Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1900-07-11

Maggie was 80, and Mercy was 5.
Maggie had downtown business
fairly paying business, TOTO
which she attended every day, busi-
ness with o 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 whore
the eyes ought to be, and the
lids were piuched close together
closer than fringed gentians ever tried
to be-tbey booked as if they never
would come open, even if you took
both hauds 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 aud 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
a 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 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 Us
she read from the big book, which had
raised letters.
A little worn tin cup always set on
the edge of the page.
It was 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 scuff-
scuAie of these feet close by was
more acute to her sensitive ears than
i all the other noises. For she knew
hot theI. were hssman feet and above
them thfobbed human hearts. So
she read high and loud, 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. It
took only. few words to cover quite
q space on the thick white pages.
Mrs. Maggie read about the pretty
flowers and the green fields and the
woods. Those whostopped to listen
thought it an old, worn theme, but a
wonderfully curious way of reading
about it, nevertheless. and in pity
dropped their pennies into the cup
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 we'll educated and held position
as teacher in the asylum. But he
died. And 80 came about the NOV
able Office and the little old tin cup.
The cup was never full. Deary me!
Maggie knew better than to let it
get full. She considered it best al
ways to present an empty cup.
Pennies mostly fell IN, and nickels,
andTarely 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
protected Maggie from the weather.
Mercy kept house alone when the
kindergarten was dismissed.
Oh, yes, her eyes were all right
as bright and clear and brown as eyes
could be. That is why she was named
Mercy when she came. She appreci-
eted those eyes, too, and helped her
mother to see whatever was to be seen.
When she was alone she busted the
furniture end talked and waited and
talked through hours and hours.
When she stood at the window OF
the one little scrap of room where
she lived, the people aud the teams
awsy down in the street seemed so
!. far off that she played they were only
make believe. It was all as if in fancy
that the horses slipped and fell and
were lashed by their drivers, the news
bows scurried and squealed TOR their
shouts were not very loud by the tune
they reached her window and the
carriages flashed in the sun and car
ried beautiful ladies. Her window.
gazing invariably came after she
busted the furniture. The window
sill was painless and also speckless,
because as she gazed and thought and
talked she rubbed and scrubbed at il
with tiny wet rag. When the win.
dow sill was quite clean--and we
might say quite worn out-for the
day, Mercy set up her clothes-piu
dolls and made them go a-calling. She
talked for both ofthem, and had them
drag their dawdy calico trails over
the window-sill pavement with 9
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.
s.Mum Maggie" forbadeit.
s"These children" she had said
''are not very nics--and then there il
10 ,e the letter." Mercy must watct
md listen for the postman to cal
tueir names. Everything depended
upon that letter. Mum Maggie could
give up the movable Office when tht
letter had come. It had been ex
pected for two years-ever since Papt
John died. it was going 10 give Nun
Maggie the first place that was vacan
among the teachers at the school fo
the blind where Papa John hat
taught.
And so when the postman stood a
the street. door and whistled, Mere.
ran to the stairway and listened
Everyone on all the floors did. too
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