The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-07-07

tie on her return, remarking that it
'vos one Christmas present from der
boys"
Myrtle hesitated to accept it, as her
mother had often told her never to &C
cept charity, but Jake was equal to the
occasion, and said:
IF you vos not dake 'um 1 vii not
sell you any more coal, and l vos tell
6hanty Claus you vos not live nit
does street-tam!"
Myrtle could not resist such eIo-
quence, and thanked them for their
kindness, and said she would pray for
them.
dot vos so; you vos phray for dose
pheller5 vot dhrink more peer as vot
dey do for dose seek peoples und put
button in der hat. Der devil vost got
der pill Of sale of der whole gang
tam!"
On re entering her mothers room
Myrtle found that Jake's boy had pre-.
ceedod her with the coal and had the
fire going, and her mother lay with a
gCaJlfed but sad smile upon her face.
Mrs. Bonner was very low, but she
tried to bear up bravely for little Myr,
ties sake, and appeared as cheerful as
possible, although her cough utterly
Frustrated her at times.
1t would appear strange that none
Of thn1O cTCEnn0 IF 0h9~.+- Nm 1%hN~
worthy christians, had not found her
and relieved her sufferings ere this,
which perhaps would have been the
case but that Mrs. Bonner had ''seen
better days." and shrank intuitively
from the eyes Of the public and the
curious. The Boomers had lived in a
highly respected portion of the city
five years previous, and her husband
was quite prosperous in his business,
but upon his death she had by degrees
been forced from one habi5ation to
another, each time getting lower and
lower IN the social scale, until we find
them in the little bare room over the
saloon of Jake Muller.
x X x 4 X X x x x x 4 X K X
After Mrs. Bonner had partaken Of
some wine ard other n0urishments and
had been made more comfortable, she
called her daughter to her and said:
Myrtle, l feel much better now, and
let it be ever so painful, mother has
much to say to her little girl that she
may understand what to do when | am
gone; and should it be that / am called
from earth and you are left solely to
the mercies of a cold word, it would
be best that you lay in tbs same grave
with me. 1t is little I can do for my
little lamb were I we'll, but I could
give her advice"
Ca! don't, mother; you know you
are better, and l can't live without
you. Besides, we will have a doctor
tomorrow"
The good Lord knows best, darling,
and it is but a matter Of a short time
at best, when we must all face death.
| would not talk in this strain to you,
Myrtle, but we know not what a day
may bring forth, and it is my duty,
and it is but right that you should hear.
l have written g letter two weeks ago
to Z Of my friends in North Carolina
a friend of my youth and asked
him TO provide for you when I am
gone, and as he is very wealthy and
mas no family, l am sure he will do it
for the love he once bore Jour mother.
Ralph M>r5on is his name, and l want
you to be a credit to him.
My maiden name was Mabel Wright
aud / was the only child Of q Methodist
minister. My mother died when I was
but an infant, and l lived alone with
old father some miles from Aahe-
Vile. n G. Ny father owned nothing
save cur little homestead; but my ed
uc8tion was not neglected, and poor
old father did all IN his power to sup
ply the place of a mother as we'll as
father. Ralph Merton was the only
son of Col. Merton, of the Confederate
army, a proud, a~rristocratic, ~Overbear-
ing man, who was vain Of his old fam
lily. He was also very wealthy, and
save his slaves, the Northern army did
not destroy any of his property, as
Sherman's army did not ravish the
country in his section as was done in
other portions of the State. Mrs. Mer-
ton (Ralph's mother) was also a wor-
shiper of "fz My" and thought none
were as good as the Mertors. Ralph
and I grew up together and were
strongly attached from childhood. AS