Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-01-29

ly, when the little hump-backed man
of whom she rented her one room made
his appearance, as usual, at her door.
Michael Nolan did not carry out the
general idea of the "stern and gripping
landlord" being a mild, easy-going
old man, whose heart was open to
every piteous appeal.
"Not let me have it? But, Bridget,
woman, [ must have it!' cried he. 81
can't make out the money for Jimmy's
California passage without it-aud the
wife and children that are coming
down to San Francisco to meet him,
will be an expense another week. You
promised me, Bridget, and depended
on your word"
81 know that, SIR" said Bridget
meekly, "and if everyone, gentle ol
simple, kept their word, there'd be
less trouble in this world of ours. Mist
Waters disappointed me, sir-and I'm
sorry as you can be"
mot quite, guess" said Michae
Nolan. slowly. Because my Jimmy'i
wild lad, and has got into bad com
pany, and another week among those
lads won't do him any good. I wat
in hopes [ could have got him off by
the steamer that sails tomorrow, but
if can't can't, and so there's an enc
of it."
And he turned away with heavy
sigh.
"Let me see the list" said old Mr.
Gilsey, taking it from his wife's hand
and scrutinizing it with eager,
specialized eyes. "Ah! ah! yes, 'El
len Waters, five dollars And aftel
Waters only this morning telling me
he was 'straining every nerve to meet
his necessary expenses, and actually
having the face to ask me for another
e-thousand-dolla loan to tide over
this tight place in his business affairs.
L wonder if he calls this necessary
expense?"
"My dear, my DEAR" argued hit
wife, "you forget that this is in char
ity."
"Charity! Stuff and nonsense /"
barked out the old gentleman, using
Laura Lisle's very words: charity
begins at home. Well, at any rate,
my eyes are opened. Waters may go
elsewhere for his money, and 1 shall
at once call in what i have been fool
enough to lend him."
Mr.. Gllsey was as good-or rather
as bad-as his word and two or three
days afterward poor Josiah Waters
came home from his store with bowed
head and melancholy face.
Papa" cried Nellie, "what's thu
matter? Are you ill?"
''Heartsick, child" the merchant
answered. "Nelly, you must make
up your mind to great change ir
life. I have failed!"
Failed, papa?"
George Gilsey, upon whom de-
pended for financial aid and tolerance,
has suddenly turned against me. With
his aid 1 might possibly have wealth.
cred the storm; without it my poor
little ship has gone to ruin. 1 had
told him how hard was pressed; but
it seems he caught sight of some
charity subscription, in which your
name was put down for larger
amount than he judged wise and judi
cious, and"
ooh, papa!" sobbed out Nelly, sit
was Mrs. Dean Pinkney's subscrip-
ton. But have ruined you"
''Don't fret, my dear" said the old
man, kindly. "You'll be wiser some
of these days. And it's no use crying
for split milk"
Poor Nelly! She was punished
quite sufficiently for her sin. 1t was
well that she did not read the para.
graph in the daily paper, wherein was
chronicled the sad death of Michael
Nolan's ne'er-do-well son, who was
killed in drunken brawl on the even
ing of the very day oil which he was
to have sailed for California. And
Ellen Waters paid the laundress, and
the laundress paid her landlord the
five dollars, which went into Mrs.
Dean Pinkney's purse for so-called
charity.
And that was the history of Molly
Waters subscription.