Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-07-26
MELINDY.
BY JANE MARLIN.

| III Jay lHSL IAll, ana the IMP from
Boston to New York was delightful.
The foliage was at its best, and as the
train sped on pictures unfolded them
| selves upon each side. Scattered all
| along the way were farm houses, their
neat, well-kept appearance bespeaking
the thrift and industry of the hardy sons
Of toll Sere and yellow grain in pic
turesque stacks waved in the gentle
breeze. and ever and anon were glimpseS
Of Long Island sound, rivahng in color
the intense blue of the sky, with its
tieecy, rOse-tinted clouds.
AS we were rapidly whrled along
| through towns and villages, past church
IS and busy factories, | SIGHED that
could not paint the manifold beauties
| spread out before me- The car was
| crowded. and for a while / found amusc-
ment in watching the different faces
about me. Then, tired of it all, dream
| lily turned again TO the window framing
| in pictures Of remarkable lOveliness.
| There were the everlasting hills,
crowned with autumn's gorgeous foliage
| valleys and dales, where threaded the
serpentine brook sparkling in the sum-
and. far beyond, the restless hui ever
| fascinating blue waters of the sound
| 1t was n perfect day! Natures own; a
dav to inspire the poet and painter.
Enjoying all Of this panorama of love
| illness, | was suddenly let down from my
| poetical musings by a shrill, peculiar
voice just behind me. Turning my head
| slightly, | looked back and saw in the
next seat two elderly women of about 20
years. The one who had just spoken was
tall and thin, with piercing black eyes
and long, sharp nose. Her companion.
dear little woman, had blue eyes and
snowy hair pulled at either side under
her Close-ftting bonnet. giving TO the
sweet face benign, contented look
Then she is really dead and buried"
said the dark-eyed woman. Poor crea.
ture! The little woman sadly nodded
her head i'll assent. Dead, you say"
continued the other. We'll / am glad
that she is at las at rest / knew her
mother years ago, and the Lord kno%s
that she suffered enough, and TO think
that her only child should have had the
same misfortune. Why, let me see, you
took her when her mother died and
brought her up, didn't you, Mehndy?"
Yes, answered the dear, old lady, in a
soft, sympathetic voice, so soothing after
the other. Yes. John and me sort of
looked after her after her ma died
edicated her, sent her up to Mount Hol-
yoke Seminary for year, and then she
taught the deestrict school by us, until
she married that poor, shiftless sot. Jim
Moore. Oh, we tried. John and me, to
have her give MIN up, but he was so
handsome and promised to stop drinking
", "A
Indy she used to say, Jim loves me so
well that he will do anything for me, and
| may save him if | marry him; and then,
Aunt Melindy, | love him So
What could we say after that? We
tried to think that Jim would be kind
to her. and SO we gave her a good set
ting out; il took all the profit for that
year, but she deserved it." And the
little woman wiped away her tears, con-
tinuing in n husky voice: The church
was full on her wedding day, and she
looked rs pretty as a picture. After the
wedding John and me tried to get Jim
to live with us and look after the place
John was getting old. you know-but
he didn't seem TO favor it, and they went
70 live with his aunt i'll the other par
lSh, and for year Jim did splendid,
treated her purity well, and she was hap
ny as bird. | used to run over real
often that first year to carry her little
things-butter, eggs and garden sass
for we had plenty and their garden
didn't amount TO much.
Then Jim's old aunt died and left
him few hundred dollars. and he took
to drinking again. Then he got in debt.
and last winter and spring was laid
up with rheumatic and didn't get to see
much of my little girl. Well. long in
August John come in one day and saws,
Come. ma, III tackle up and we will
20 over To katy's she is sick, and Ebedi-
Zah HaiueS was here this morning and
says ns how Jim is drunk half the time
and abuses her shameful. Yes. | win
says |. and 50 we drove over. KATY was
! IN bed with her little one and she was
/ dreadful glad To see us. She showed us
little Melmdy, for she wouldn't call her
anything else, and was 81 proud and
| happy over the mite. | somehow hadn't
| the heart 20 ask her about Jim, She
| locked 50 thln and sick, but after q
- Isa told l. 4. IL
| work aud that they were very poor. 4
| shall so 10 teaching as soon as | get
| strong again she added, If You and
| Uncle ohm will look after Melindy. The
| committee want me to take the school
| this fall, and it won't be so hard for
| jim,
We'll. ! promised to take the little
| girl, and after | had tidied her up bit
| John and me drove home, promising to
| come back the next week and fetch her
and little Melindy over to the farm for
q visit. took bad cold that day and
| couldn't get out for over a month. just
| as soon as | dared take the ride told
! John 10 hitch up old Jenny and drive me
| over To see Katy. You'd better git off
| now, says John, for DR.. Perkins told
! me tother day as Katy had had a poor
| SpeIl and wouldn't last long unless she
! mad better care. Well. we went over"
| she continued. her voice, now choked
! with suppressed sohS. "hut twas too
/ nate, for Katy was dead and jim going
| ON like mailman.
! Il helped lay her out and fix up for
/ the funeral and then John and me drove
home, taking little Melndy with us. oh.
she was sickly. puny little thing, cry
! ing night and day, and only last week
She went 10 join her mother was ali
| played ont, being mp nights. so John
! started me of for Stamford to see my
| niece and get rested up a little"
| How sad said her companion. her
Shrill voice Softened, and what became
OF Jim?"
/ Stamford Stamford! Last stop be-
| fore New York called the brakeman
/ ana gathering up her satchel the cd latIy
/ Ictt the car. | ArnnnoA my nnncn fn,.