The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-04-20
THE OLD CLOCK.

Love in u cottage is very sweet at lrst,
but when chinks como In tho cottage
wall aud the winter wind rises and
blows through thon there must DO
bough. plaster to I'll in tho chinks, Tor
love. Ike many another sweet, whom OK
posed too much to the air, sours.
When Mamie Kent was a pro.tv, sin.
gle girl. people shook their heads and
warned hor against listening 10 tho suit
OF Harry Dean. Ito was only a poor
tcamster aud had nothing but his week.
ly wages. She lived at home with hor
mother. helping her do tho plum sowing
which tho neighborhood required aud
occasionally hiring out to hclp the
farmers wives ut harvest time.
So the two young folks were equally
poor and equally without expectations,
but when did love over hesitate at cir.
cumstances like those? All his old,
subtle arguments aro known. They
were used in this case.
"fho cottage that Is large enough for
two ia large enough for three. Tho
added advantage OF tho mans wages
will moro than offset tho additional OK.
pense OF his keep. Tho responsibility
OF n wife and home will make a man
frugal and thrifty"
All these arguments were used to
justify and further the suit Of Harry
Dean. 1t ia 50 easy for love to con.
vince love that love should be INDUCED.
So the old arguments were successful.
rs usual, and the young people, were
married. re-
Who can tell OF tho bliss OF those frat
few months, whom love grew and ripen.
ed between the two hearts; wnen even
the s,inting and saving we're a pleasure,
and sacrifice was, pleasant because die.
tated by love? Harry worked hard, be-
cause now he had such a real purpose
in working. By dint OF doing overtime
he made some extra money, which all
went to swell the little hoard which
they were laying by >ior a rainy day,
and they were happy hours which the
old kitchen clock licked away as it stood
on the white floor and beamed oyor the
household. p
Mamie communed much with the old
timepiece about noon and supper ,ime.
She would look at its smiling face and
then listen till she heard u stop on the
walk ami the CHEEKY voice OF Harry n.
the door. y
Even the first grief that fell on the
household was made sweet to Mamie
By the consciousness that there wa. 4
loved one sharing it with her.
It was just six weeks before her little
one came that Nannie's mother died
and left 4 void in the homo that the all
vent OF the little stranger only partly
filled.
The baby was a-boy. and they. named
it Harry for it's proud father. There
were some things the little one didn'.
have which it nigh. have had had no:
so much OF the parents savings gone to
pay the grandmother doctors bills and
funeral expenses. But he thriyed and
grew vigorous and hardy. He was pas,
a year old and had begun to ,oddlc
about when the darkest days they had
every known came TO the Deaf. house.
hold.
Love in his arguments had proved an
arrant faIlacist. He omitted so many
contingencies which might arise when
tho obiec: he urged was eliminated.
He had failed to tell Mamie how Harry
nigh fall sick and lose work and lcave
her with three mouths to feed. 1t was
at the most discouraging time, too
near the closing down OF winter. 1t
seemed very hard that typhoid should
take Harry just then, when his strong
arm and the result OF his labor were so
much needed. when the family treasury
was so greatly depleted, wien the stoves
needed coal and the baby wooleus. No
wonder that Nannie's heart grew heavy
when she snw the task that was set for
her hands to do. But sho took up the
strugsle %bravely, as only a woman can
whose great love has made her heroic.
There was the baby to tond, Harry to
nurse and the living to make. Through
many days she sat sewing by her hus.
bands bed. while the baby played on
the floor, and at night, when the little
one was asleep, sho joined the double
duties Of gaining overtime on her
stitches and watching tho invalid's
feverish slumbers. Now and then n
neighbor dropped in to relieve her, but
more often her vigils were kept alone.
The winter was turning into spring
when Harry grow able to get out again.
Tho long weeks OF work and anxiety
had told upon the strength aud en-
orgies OF Mamie, and her weakness, ap-
parent in tho weary voicn aud Glow
stop. made her husband impatient to
assume his old place in the household.
"lll have to do something pretty
soon, Mamie" no said one day. ITO
take the burden off oil your shoulders,
or, first thing We know, you'll be
down"
Mamie smiled, bu. she knew that
hor work was o over yet. for in spite
Of her best efforts during Harry's i'll
meas they wero in debt, and now that no
was up again work was hard to find,
One day, as his wife was sitting de.
spondcntIy in tho little kitchen, no
sprung across tho thrclhold with u glad
cry.
"Nannic, Mamie, I've got n ch ance to
pay oil our debts and h: 70 a little un
lef. over to help US on, il yIu'l conscn.
to something"
Her face frightened. and she replied:
"What Is it | wouldn't consent to do 10
DO able TO do. that. Harry? Tell mo,
what IS your plan?'
"You know thsro is a wealthy woman
from tho city visiting tho doctors wife p
"Yos."
swell. she heard that we had an old
fashioned clock, and abe wants 10 buy
it. She'll give us $50 for it. Think Of
it, $751;"
sell tho old clock, Harry" o1cla;mod
his wife.