Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1897-10-29

OoO Whrn NUS DOuN heSlue ner
over and over again; it comforted Der.
SO nobody else has got to let me
irOn,' she was thinking. ''l've got
10 do something. If-if / don't, !
an the money gets all gone, then
I'll have to carry Roddy Doc to the
'sylum-Oh l can't, l cau'tr"
Poor little Tillyl The thought of
that was more than even her stout
little heart could bear--to have Roddy
Dec taken away from herl II had
stared her in the face ever since her
mother died. That was nearly a year
ago now.
II Mis- Primble an Miss Kaih'rine
had given her mp an the Peters
moved away AN they're goin' tol"
moaaed Tilly in the dark; what should
she do? She couldn't go out to work
there was Roddy Doc. And the
money-moiher's money-was almost
gone.
Another trouble-but lilly would
not think of that--was the little shanty
house they lived in. BY and by the
man that owned the land was going to
tear it down and build a great, new
house. BY aud by-its very indefi-
niteness comforted lilly, aud there
were nearer dangers now to brood
over. Until ''by and by" she and
Roderiek Dhu were permitted to live,
rent free, in the tiny, unkempt house.
''But you can't live in free houses
without eatin'," ran ON the child's
anxious thoughts; IAN you can't eat
when there amt anything, an folks
wont let you iron their clothes. Oh,
dear mel''
1t was very late when at last the
stiff little figure swayed back ON the
pillow asleep. There followed hard
days for Tilly. She hardly knew how
she got through them, the load on
her heart was so heavy and the dread
of the " sylum" doomed so before
her.
The Peters novel away, and, one
by one, Tilly's slender little means OF
support seem led to desert her. She
kept her trouble TO herself. AMI, when
there was no help for il, she set her
little white teeth and got roddy Doc
ready. II was very short process.
The night before the day she had set
to carry him to the orphan asylum she
ay awake all night, with the baby in
her arms and his sweet, warm breath
tanning her cheeks. Her trembling
fingers ra.ted him necessarily, hour
after hour.
just as the faintest daylight began
10 creep into the world Tilly's inspi-
ration came to her. 1t took away her
brea h. 1t set her pulses beating
with wild, triumphant joy. She
Rugged Roddy Doc fiercey against
her breast and then crooned over him
till he went to sleep again.
"Tll do it. I'll do itl'' she whis-
pered. 'T'll go today--oh, I'm goin'
to keep Roddy Doo-I've found a
wayr
Gershom Flint was the richest and
the hardest man in Prospectville.
People said he hal been keen aud
snug and hard as his own name. The
boys nicknamed him Skin Flint, aud
to all appearances he admirably fitted
the unsavory name. About half the
houses in the town were under mort.
gaze to Gershom Flint-woe betide
them land sharper man could moi
easily have been found to carry sc
many of other peoples burdens.
That was what people said If old
Mary Jessup, who had kept Gershon
Flint's house for him for 20 years,
thought different, no one knew it. Il
she could have told of many quiet
good deeds done duringall these years
she never did tell Her face, as gray,
and stern as her masters. was as in