Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-01-13
CHAPTER xxx
LONDON, f.. C.

|
From the sleeps Of Deepgang and
it's fowery Chine from exploded pow
der magazines, dismembered coat
guards. and doomed pirates. from the
smell and smother OF gunpowder, and
the dash Of thessullen waves against
the rocks-to the very populous and
| highly civilized quarter OF Shutters
Close, E. c., you will allow is a very
great change, and one for which you
were perhaps hardly prepared. Never
mind; we are all agreed that change
is healthful; and tits TACT, not. adj
mitting of doubt, that the pleasant
est Of any trips are those made with
least preparation.
1t is a small room on the very top
of one of the tallest houses in Shu-
ter's Close, of which, indeed, the var
ieties are wonderful as to size and pre-
tensions; from the cobbler's stall to
the lordly mansion-at least, in APP
pearance-you may suit yourself; and
almost as various are the persons
who, with a little world of their own,
people each of these several hablta-
tlOnS.
I am afraid to say almost how very
small the room is, nor how ewfeet by
how few constituted it's dimensions;
however, you may imagine it to be as
small as two persons could, by any
possibility, inhabit, live, eat, sleep,
work and breathe IN with safety
leaving out altogether the question Of
health.
Presently the door is unlocked and
two persons enter the room:
A young woman, to Judge by her.
looks, not more than twenty, certain
", and, it may be, less, being poorly
dressed, and unreasonably, for it is o.
warm spring day, and she wears a.
dress of black stuff and winter cloak,
both ofwhich are many winters old;
and these, and a heavy, unbecoming
black bonnet, Joined to a look of I'M
easiness and depression that seems.
habitual, give her the appearance, at
first, Of. an age which she certainly
cannot lay claim to.
She leads, by the arm, carefully
guiding his steps, an old man, who is,
dressed with Considerably more re-
gard to comfort, and even appear
ances, than herself. The old man is,
nearly blind, and is far from accus-
toned or reconciled to his infirmity,
asis- soon apparent from the false
attempts he makes, and the COM
plants which follow his failures. The
girl is his daughter; the tenant OF the.
small room-the owner Of the miser-
able bed-the cultivator Of the genali-
rlms ON the. parapet.
AEYou'd like to lie down a bit, now
father, wouldn't your" she says,
when she had seated the old man in
the armchair, and allowed Hmm to
imagine he had dome SO unassisted
eyes, child, yes had but a poor
night-a poor Notwithstanding and
scheming for ye-thinking and think
ing"
Laying aside her bonnet and cloak,
the girl had opened the press door and
let down the bedstead, which was filled
with some clean and comfort able,
though coarse bedding, and covered
by a.colored quilt. She smoothed IL
out; then, going to the old mans side,
she assisted him to pull off his coat,
and, while hardly seeming to touch his
arm, she guided him safely to the bed,
on which he laid himself with sigh
Of relief, still grumbling-"Ay, those
! stairs, child, those stairs! there's such
many, Aggy-such a many; they kill
me, child! What do we live so high
for, child-so high?" @
eve get the air, father, you know.
It is so much healthier, and the light,
too, for my work" she said gently;
while kheeling, she had drawn off the
old mans shoes and covered him
carefully. sa 5H
/ SAY, the work; yes, the work--and
the air; ay, | must work, Aggy!" and
so muttering he fell asleep.
(TO Sc CONTINUED.