The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-02-24
iPencils. I"

Pencils.
The shabby little crippled seamstress
who lived on the top floor OF the back
| tenement at - East Seventeenth street
did not look ikek heroine OF romance.
| But for all that she was one.
| When Pencils" the blind man who
| stood patiently through heat and snow
| and rain at the foot of the Third Avenue
| L steps, though of her ggoodness and
Kindness to him the heart under his old
! faded, patched coat beat like trip ham,
mer.
Pencils was wont 10 beguile the time
between trains by thinking of his 70
nance. It helped him 10 bear the broil-
| ing heat. the nipping cold, or the pelting
rain. The people who hurried past him
| never so much as dreamed that the blind
pauper standing there, timidly profIering
his wares, knew what the world meant
But Pencils never wearied Of thinking
OF the little woman who had made for him
the only CLEAN of sunshine he had ever
known.
Pencils was at one time an inmate Of
blind asylum, the adjunct OF a fashion
able uptown church. There were mil
lions back of it. and stewed prunes for
supper. When Pencils weary and sick
of stewed prunes, asked for fresh apple
sauce, there was chaos and CONSERVATION
in the institution NO such revolt has
been on record since Oliver Twist asked
for more.
The end Of 1t was that pencils" was
cast forth and told to shift for himself
There was a little crippled seamstress
sewing in the linen-room-a homely,
shabby little creature, industrious and ret
icent. The story drifted UP to the linen
room, and when Pencils" was slowly tap
mir hi he
lum for the last time and vaguely Won
dering what was to become of him some
one pulled his sleeev, slipped bin in
his hand, and whispered an address and
name 10 him.
go there" said the voice. '1They are
friends of mine and they Will be kind to
you
1t was the little seamstress. Pencils
obeyed her instructions, and the wretched
tenement to which he was directed OPEN
ed its doors TO him with that beautiful
hospitality only to be found among the
poor.
When folks who could scarcely scrape
pennies together to buy food heard Pen
ellis, " story, they Clipped in and set the
blind man up in business. And when they
passed him. at the foot Of the IL stairs
they thrust their hands deeper in their
empty pockets and assumed the airs OF
promoters.
Pencils lived in miserable back hole
of a room and made shift for himself as
best he could until that glorious day
when homely, shabby little cripple came
down to the tessment. and, asking for his
room, went in, built a fire in the ram
shackle stove, and, filing a brand new
kettle she had bought, had It soon singing
on the fire.
Several ladies Of the section came in to
ask if the morals Of the tenement were
to suffer. But the little seamstress with
simplicity and dignity told them who she
was, that she had known and loved Pen
ellis" at the asylum. and that she had
come to marry him and take care Of
him.
When pencils" came tap-tapping TO
his poor home that night expecting a
cold supper. he was met at the door by
motherly, outstretched hands. He was
dried at a gglowing fire, and a cup Of
fragrant tea was handed him. And while.
dazed and happy. he slipped the comfort
ing drink, the little shabby woman out
lines her plan.
Pencils" had no objection TO being mar
ried and cared for. On the contrary. the
idea quite appealed to him. 1t was soon
arranged.
And now dawned poor, blind Pencils -
golden days. The little cripple nobly full
filled her mission. The sewing she did
late into the night brought in the money
TO make them quite comfortable. "Pen-
els did not retire from business, but was
never permitted to overwork. When he
started for his post his faithful little wife
accompanied him to the street, saw him
safely started, and then went back to her
eternal stitching.
Pencils" who had been repeatedly
warned not to venture into unknown ter
ritory, grew rash one day and decided to
explore. For two or three blocks he got
On we'll. Then, growing holder, he at
tempted to cross the crowded thorough
fare just in front of a flying trolley.
There were shouts of warning and the
alarming clang of bell. Crowds ran to-
gether, yelling and cursing. Two police
men dragged out a huddled, shapeless
mass. Poor Pencils" was crushed to
Heath.
The little crippled seamstress sewed on
alone for a few days. But the incentive !
'or work was gone. She grew more and |
more reticent. She kept her door locked |
md was often heard talking to herself.
She's not right" was the verdict Of the |
enement. Every one tried to be kind to |
Ter, but she shrank more and more within |
herself.
One morning Mrs. Duffy, the good-na- |
ured scrubwoman on the third floor, |
climbed the rickety stairs and knocked /
oftly at the door Of the little seam |
tress.
She found her neighbor lying dead up /
N her bed The poor, lonely little face /
vas TRANSPORTED into a semblance Of /
beauty by a smile of peace and happiness. /
She had followed Pencils out into that
and of mystery to take care Of him.-New
York World.