The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-03

for the next weeks board and putting
ii in her pocket, she remarked: TN
just take this now, so you won't run no
risk of losing it, and for the next five
weeks after-why-Well, your mother was
honest before you, and l recon you're
going to take after her. You promise
to be a hard worker. too, so-well, no.
body else has ever been able to stay in
this room over a week, so L guess you
can pay me by fits and starts, as it
comes handy for you. Why. what's the
matter with you? Well, L VOW, you must
be clean tuckered out to cry like that.
Land sakes, child! Tie a wet rag on
your head and lay right down till you
can get picked up a bitr' and out she
bounced.
Dear old, raving savagel How she
used to frighten us all How she barked
and barked, but she never, never bit!
How l wanted to kiss her withered old
cheek that day when she offered me
shelter on trust But she was eighty
five years old. and my honored guest
here at the pines" before l told her
all the terror and the gratitude that
she brought me that day.
An Ice Cream Tragedy.
My clear skin, bright eyes and round
face gave me an appearance of perfect
L
almost increasingly endured. The very
INADEQUATE provision my poor mother
had been able to make for the necessi-
ties of her child's welfare, the cruel re-
strictionS placed upon my exercise,
even upon movement in that wooden
chair where l sat for five hours at a
stretch, had greatly aggravated a slight
injury to my spine received in babyhood.
And now ] was facing a life of hard
work. handicapped by that most tenac
io1s. most cruel of torments, a spinal
trouble.
At fourteen I knew enough OF such
terms as vertebra of the back, spinal
column, spinal cord, sheath of cord,
spinal marrow, axial nervous system
curvatures, f1exes and refexes, to have
nicely established an energetic quack
a specialist in spinal trouble; and, alas!
after all these years, no one has added
to my list of flexes and reheXes the word
liked or refxed," so my poor spine and
l go struggling on, and 1 sometimes
think, if it could speak, ii might declare
that l am as dented, crooked and waver-
ing as it is. However, l suppose that
uncertain state of health may have
caused the capricious appetite that tor
mented me. Always nothing else. Quick
tears would spring to my eyes as |
approached the oysterless table Again
and again / would dream of them; cans
and cans would be piled on my table,
q lived far from shell oyesters them
and when ] awoke l would turn on my
lumpy bed and moan like a sick animal.
| mention this because j wish to explain
what that little odd pile OF money had
been saved for.
At the approach of hot weather a
craving for ice cream had seized upon
me with almost agonzing force. 1t IL
a desire common TO all young things.
but the poverty of my surroundings,
the lack Of the more delicate Yegeta-
bles, OF fruits, Of sweets. added to the
Intensity OF my craving. ] had found
place away up on the market where,
for ten cents, one could get quite
large saucer Of the delicate dainty.
Fifteen or twenty-five cents was charged
elsewhere for no better cream but a
more decorative saucer.
But, good gracious what o sum OF
money! Ten cents FOR a mere pleas
ure. though the memory of Il after
wards WAS a comfort for several days.
aud then, OH unfortunate girl the sick
longing would come again. And 80, IN
a sort OF despair. / tried to save thirty
cents, with tie deliberate intention OF
spending the whole sum on luxury ana
folly. Six long, blazing hot, idle weeks
/ should have 20 pass IN the torture
chamber" but with that thirty cents
By me 1 could. every two weeks loiter
delici0ualy over plate Of cream. feel
iis yciNoty amO0thncns on my lips and
So icy cold Doaa cooling al my wcars,
holt-wOu body. ono week could i've
on memory ana no ncxf week upon
anticipation, and ~ 80 through the
long vacation in comparative comfort
There Wis No. look upon my room
door, but 4 said u9ihing about ~ es