Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1899-12-07
PENCILS"


back tenement ut East Seventeenth
street did not look like a heroine az
romance. But for al that She wao
one
When Pencils" the blind man VIII
stood patiently through heat and
snow and rain at the foot of the Thru
Avenue Il steps, thought of her good.
ness and kindness to him the heart nm.
der his old, faded patched coat beat
like trip hammer
Pencils was won't to heguile tha
time between trains by thinking of his
romance. 1t helped him TO bear the
broiling 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.
tlmidly offering his wares, knew what
the word meant.
But pencils" never wearied OF
thinking of the little woman who had
made for him the only CLEAN of sun
shine he had ever known.
Pencils" was at one time an IN
mate of blind asylum, the adjunct of
fashionable uptown church. There
were millions back of it, and stewed
prunes for supper When Pencils"
weary 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 it was that pencils
was east forth and told to shift for
himself.
There was little crippled seam.
stress sewing in the linen-room-a
homely, shabby little creature indus.
trious and reticent. The story drift.
ed up to the linen-room, ana when
Pencils was slowly tapping his way
down the steps of the asylum for the
last time and vaguely wondering what
was to become of him some one pllled
his sleeve, slipped bin in his hand.
and whispered an address and name to
him.
Go there" said the voice. "Thcy
are friends of mine and they viii he
kind to you
II was the little seamsuess. Pen
ellis" obeyed her instructions, and the
wretched tenement to which he was
directed opened its doors to him with
thar beautiful! hospitality only to be
found among the poor.
When folks who could scarcely
scrape pennies together 10 buy food
heard Pencils" story, they Clipped
in and set the blind man up IN bust
ness. And when they passed him ut
the foot of the Il" stairs they thrust
their hands deeper in their empty
pCCkets and assumed the airs of pro-
r,oters.
Pencils lived in a miserable black
hole of a room and made shift for him
self as best he could until that glo-
rious day when homely, shabbily lit
tie cripple came down to the tenement,
and. asking for his room. went in,
built Il fire in the ramshackle stove.
and, filling a brand now kettle she had
bought, had il soon singing on the fire.
Several ladies of the section came IN
10 ask if the morals of the tenement
We're to suffer. But the little seam
stress with simplicity and dignity told
them who she was that she had
known and loved Pencils at the asy-
lum, 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 n
Geld supper, he was met al the door
by mOtherly. outstretched hands He
was dried at glowing fire and IA cup
of fragrant tea was handel aim. And
while, dazed and happy he slipped The
comforting drink, the little shabby
woman outlined her plan.
Pencils" had no objection TO being
married and cared for. On the con
trary, the idea quite appealed to HIM.
1t was soon arranged.
And now dawned poor, bliud Pen
ellis golden days. The lttle cripple
nobly fulfilled her mission. The sew
ing she did late into the night brought
In the money 10 make them quite com
Portable. Pencils" did not retire from
the business, but was never permitted
to overwo9k. When he started for his
post his faithful little wife accom-
panied 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
territory grew rash one daf ana de
cided to explore. For two or three
blocks he got on we'll Then growing
holder he attempted to cross the
crowded thoroughfare just in front Of
e flying trolley
There We're shouts Of warning and
the alarming claug of bell Crowds
ran together. yelling and cursing. Two
q "a. l.. Il