The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-04-04
CLEANED BY A GIRL.

! The friendly visitor who engages In
her charitable work here In the city
| finds herself we'll paid for the time spent
among the lowly by what she hears and
sees In her intercourse with the people
| she visits-bits of life, pathetic or humor-
Gus, but always interesting.
| l heard a hohely simple little story
the other day from one of the visitors
| whose work is among the Italians down
on the flats. "a
| A swarthy son of Italy had abandoned
| his own sunny country for our bustling
| city. where, with. his two broad. strong
! hands, he earned more in a day by Ia
boring on the railroad than he could
| earn working nearly week at home.
He liked the new country with Its grand
| possibilities for amassing wealth. He
| was temperate, worked hard, and saved
| his money as only an Italian can. But
| sometimes his evenings were lonely, for
| his acquaintance were few
! Near his lodging house there lived an
! elderly countrywoman of his, whose ac-
quafntance he made and with whom he
| used often to talk of Italy. Most Of her
| relatives We're in Europe. as were his.
| When he was at her cottage one evening
she surprised him by suddenly saying:
why don't you get married?"
He was nearly forty, and already grow
ing little bald
AT her question he smiled bashfully,
anu SHE went on:
Wouldn't you like to get married?"
ooh! Il don't know; 1 haven't thought
much about it, he replied almost in
differently. But" she continued, you
would IL you only knew some girls. Now
L know of a nice girl, my niece in Italy;
and, If you will give me money enough
to pay her passage. 1 will send for her
TO come to st. Paul, and then you two
will marry"
He thought the proposition over for a
lew moments, seemed pleased with the
idea. and the next day came to the old
lady with the passage money. 1t was
promptly sent to the girl with a letter of
explanation and when she received 1t she
at once prepared for the journey to
America When she arrived here. she was
presented to the man who was to be-
! come her husband. and after a few days
OF busy preparations they were married.
In all this city there is not happier
| couple. They own the little cottage in
which they live, and which the girl-bride
keeps sweet and home-like. The husband
is the proudest and shappiest of men. as
he praises his wife. and admires his lit
tie Italian sweetheart, no longer attired
in her native, picturesque, peasant cos
tune; but in fashionable new attire,
| fresh from the hands of a city dress
| maker.
But said the visitor when she had
| listened to his story "were you not afraid
| to send for the girl, knowing so little of
| her? How did you know you would like
| her?' a5:v
| ooh, no! I was not at all afraid, for
| all the girls in Italy are good,' he said,
| perhaps unconscious that he could not
! nave paid his country a grander tribute.
| In view Of the smallpox scare here is
something interesting: photographer
relates that he recently took q photo
graph of a child, who was apparently IN
good health, and had clear skin The
negative showed the face to be thickly
covered with spots, and a week later
the child had an attack of smallpox. An
other case of a similar kind is recorded,
where spots appeared on the negative
| of child's portrait. Three days after
| wards the child was covered with an
eruption due to prickly heat
A few days ago Twas standing In a
| drug store talking to the pharmacist.
] when an intelligent looking man came
| In and asked for ten cents worth Of pure
| carbolic acfdap While getting it for him
the pharmacist :asked him what he In
| tended using it for. He looked a little
| annoyed at the question and then said:
why. friend of mine told mo to apply
| 1t to a sore have on my ARM
you intend to dilute it?" asked the
| druggist. :fc.
| tfNo.i guess mott said the man, and
| was apparently much surprised when the
| pharmacist explained to him the caustic
| character Of the drug. 80
| After he had gone out the druggist
said: at is one of 10y most serious duties
! to save such people from the disastrous
effects of their own ignorance. A young
woman, having been told that arsenic I'm
proved the complexion, purchased some
| Of the drug and took dose which would
| have proved fatal, but for the timely aid
of the family physician. A great many
| people come in here and ask fer five or
ten cents worth of potash. Ten to one
they do not want what they ask for, and
| 1t is generally safe to assume that
| chlorate of potassium is the article want
ed This inability and recklessness of
| some people to deal with drugs would be
amusing If it did not often border so
| closely on the tragic as to be alarming"
, Beth.