The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-12-05
A LITTLE BENEFACTOR.
BY MARY l.. h. BRANCH.

"The days are 80 long and weari-
some!" sighed Mrs. Harmon. She had
been confined to her room long time
by a chronic ailment. She could not
go upstairs or down. She could not
visit her kitchen, where woman hired
by the week now filled her place.
Her husband was at work from morn
ing till night out in the fields, and her
grown-up daughter was away teaching.
She could ring a bell for Mrs. Grigg
if she wanted anything, and she could
move her chair from the window that
looked out on the back yard to the
window that looked out on the road.
But it was a road on which there was
not much passing, and the chief event
each day was the strolling by of per-
haps dozen children to school with
their return home in the afternoon.
For want of other amusement she
watched them languidly ut first, and
after that with increasing interest.
'Almy Chaplin and Grace Clark look
to be pretty intimate" she often said
to herself, as two little girls in plaid
aprons went by, sometimes each with
her arm around the others waist, and
sometimes studying from one book as
they walked. "Well, used to be inti-
mate that same way with Almy's
mother when l was a girl. She was
Lucy Gray then. And now 1 don't see
her once in six months. Folks around
here aren't very social"
Mrs. Harmon said this resignedly.
She knew how busy all the housewives
were in their homes. When she was
| well she had not gone out visiting very
| often. There were the hens, the pigs,
the milk and the buttermaking to see
to, besides the meals for the men and
the housework.
But now, forced to give up work, time
passed wearily. She had few resources;
sewing made her nervous, and she
cared little for reading, though she had
been bright scholar when a girl, and
had taught the district school for two
summers before she was married. Here
she was, a clear-headed woman of As,
tied down to an invalid chair waiting
I for what?
II declare, won't spend another
minute watching that hen scratch up
the grass!" she said one morning, as she
rolled her chair away from the back
window. Its time for the school chill
dren to go by. Jimmy Grigg is swing.
ing on our gate now, waiting for Benny
Chaplin to come along. There's Benny
now. Lucy Chaplin must have big
washings. Benny goes to school every
morning in a clean apron, and home in
Il dirty one."
She watched the boys saunter off,
and then she watched till Almn
Chaplin and Grace went by. Presently
Tommy Cobb followed, running and
stumbling, with his hand done up in
Il red handkerchief.
He was the last, and for more than
two hours after not even dog passed
the house. 1t was tedious.
But in the afternoon Mrs. Chaplin
came into Mrs. Harmon's room with
Benny. She said there was going to be
a mothers meeting at the schoolhouse,
and she wanted to leave Benny with
Mrs. Harmon till she came back.
Hell be good" she said ''You sit
there, Benny, and if Mrs. Harmon wants
anything you can wait on her."
She hastened away, leaving her in.
valid friend looking at the little round.
eyed boy who sat on a low chair Oh
posite her. He sat very still, for he was
being good boy.
Benny" she said at last, "how old
are you?"
"Six and half" he said. II had g
birthday in December. Did you know
! was born in December just before
Christmas? My mother always calls
me her Christmas present. I had q
sled and six agates on my birthday"
DO you like your school?"
"Yes, do. I'm in the third reader.
Jimmy Grigg and l began the primer
together. and pretty soon l went into
the first reader, but Jimmy stayed in
the primer. Then l went into the sec.
ond reader, and Jimmy stayed in the
primer. Now am in the third reader,
and Jimmy is in the primer yet. The
teacher says it's because he doesn't pro-
nounce we'll, but think he could pro-
nounce well if he would only take
palms."
Mrs. Harmon felt that she was get.
ting very interesting replies from this
talkative little boy
"Pve read Robinson Crusoe' through
three times" he added.
"Was Tommy Cobb late this morn.
ing?" she asked. -,
"Yes. but his mother wrote him ar
excuse. He got hurt yesterday. He
came to my house and climbed on tor
OF the woOdpile. Mother said: Get
down, Tommy. or you'll fall but he
didn't get down. She said: Tommy
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