Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-01-21

" what they had left,
shut up alone there in the bare, silent
cabin, silenced even their loquacious
tongues. When they were hallway
down the hill Mrs. Sutton drew a lone.
breath and pushed back her sun
bonnet.
"There, thank goodness, that's over !
1t was task, but some one had so do
it; and I'm glad I'm not one of them
that's afraid to take aholt. Not that
[ minded layin' out the poor thing,
even if she was foreigner. l like to
do what's my duty to do; but when it
comes to takin' pauper children to
raise, why | don't believe required
Of me. What Ide Bowman wanted of
them | can't see, poor rs they ARE.
But | wasn't going to tell her not to
take them, for then they would come
on the rest OF us somehow; and the
poor tax is high enough already, good
ness knows"
cts awful foolish of her. said Mrs.
Burt, severely. eide always was a
soft thing, and it's Just like her, taking
couple of little scarecrows like that
that haven't any claim at all on her,
lust because she pities them. And,
land sakes, just think how poor they
are, and Steve a CRIPPLE"
"Oh, it takes your real poor folks to
afford the luxury of being charitable.
and they're the sort that are likely to
end up on the township, too," said
Mrs. Sutton, tossing her head. "That
sort think them that work and manage
and have little money ought to give
it all away. Ide had the audacity to
say that since Sutton and me had no
family and had the farm and the store
both to fall back on, it would be nice
for us to take the little dagos to raise.
But / soon give her to understand that
[ hadn't been worllin' all these wears
to throw away what I've got on no.
account paupers."
'Steve is going to have steady Job
this winter on Mr.. Plunkin's mill. |
suppose she is counting on that. She
told me about it when she came to
tell about the italian woman beina
dead, >" observed Mrs. Burt.
While the two matrons from Gown
in the valley walked leisurely toward
their comfortable homes, the subject
of their discourse was hurryino
through the woods in en- opposite di-
rection. She carried burden much
too heavy for her slender frame, and
little boy, scarcely able to toddle,
clung to her skirts and weighed hel
down. She hurried, painting, along
the rough path and kept looking back
over her shoulder in frightened way,
as though she was carrying of, con
cealed under her shawl there, treas
ure from the dead womans cabin.
Her head was bare she had taken hel
faded hood to tie about the little boy.
shivering shoulders, and you could
see that her face had the waxy pallol
of extreme ill-health. The skin wa.
drawn SO tightly over her high, mar
row forehead it was a wonder thu
bones did not push through. He
prominent light eyes had weary
helpless stare, and the heavy masses
of her lustreless brown hair made he
head seem too big and heavy for th
pitiful little pipestem OF n neck tina
supported it.
The small one-story house at the ent
of the path up the hill was homel,
and unpretentious enough, but afte
the wretchedness and squalor of tn
| place where the poor stranger hat
lived with her children, it looked com
Portable and inviting,
"We have lots to be thankful for.
There are so many that are poorer,
said lde Bowman to herself, as sh,
/ pushed open the door of her home
There were but two rooms IN tn
house, both as bare and empty as the,
well could be to contain all the furni
/ ture of household. Ide passeC
| through the kitchen into the bedroom
where she placed her burden, II sleep.
ing girl baby, upon the bed, and Sc
the boy on the faded coverlet besid
her. Without stopping to take olfhe
shawl, she drew n box from under tn
bed and began to take out the littl
| garments with which it was packed
| With what bitterness and rebellion
she had thrust those patched an'
darned baby dresses out of sight il
the hour of her great desolation. Sh
could not bear the sight OF them then
| Now she lifted them out with linger
ing care and passed her hands caress
ingly over the folds and creases tina
spoke SO eloquently OF the plump bab.
limbs that had worn them.