The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-01-12
A GOOD DEED
which Took an Old Apple Woman froM
a Life of Labor.

Life of Labor.
The story of old Ann, brief and SIM
pie as it is, is pleasant illustration OF
the fact that even those persons whose
lives seem wholly sordid have in them
somewhere saving 'streak" OF good
ness.
Old Ann was an "apple woman" and
for years she had enjoyed the sole
privilege of peddling fruit and candy
in large office building occupied al
most entirely by unsentimental busi-
ness men.
Every day Old Ann, untidy, uncouth
and ignorant, pattered about from door
to door, offering her wares to the occu-
pants of the various rooms. Her fruit
was not always fresh, and often it was
not of the best quality, and her candy
was, in truth, apt to be very stale; but
the men bought it-and when she was
gone very likely consigned it to the
waste basket.
They paid little heed to the fact that
Old AIMS footsteps grew slower and
slower, and that the great basket on
ncr drm UcCdLuo uOrC hhu nAOAO "a -
burden.
One day she fell heavily in one of the
corridors of the building. Severalm men
heard her fall and rushed out OF their
offices.
whats Gthe matter with you, old
lady?" asked stock broker.
"I-I-hardly know, sir; l guess l.
I've kind O give out"
''It looks like it. guess you've ped
died fruit about long enough. You'll
have to give it up"
''Oh, no, no! don't say thatW pleaded
the frightened old woman. II don't
know what'd become of me and jimmy
if you stopped me from selling fruit in
this building"
"Who is Jinny?" asked one of the men.
"She's my granddaughter, and she's
got weak spine and can't do thing
to sport herself, an what makes here
sports us both. We live alone, just us
two, an we manage to get along. There
amt much profit in fruit nowadays, but
we can live-if only you won't have me
shut out o this building. You won't,
will you?"
GLOW old are you?"
"I'm past 10, but 1 amt SO feeble as
some at that age. I've felt kind of run
down of late, but I'll pick up again, I
know shall"
swell, you take week off and we'll
all chip in and give weeks profits to
you so that you won't lose anything.
Gentlemen, bring forth your nickels.'
The speaker passed his hat; and it
would have taken Old Ann many a
weary week to make profits equal to
) the sum the hat contained when it had
gone the rounds.
The poor woman's gratitude was I'M
speakable when the money was poured
into her. trembling hands. She said
nothing with her lips, but her eyes and
her face spoke volumes.
She never peddled fruit in the build
, ing again. Something in the worn-out
old woman's silent thanks; something
touching in the helplessness of her
poverty-stricken age, appealed to one
of the money-getters whom the world
might have called hard and cold.
He called carriage and went with
i Old Ann to the place she called home
a Its extreme destitution distressed an6
l sickened him. Within "a hours he ha6
established her and her helpless grand
daughter young woman of 25, in two
pleasant rooms nagood neighborhood
and the old woman's name has beer
added to his weekly pay roll. Every
e Saturday she receives, and will receive
y for life, if the noble young fellow lives
o sum sufficient for the needs of he
l. granddaughter and herself
n There are many such deeds of kind
- ness, which never receive public men
tion-and they are all the more worth,
T. because they seek no fame.-Youth'
COMPANION.