Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1901-09-05
THE WIDOWS BENEFIT.
for His Wife-The Rents We're
Forgotten.

lie is the landlord VINO cOllecLS his rent
with his wooden leg. That is, he steps
up to the second floor of his big tene-
ment-house, and standing in the hall
he raps out the amount due him, and
as no tenant pays the same price, and
all are in arrears, each one knows by
the number of wooden raps the leg
gives his or her Indebtedness, relates
the Chicago Record-Herald.
Ten raps was the greatest sum, and
everyone in the building knew that
was the Widow Lynch, and that it
meant three months in arrears. No
one else had been permitted such an
extension of time, and the major had
not raped for her on several occa-
sions, and they said it was because
she was so pretty and had bad luck in
getting work, with two kids to look
after. Be~that as it may, the major
was mad at the widow now and was
willing everybody in the house should
know it. For why? The widow was
giving party.
And she owing me three months
rint, an maxim such poor mouth
about it! I'll make noise enough to
drown out the band,' and with his
wooden leg he run the gamut of her
indebtedness again:
"Whisht!" said rich voice at his ell
bow, and the major stopped rapping
to glare at the pretty widow. who
stood there with her bare dimpled
arms akimbo.
"It's yourself would betther be
whishting, Mrs. Lynch, givin' party
an me waitin' three months for me
lawful rint.''
SIT isn't no party, Maj. O'Dowd. It's
benefit"
"Pwhat's that?"
''It do be benefit to raise a bit
money for the little mother of the
foive childer on the fourth floor, to
sind her to the hospital to get an
operation that will save her loife. And
here's foive dollars on me rint, major"
''What do you be takin' me for?'''
asked the major, crowding the money
back in her hand.
Faith I wouldn't mind takin' you
for betther or for worse" was the
saucy reply, and the major went to
the benefit.
They were all his debtors there.
The little lame seamstress who said
he raped for her so softly she never
heard him, and the blind shoemaker
who got the dark room for nothing
and was the "band'' on this occasion,
contributing the services of his fiddle
for the dancing. The major took the
widow out, and no one could have told
which had the wooden leg, they danced
SO neatly. and compliments flew
thick and fast, as they balanced all or
swung partners.
The next day the ambulance was at
the door, and the major was there
again to be master of ceremonies. He
didn't wait to rap for any dues this
time. but walked away looking so con-
tented and happy that his old face
shone with inward content. He had
made another safe investment and he
knew it.
Voice ~ Revealer of Character.
There is no greater revealer of
character than the human voice. It
is the first thing that strikes us in
stranger, or in a new acquaintance.
If it has that spontaneous ring of
truth that no training can impart we
recognize its appeal for confidence.
Some voices have the jar of falsehood,
and IRE as full of warning as the hiss
of serpent. The unconscious nat
nral voice is to be regarded as the
index of character. To speak
promptly and positively is generally
to act promptly and positively; to
speak politely is to act politely, and
to speak gruffly and rudely is good
way to make rude action easy.-Ame-
liza E. Barr, in Ladies' Home journal.
= ur,.w-l,t1,, - II.