The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-20
A BLESSED MORTGAGE.


From the Toledo Blade.
Mrs. Munroe was in ecs'acies Of delight
She had secured a new cook at the most
ridiculous wages. OF course. she had rot
told the new girl but it was quite I've
that she paid her not half what she had
been compelled to pay the cook who had
just left her. But When Almira Pollers.
fresh, pleasant featured young coun-
try girl, had applied for the place and had
accepted Mrs. Munroe's offer Of 81 a week
to start with, her new mistress did not
thil\ it necessary 10 m -rti1n that ire
Iro,fertd sum wa very low indee d.
"Cf course. YOU spal have more as YOU
improve Almra. bu; you Know 50 little
aoo' 'ancy cooking scarcely fool able to
pay you more at the start" Mrs Munroe
had said, smiling sweetly on Almira. who
did not know that very little fancy cooking
was ever done in that household. And so
Almira took up her burden. and for the
first time in nineteen years OF her life
began to earn wages.
The Pollers had always been farmers
and owned their own place, but AImira's
father had somehow managed to get be-
hind and mortgage had been fastened
upon the farm. The man who held the
mortgage was very well satisfied to re-
ceive a good interest every year and re-
new Peter Pollers' note but it came to
pass that it was hard to pay even the in
terest. This particular year the crops
had mostly failed. 1t lacked but few
weeks until the interest was due when
Almra the eldest of the 1ock-there were
ten in all-made up her mind to go out Ito
service Her determination created
great commotion in the family. None of
the Pollers women had ever worked out.
and the idea was very distasteful but
Almira eventually carried the day Had
her education been thorough enough she
would gladly have taught school but
the little Pollers had appeared at such fire.
quent intervals that Almira was OBLIGED
to stay at home most of the time to as
sist her mother and her education was
limited.
So, not without some inward struggles.
she had decided that the only way she
could help along would be by exercising
her chief gift, cooking. Mrs. Munroe's ad-
verusement in the Weekly Gazette had
caught her eye, and she was very happy
when she secured the situation The
wages were not large, but she could save
all the money for her father. and there
would be one less to feed a home That
counted for something
Mrs. Munroe's family consisted of her
self and a brother. Mr.. Munroe had died
several years before, and his widow was
quite wealthy Her home situated in an
aristoeratic suburb of the city. although
small, was handsome and well appointed
and she had sufficient income to keen il
up well. Mrs. Munroe liked to call herself
economical,and we cannot deny she was
in some things. She dressed elegantly and
gave largely to her church, but there
never was a more closer woman in some
respects than she. The shop people
dreaded to see her come in, for although
she always purchased the best. she inva-
riably haggled at the price until she got
the goods for less than their marked
price. At the groceries it was the same
way. and woe to the servant who wasted
a scrap of anything or presumed to eat
more than the mistress thought necessary
After the first table Mrs. Munroe removed
any delicacies she considered unnecessary
for a servants coarse appetite without
the slightest compunction. Her brother
Tom who paid a handsome sum for the
privilege of sharing her home once saw
her, but to no avail
1T would be casting pearls before
swine she remarked to his intense dis
gust, as she replaced a dish of lemon
jelly in the closet and substituted a saucer
of molasses.
Tom Birney was one of those big heart
ed convivial fellows who. left with more
money than they needed, succeeded in
getting rid of it in different and unproft-
able ways. He was not really bad. but he
drank a good bit and never had done anv-
thing useful in his life. He had been put
in his fathers office. but he was extremely
weak in his arithmetic, and succeeded
in mixing up the figures so badly that it
took an expert to untangle them After
that his father had rot tried to make
business man of him, but said that as
Tom had been cut out for a gentleman he
should be one.
But this was exactly what poor Tom
was not cut out to be-that is if we agree
to the accepted meaning of the word-a
man of refined manners. He loved horses
and enjoyed the society Of horsemen: liked
better to hear a robust German girl sing
funny songs at the garden than to hear
Patti at the Grand. If he ever yielded to
his sisters opportunities to accompany
her to a dancing party he was sure to
step on his partners toes to tear their
dresses by his awkwardness and drink too
much champagne a supper. IN fact Tom,
although knd-hearted and honest, was
very i'll at ease and out Of place t society,
and at last, after making himself very
conspicuous al a New York dance, his sis
ter vowed she would never ask him to go
with her again. She told him this very
emphatically the morning after the ball
as she left him to eat his late breakfast
alone.
Tom was feeling very badly and indulg-