,i.e
had left with contempt for their con-
tent, when she had started forth to
see life IN London.
She went up To the man and signed to
him to follow her indoors. She tried
to make him understand that he had
been robbed. The soft, gentle tones
that ans yered her We're quite unintel-
iigible: he smiled, shrugged his shoul-
ders. spread his hands and looked at
her with that calm trustfulneSs one
sees in dogs and children.
She smiled, nodded. pointed up the
stairs and then ran out of the house
She returned with a loaf of bread and
a half pound of sausages TOR HIM and a
roll for herself; she would make that
do; he was a stranger, alone and friend
less
She put the things in his hand. point
ing down the street as if to Inds".te
that she had brought the things from
the boy. lie seemed to understand,
took her hand and raised il to his lips;
the action was SO simple, SO grateful,
that she felt ashamed and ran up the
stairs to her own room
Her comfortiess breakfast of dry
roll the next morning made her a lit
tie regretful of her charity the night
before. ',He must shift for himself as
| have to do" she thought, and she
went out to her days work.
When she returned in the evening
l..
door He bowed and smiled, opened
his door and showed his various pur-
chases on his table. He had evidently
found his way round to shops
She won't up the stairs, feeling the
least little bit disappointed that he dld
not require her help any more. lie
seemed different from the jaded, vul-
gar men and women she came in com
tact with in her city life. The air of
the fields seemed to c::ng to hrn still
She thought as she tolled up the weary
stairs how sweet the country must be
looking now. Was the sun shining on
the hills at home and making the waters
of the loch sparllle-the bonnie his
that she would never see again? Friends
were dead and to a taiioress at twelve
shillings week it was indeed q far cry
to Loch Awe.
| Something was on her table, a little
sketch of a sweep of wide hills, with
| fir forests clingIng to their sides, n Int
tie cluster of houses with wide over
| hanging roofs, and shutters in the win
| dows. A figure was standing in the
doorway of one of the houses
This is his house." said Jeanie To
herself ''W That a funny thing To do. to
| give me a picture of il! 1 wish / could
send him back one of Loeb Awe, and our
! house up on the braes."
The next day was Sunday; she usual
| iy passed the morning in bed, tired out
with her weeks work. When she came
down about the middle of the day she
met him coming in, evidently in ms
Sunday best Could he have been u
church? Well, it was clear he had not
learned the manners of Eureka court
| yet
She tried to express her thanks by
looks and smiles. He seemed to under
stand, and laughed, and then she felt
with Il quick touch of dismay that h'
glanced in surprise at her untidy dres:
and towzlcd hair. Jeanie did mo-
tidy herself until afternoons; theI
III an enormous hat and feathers and
much becurled head she perambulate6
| tile adjacent streets IN company Will
girls of her acquaintance, not yet vi
cious, only ignorant, vain and craving
for a little of that happiness whIci
seems to all girls their birthright
That same hair was in wrappers nov
she blushed as she recalled the fact
her hands We're grimy, her face un
washed. HIS eyes noted it.
They did not meet again during thu
week. but next Sunday morning foun'
Jeanie with her hair out of papers an'
her hands washed; she was lettering a
the street corner when he came oac
in his spruce clothes. She gave nm
pert nod; she felt annoyed with hi
for some unknown reason, and tn;
evening made h0rself as resplendent ;
possible in her cheap, gaudy finery.
"He shall see that | can be smar
too" she thought, and tossed her hes
as he approached.
He stopped, and, drawing a noteboe