The evening times., 1895-08-28
One Cent 1s', 1ss;
No advsrtissmsn, less thaa ZOE.
An Old Maids Sacrifice.

| httc STdSs-SIOWn WdikS which leo 10 tne
J old house beyond poor, tumbled-dowr
house II was, to be sure, yet how much a
, part OF Miss Letty's very self it seemed
| growing gray just as she grew gray. In little
| patches where the rain had stained and
the paint had crumbled off In the old gar
den the cedars had grown gnarIed and
| woody, and cape 1essamine burst their
| young spring buds high on the ancient stock
almost out OF reach. Crepe myrtIes and
althias met overhead in a tangled archway
that led from the gate to the house, where
honeysuckie and ivy clustered close around
the caves.
There began lively tapping on one OF the
window panes within as / ioitered, and,
looking up, saw Miss Lefty shaking slim,
thimbled finger at me. Come in, child;
do" she said when opened tn edoor be-
hind her and poked my head in you'll
catch your death out there on the damp
ground. without your rubbers, too, I'll be
bound"
What Is it, Miss Lefty, plcase?" said,
closing the door with bang. wondering at
the dear old lady unwontede excitement
what do you suppose?" she asked, with a
der little tap on top of it and putting away
her needle and thimble.
Not the-piano?" / began, fearfully
But Miss Lefty broke me off, eagerly
Yes; it is, though, Nell; juft,' the said.
as She looked up at me over her steel rim
o1ns bal har
me, gayly.
''Oh, Miss Lefty; where is it," cried,
joyfuily, peering about as if 1 expected
to see piano hiding in every corner or peep
ing ont from under her chair.
What little goose you are Nen," said
Miss Lefty in her pleased little way "It
isn't bought yet, you know; only wanted
you TO recount the money with me to be sure
there is enough, and then we shah gee at
once about getting the piano"
One by one we spread out the bills and
piled up the coins till the little round, mar
BILE topped table was full of Miss Letty's
small hoard, and looked at it all rever-
emily, each piece becoming sacred to me
when 1 thought OF the years of privation
and toll it had cost her.
DO you know what that is, Ncll?" said
Miss Lefty, unfolding a silver dollar from
rs little wrapper OF white paper. THAT
was making your first frock You don't
remember it--l white la wn with pink leaf
and YOU looked for all the world when you
had it on as if a shower of peachblow petals
had fallen on you. Icansee you now. And
this yellow gold piece was for making your
mothers wedding dress; think of it! A
white silk it was, that stood alone when it
was finished. And this was for making
Mr.. PitInan's last pepper-and-salt. Poor
old man. They buried him in it, He asked
them the day before he died, because, as he
said. it 'sot to him better tina n anything
he ever had on his back
what do you 'spose that little bit was
for" asked Miss Lefty, as she eniptied
few small coins, all quarters and dimes and
Dickels, out on the Ia BILE, dra wing them up
together. THAT was for making Mary Ann
Perry's wedding dress. The bargain was
that should only help, and get four dollars
and six bits for my work. But you know
how things are sometimes. If Mary Ann
herself stuck a needle in that lilac delaine
of hers | never found it out, and after all.
three-teD was all 1 ever got for making it.
Mary Ann was always close, even when she
was n girl; just for the world like her old
father before her. You've heard tell how
d'reckIy after the surrender folks had to go
TO work and hire negroes, allowing them a
fourth OF the crop as wages.
We'll, old man Runnels, Mary AIMS
father that was, he fooled many q poor,
ignorant negro into believing that fourth
warn't enough, and caused them to leave
good homes to go to work for fifth
with him. So you see. Mary ann come
honestly by her shrewdness, and / reckon
we ought TO bear this in mind. and excuse
1t in her more than We are prom e to do"
Five hundred dollars in all. the box con-
tained. and everJ piece of it teeming with
memories for detr Miss Letty-memories
into which she had prickcd with her busy
needle the patient pattern of her life-mem-
ories that brought the tears into her old
eyes now and then as she told me of them,
and into mine, too, as l listened.
''Ten me all about the piano, >" had said
to Miss Lefty once when was child, and
sat beside her, watching her busy needle
come and go, "tell me from the very be-
ginning.
well, I don't know the very begin
ming myself" she had answered. II can't
remember when 1 did rot want a piano.
But father warn't rici you know, ever, and
SO had TO wait He promised when be-
gan taking music Lessons that 1 might
have one if my music teacher thought
had any talent, and I remember as if it
were yesterday, how pleased he was ut the
end of the session, when 1 played Home,
Sweet Home with variations, and never
lost a note. / got the silver music medal,
too, that night. Don't you remember?
showed it to you once, with Perseverance,
engraved across the face. Father was very
proud of me and the people all applauded,
and Rob Taylor threw ME u bouquet 1t
was all sweet shrub and honcysuckle and
yellow jessamine that he had plucked in
the woods as be came along, poor Rob! 1
can smell those flowers yet"
W.-en Miss Lefty stopped down to bite off
her thread, was it a tear that she wiped
from her eye?
whatever became of him, Miss Letty?"
l asked poor little romantic soul that was,
forgetting my politeness, .what became of
the boy who threw the flowers?'
what difference does that make to the
story. child, / wouder?" she said. a little