The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-07-24
WHY BILL eur WORK.
A PathstIe story OF the Lonely widows,
In a Dig city.

A Pathetic Story Of the Lonely Widower
In a Dig city.
Chicago Record: Old Bill hadn't felt
so lonely when the baby died. for Mary
had been with him. But now hc had
left Mary out in the big city graveyard
yesterday afternoon, and II was such Il
lonely place, with such host of other
rounded graves of people who seemed
to Bill to be reserved even in death.
Bill and Mary had been used to being
pushed out OF the way when they had
been together in the city and they had
not minded 1t very much, for they had
had each other. But 1t had never seem
ed to Bill before that death seemed to
keep up the old barrier and the big
white shaft that threw its shadow on
poor Mary's long, new grave was as
cold, as proud, Us unsoclable as had
been the man who slept beneath II, be-
fore he had come to lie in the same
earth, where poets say that all men are
equal, but where Bill had discovered
that the great leVeler did not level after
all.
1t was Monday morning and he might
as well go back to work. Besides. he
hadn't been at the wood yard for over
a fortnight and the rent was overdue;
that didn't bother him much, for some
way he had been so dull. so indiiierenq
since Mary had left him that such mat
tiers did not worry him. What was
the use OF paying rent when 1t wasn't
for Mary7 md what did 1t matter II
the last penny Of the little savings nc
count had gone to the tall, grave man
in black, who had been so cruelty me-
chanical In his care Of all that was left
OF the poor, dear wife?
The sun was high in the steely, hard
heavens before Old Bill-who wasn't so
old after all, only 49-dragEed listlessly
into the coal yard and announced list
lessly that he guessed" he'd take out
a. load. The manager looked little
sharply at him and then all at once
seemed to grow strangely tender, for
his voice was low and gentle as he said;
your bay mare died Saturday. Bill
| We didn't tell you-because-well you
had trouble enough already But that
leaves you only half a team now"
For a moment Bins heart stopped
with O sharp clutch. What would he
and Mary do II the precious team
couldn't earn their living any more:
And the bay mare. too. the patient old
animal that Mary loved so well and
always fed from the scanty store OF loaf
sugar whenever Bins rounds brought
him past the little cottage ut the end OF
the street.
Then Bill remembered. II there
wasn't any Mary what difference
would the mare make? The manager
had dreaded to tell him, but he even
smiled a little and asked n II would be
any trouble for them to let him rig UP
a pair Of shafts and 80 out with the re-
naming horse.
"Tn have to take a lighter load, that's
all" Bill said. and II I've got TO pull
single the rest Of my life, guess the
horse can stand II too. But hope he
| doesn't feel so queer about II nS do"
An hour later Old BIZ drove out OF
the wood yard with the strange sensa-
ton OF an added lack in his life. The
old mare had been so patient and had
eaten so little. BIZ now remembered.
| And Il made him choke TO gee how tho
poor gray horse shifted uneasily In his
strange harness. and cast ycarnlnF.
misunderstanding glances TO the left
side, where his gentle old mate had for
so many years ploddcd IN unconpluln-
Ing companlonship,
Never mind. old fellow" said Blli
huskliy. as he let the lines fall Stacker
on the animals work-worn back. III
there's a heaven FOR horses. you'll sec
her again. as surely as III see Mary"
II was tedious work, going up one all
10y and down the othdr. filling the vile
| pnelling air with hoarEc cries OF
"YO-odl Wood" and sometimes Bill
forgot all about II and rode FOR squares
with hls misty oycB staring dgodly bc-
tween the horses dropping cars. Then
he would gtrnlghtcn up and try IL
MI over again. TN the "Wo-odi Wo-odl"
died IN his choking throat mud his grlz-
zlod old bend fell farther and farther
onto hlH hollow Ghost
lie had reached n street miles from
homo, whom he found himself ontoring
the alley behind % EchouIhnuso. Tho
great building was Just OmptyIng itHolf
/ of its nwnrm OF restlpRH chiidron and
! BIN detected hlmrolf watching The little
I ones 10 sec " any Of them looked Ike
the baby might have looked n v hadn't
been taken from him md Mary nye
pummcra bcf1rc. THE oyer or one IT,
/ tle alr-halroI maid R0nt o now pnng
| through hls heart, md h0 rnt up with
/ n start. failpr1 down enc rI1Iug lump In
| hid throat and began nnl'u tho OLD mo-
I uoi0noul cry uf "W0-1d' Wo.ol'' Tho
| b1ya had hrgun clIiur something ut
| him. but boz wnH used 20 that, hn dl1n't
mind lt nuv moro unlo1f lhry took tp
| tbrowlug rtonaa ut the poor 0'd h0rsoH
! a0f hurfn. now, h0 hud forgotten Fp
bc wont un with hif rfv. 600 Hll Ht once
| ID brrnn no hfaHN upon hiH oIfH that
| ihey wufH cuIIns something Z, which
| bs nod boon unwIttnely giving ON.
swefr witch threw them lutu nov CO..
| rt.,ita 81 ,sLrt .vftv limo flo hH fla.