Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-06-14


which she attended every day, bust
ness with movable Office and no
rent to pay.
Maggie was blind, certainly blind.
There was really no mistake and no
pretending about it.
Everyone who passed her believed
it. For there were truly holes where
the eyes ought to be, and the
lids were pinched close together
closer than fringed gentians ever tried
to be--they looked as if they never
would come open, even if you took
both hands to make them do it.
Mamma Maggie might have been 13
instead of 80, she was SO tiny.
Mercy was made sweet every morn
ing and dropped in at the free kin
dergarten as Maggie and the Irish
neighbor passed on the way to the
office.
Maggie carried big book and Mr..
McMooney, the Irish neighbor, carried
low little black chair, and gallantly
held Maggie's arm and guided her
over crossings and through the busy
throngs.
The chair was placed on a sunny
corner, if the day was clear, and there
Maggie and the Lord kept Office all
the day. The Lord appealed to the
hearts of the people while Maggie
made her voice strong and clear as
she read from the big book, which had
raised letters.
A little worn tin cup always set on
the edge of the page.
1t was a noisy place. Every mo-
ment the cable cars ran past and the
elevated trains roared overhead.
Numberless heavy truck wheels and
hundreds of iron shod feet kept grind
ing and crunching on the iron rails
and on the cobble stones, and scores
of leather-shod feet passed where
Mother Maggie sat. The scufT-
scuhle of these feet close by was
more acute to her sensitive ears than
all the other noises. For she knew
that they were human feet and above
them throbbed human hearts. So
she read high and lond. telling with
her tongue what words her fingers
had traced on the pages on the big
book
The book was large because the let
ters were raised and very large. 1t
took only few words to cover quite
space on the thick white pages.
Mrs Maggie read about the pretty
flowers and the green fields and the
woods. Those who stopped to listen
thought it an old, worn theme, but a
wonderfully curious way of reading
about it, nevertheless, and in pity
thai. nappioo INT bo o,,,,
and passed on.
1t had been not always thus with
Maggie Once there had been hus-
band. John was born blind, but
Maggie was SO by accident. John
was vel educated and held a position
IS tealher in the asylum. But he
lied. And so came about the NOV
ble Office and the little old tin cup.
The cup was never full. Deary me!
Maggie knew better than to let it
get fun She considered it best al
yays to present an empty cup.
Pennies mostly fell in, and nickels,
and rarely silver bit.
They all vanished into the big
pocket that hung in the folds of Mag
gie's rusty black skirt, and was hidden
With the big old-fashioned cape that
detected Maggie from the weather.
,.lercy kept house alone when the
AihTgarten was dismissed.
GAyes, her eyes were all right
as DtAe vt and clear and brown as eyes
c1u'o That is why she was named
Melcy zen she came. She appreci-
a'eu tnos eyes, too, and helped her
m,, 1mo'ner 70 ee whatever was to be seen.
wnen sne vs. alone she busted the
!urni.ure an talked and waited and
'a!Keo throueN hours and hours.
"heh se sne Sood at the window of
Tue one littie rap of room where
she lived, the pople and the teams
away down in Nh straet saamad 60
far off that she pla. .,d thew were onlo M
make believe. 1t wasall MS # in foncy
that the horses slippe. and foil and
were lashed by their dr.ers tha nams
boys scurried and squelad fo, tha;r
shouts were not very Loudly tho t;ma
they reached her windo4 and the .
carriages flashed in the sun ond Nd oar VIZ
ried beautiful ladies. Her sindam
gazing invariably came afts sho
AoobCo plC Inc Wn1o1x,
Sill was painless and also speckess
because as she gazed and thought nd
talked she rubbed and scrubbed atst
with a tiny wet rag. When the win
dow sill was quite clean-and w,
might say quite worn out-for th,
day, Mercy set up her clothes-pi
dolls and made them 20 a-calling. Sh,
talked for both of them, and had then
drag their dawdy calico trails Owe
the window-sill pavement with ,
swish of style and pride.
Mercy never went down into the
halls to play with the other children
OF the house, nor yet into the street
"Mum Maggie" forbade it.
These children" she had said
are not very nics-and then tEese i.