St. Paul daily globe., 1895-12-22

SCll w etS W DC SlIiCfNCi EieSSSo
beyond the power of aiding herself
or others; a fierce battle with the
world and it's reverseS, and finally a
surrender of the unequal contest and
flight to the shelter of the Little Sis
ters' Home.
1 passed over to the mems ward.
They are old, too; if years count for
anything as old as their sisters on
the opposite side. But they seem to
wear their ages better than the wom-
en-, though some few of them have
grown forgetful and absent-minded.
The patriarch of this side has also
reached the century mark, as nearly
as could be cleaned; but he is the con-
verse of the oldest lady in that he has
ceased adding to his years for de-
cade. -
How old are you now?" asked the
sister, for my benefit.
Ninety" very abruptly.
''Why, you told me that four years
ago. she remarked, laughingly.
well, if L was ninety then, of course
L must be ninety now" he retorted
with logic peculiarly hts own. =.
There were ten or twelve old men In
the room 1 first entered. and I was
given general Introduction to them as
"a gentleman from the G e."
From the G o b e, are you?" asked
a little old man with scanty whiskers
of gray hair and twinkling inquisitive
little eyes. You see, SIR" he contin-
ued, with a funny shrewdness of voice
and manner, 1--WE don't believe all we
read in the newspapers"
Jimmie is an old politician" whis-
pered an aged, mild-mannered gentle
man at my side, looking admiringly on
the last speaker as one not afraid to
tell his mind. Then another spoke up,
and with am air of conviction, said:
"Well, we believe more of what's in
the G o than we do of what's in
any other paper"
He is a Democrat" again whispered
my interpreter by way of eXplana ton.
Passing from this apartment to the
adjoining one, brought us to work
room where an Industrious tailor of
seventy was making sewing machine
hum over broad breadthS of cloth
which it eat up quite voraciously.
Close by, his helper, older than himself,
was brushing and cleaning clothes,
while on the opposite side of the room
a fat old gentleman with an immense
apron tucked under his chin and about
his neck. was having his hair cut by
a bright-eyed. wiry little compatriot
who was making first rate job of it.
Over in the corner an octogenarian
with his overcoat on and buttoned up
4l,.x, ,,{ta ,,.1xr Nv
looking hat of great amplitude pulled
over his eyes, sat sleeping the few re-
naming years of his life away, oblivi-
Gus of his surroundings.
1t was time to terminate my visit.
The carpenter shop, shoemaker's,
smoking and reading rooms, situated
in a little frame house across the
quadrangle, must be left for another
day. On my way out [ came across an
old gentleman seated at a table in
quiet corner of the hail. busily engaged
in writing. A glance at his manuscript
showed it to be a miracle of neatness
and legibility, we'll nigh perfect in PEN
manship. "What does he write?' l in
quired. "Odds and ends; little stories
and sketches for his own amusement"
answered the sister. I thought there
might be a mine of matter in those
rolls of his, but forebore delving for
it, since the writer seemed preoccupied;
and being in the throes of composition
evidently did not wish to be disturbed.
1t is beautiful home, these old men
and women, proteges of the Little
Sisters of the Poor, dwell in. 1t is
made more beautiful still by the kind,
considerate, warm-hearted care be-
slowed upon them by the sisterhood.
AS 1 passed out from it's portals, the
thought came to me that it will be well
for many of us should we be provided
with as good when we fall into ''the
sere and yellow leaf" &C. j. W.