The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1903-03-21
! A Case of Suspended
- Gratitude. ~:
Observation-Disclosures
BY Carroll Watson Rankin.
BY Carroll Watson Rankin.

JOHANNA as a housemaid had been
u a distinct failure; but when, af-
ter lapse of six years, she presented
herself at the door of her former
mistress with the announcement that
she was the widowed mother of three
little children, and much in need OF
assistance, Mrs. Winthrop listened
with interest.
a girl of five, did you say" asked
Mrs. Winthrop, kindly, IA boy OF
three, and a small baby? Why, Jo-
hanna, how providential! That's just
my number. j have girl of six, n
hoy Of four and great big baby, and
I've been wishing l could find just the
right sort of family to take their
ou;grown clothes. They all grow like
weeds. Just sit down for moment,
and I'll bring you great big bundle
of things
Four times year for the next dec
ade johanna halted her bony, half
starved horse at the Winthrops' neat
horseback and received the unfail-
ing bundle. She lived too far away to
come oftener, for besides the three
children and the old white horse with
truly remarkable bones--"He wore
them on the outside like armor,"
Mr.. Winthrop said--Johanua had ac-
quired farm, about IA miles from
the town. Judging from its produc-
tions, Mrs. Winthrop concluded that
the farm was even less prosperous
than the horse.
Johanna, however, was nothing il
not grateful. When the bundle was
safely tucked away under the seat of
the wagon, which always looked as
il each journey would be it's last, Jo-
hanna would grope about in the straw
and finally bring forth an untidy par
Gel containing dozen understood
eggs, q few gnarled beets, stunted
cabbage or an emaciated chicken.
Apparently nothing ever throve on
Johanna's farm; but the poor wo-
man gave the best she had, and Mrs.
Winthrop appreciated the spirit that
prompted the gifts.
Johanna" Mrs. Winthrop would
say, lis certainly the most grateful
creature l ever knew, as well as the
most incapable. 1 would defy any
body to produce knottier turnips or
pithier radishes than those Johanna
brings me, but it's the best she can
do, poor thing!"
The little Winthrops continued to
.0utgrow their garments, and the lit
tie Hansens continued to fall heirs to
them, and it seemed a most con-
venient arrangement all round.
81 guess you'd better give this to
the Hansens, Pauline would say, hold
ing up discarded garment. There's
an ink stain on the skirt, and the
sleeves are too short" Or Gordon
would ask: Cant put these shoes
in the pile for the Hansens, mother2
There's hole in the toe and they're
getting too short"
Even the fat baby learned to add
his broken toys to the pile, and the
little Winthrops liked to imagine the
delight of the little Hansens upon
opening the bundle.
Particularly to Pauline, who was
a selfish young person, and not at all
given to making sacrifices for other
people, was the lucd picdsdhe oho'
She was much impressed by johann
mas gratitude to her mother, and she
decided that when she grew to wo-
manhood she, too, would be a dis
penser of charity, not SO much for
sweet charity's sake as for the pleas
ure of having persons grateful to her,
She felt glow of satisfaction
whenever she thought of Hilda, the
wearer of her cast-of garments, and
she tried to picture the other girl in
them. 1t was n pleasant fancy that
somewhere in the world there existed
girl only little younger than her.
self who was filed to the brim with
gratitude every morning and every
naht.as she put on, or laid aside, the
more or less damaged gowns that
Pauline had so generously outgrown,
That the girl might be other than
grateful Pauline never suspected.
Although she had spent SO many
hours in wondering about the ap-
pearance of the other wearer of her
clothes. Pauline had never seen her,
for johanna had always left Hilda at
home with the youngest child, who
seemed to be perpetually ailing. In