Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-07-02

Nov, there's the Woods children, a
gang Of idle beggars; they were getting
apples out Of your lower lot yesterday,
so | heard, the same as if they owned
the place"
Indeed" said Miss Kitty but very
mildly; where do they live?'
Miss Sellers located the offenders,
and in answer to a few questions gave
their family history. A pitiful ta,e, to
be sure.
Thank YOU for telling me about these
people, said the stranger. Are there
any more in my neighbOrhOOd?'
They are about the worst" said her
visitor, but you are going to have
trouble with Mrs. Bells COW; they have
nt got any pasture lot; they turn old
Brindle out to Craze on the roadside,
and nobody has been born smart enough
TO invent gate that Brindle can't
open
Il wonder they should keep a cow
when they have no place for her" sug-
geSted Miss Kitty.
La! They couldn't get along at all
without Brindle; there are more babies
in the family than you could shake a
stick at, and the old COW really seems
to work hard for something to make
for those babies. You'd think they
were hers"
Then a strange dimness came into the
near-sighted eyes; perhaps the good
angels knew it was a feeling OF pity, and
found it beautiful, but to outward APP
pearances it only made them red about
the rims. Miss Sellars got up and said
good morning.
i II -ook IN on you again when YOU
are fixed up for company" she said;
this was just a sort of duty visit
Il am a thousand times obliged to
you, said the stranger; you have done
me real kindness and one that | am
going to profit by, | assure YOU"
that's right, you look after your
own interests now; for if we don't look
after our own, as always say, nobody
else is going to do it.
A little twist of a smile appeared on
Miss Kitty'S face as her visitor turned
her back. 1T seems as if there was
somebody looking after mine" she said
TO herself, so l must be looking after
these others now; poor little apple
gatherers! I'll see about them first"
MISS Sellars was so busy doing her
rail- cleaning for the next few days that
she LETT the stranger to wrestle with
her own affairs; but CHANGING to see
Black ice, VINO drove Mr.. Bare's COWS.
and who had been her informant before.
she hailed him and asked him how
IhlngS were going on at The Briary."
Lor' love your soul, Miss Mary said
the old man, you amt never seen such
ca gyms on, since you bin born! Them
NoOdSes is there twict a day. let alone
oncJ. More'n that, she done ploy old
man Woods TO fix up de fences and SIGH.
an de ole CONAN is maxim her carpets.
Den dar is Miss Bells COW Jest fair re-
posin' in de pasture lot, you never see
de beat and whole passel of dem chill
lun t0un' off apples and sweet taters.
Dis here is the most uncommon waste
ful CONAN | ever set EYES on, an dat's a
fac
Miss Sellars was stunned What was
the meaning of all this when the stran-
ger had thanked her for the prompt
warning, and had expressly said that
she would profit by it? But she would
see about this thing, before she was a
day older. Never mind about the flow
( cred damask curtains; they could stay
down a while longer.
Miss SellarS picked up her skirts and
few along the dusty highway again; she
had no eyes for the purple thistle,
blooming royalty in the fence corners,
nor for tbs red shouldered "epaulette
bird" scurrying before her On the rails;
the first sight that attracted her at
tention. and brought her to a full stop,
was what looked like a gypsy camp in
the yard of The Briary.' Evidently
Il was an apple-buttsr spree, and the
very trees themselves seemed to share
THE pleasure of the occasion, smiling
and waving in the bright sunshine. Miss
Sellars would have turned back, but
curiosity carried her on into the midst
of the happy workers. As soon as Miss
Kitty's near sighted eyes made out who
it was, she took her visitor OFF to a
rocking-chair on the sunny south porch.
You don't mind sitting out here, do
you? | feel as if we ought to be stor-
ing up sunshine days like this; my car
nets aren't down yet, nor my curtains
up. but they can wait for the cloudy
days.
You seem to b. storing up apple-but-
ter too. said Miss Selars with rather
grim look at the lawn party. How
many gallons can yau manage to eat
before spring"
Miss Kitty laughed till the tears came.
Did you think l was going to undertake
all that? Bless you, were doing it on
the shares.
How many shares? asked Miss Sell
lars susriciously.
There are five children, and two
grown-ups of them, answered Miss
Kitty, innocently and l make eight;
we'll quarter it, and then halye the
quarters
You must have plenty of bank stock
between you and the poorhOuser ex-
claimed the visitor spitefully; she was
thinking how her good intentions had
| been wasted.
i have a very small income said Miss
| Kitty meekly but it would be hard
on us poor people if only the rich ones
were allowed to help the needy. have
felt so much happier, and more at home
in this strange place since l found that
my Father had some of his poor crea-
lures here that l could do something
for. l have thanked him every day
for sending you out here to take my
mind off house furnishing, and show
me these lives that could make hap
pier
4 don't know as he had anything to
do with sending me-" murmured the
old maid and then she lifted up her
ewes and saw Brindle, just fair repos-
in in the next lot.