The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-12-18

been able TO keep in the right way.
want to read this letter 10 you, dearest.
i have kept il all these years. 1t was
the one that turned me into the right
road. It's words haunted me from the
day l got il, and when l pictured your
despair and the future OF our little
girl ! prayed that ! might be kept
steadfast in my determination"
Don't read II, Tom. ! remember IL,
/ think" protested Mrs. Sladen, going
around behind her husband and slip
ping her fingers over his eyes. Don't
read H."
He moved her hands aside gently. Il
must Nell, ] must"
And then he read:
To No. 3G,3l0 National Penitentiary
Dear Tom-Another New Year has
come around-the fifth since you were
taken away. / often wonde; 4 in the
old days when you were scheming and
working TO make what you called easy
money" you ever dreamed what disas-
ter was 10 follow your plotting.
] was silenccd by my love for you,
and while / knew IL was wrong and
that you were taking fearful chances,
| hoped il might all end as we thought
IL would. You remember. I did plead
with you, Tom, dear. didn't II You
know how | got down on my knees
that night in October and begged you
for Gods sake not TO 20 on with the
crooked work. And you remember how
oil
little girl and said that IL would be all
right, that Uncle Sam was wealthy
and could easily spare the few thou
sands that you and your friends cX-
pccted to clean up-and my fears were
lullcd for the time Then when they
were coming your way" as You said,
aud | was the best dressed woman in
the place, ! suppose | ought to have
been happy. But always | saw hang
ing over us the shadow OF n menacing
hand That threatening thing came
between me and the footlights Mt the
Theatre, and used TO bite my lips till
they bled 10 keep from screaming. DO
you recall the night in New York
when we went 10 see "Iim the Pen
man." and how depressed we both
were when the curtain finally fell? And
as we were coming out you dropped
your glove and the usher who picked
it up touched you on the shoulder?
Your face grew ashen, and i thought
you would fall. Poor chap, you were
beginning to feel the strain, weren't
you? And then that nevcrto be forgot
ten day in December, when they came
to the house and took me TO you and
loosed those dreadful, slender steel
bands that bound You to your wretched
companion-I know l must have acted
like demented woman, while you
your face was that OF n corpse, and
your voice was thin and wiry. Ab. IL
IL were but dream All
these things came back to me yester-
day, Tom. when | met the other wo-
men OF our church at the monthly scs-
sion of our little Helping Hand" Club.
You know | am doing everything l can
To tighten the burdens of those less
fortunate than fortunate" Sounds
almost funny, doesn't II? God, IL they
only knew! Well Mrs. Lambersan.
who had been visiting the colony over
make. There was n poor woman, the
widow of carpenter. with four chill
dreu to feed. Illness had handicapped
Ter until. with the food and fuel alb
sorbing all she had in the world, she
was reduced TO absolute bcggary-
crust in the house not stick of
wood for her fire. Her husbands tool
chest she had kept all the years since
he had gone-iust. l suppose. rs ! keep
your chair and your slippers and smok.
ing Jacket ready and waiting for you
poor womanl Maybe she liked 20 think
he would come home some day and
again stow away the things in the old
chest. Although il must have been n
holy thing TO her. the pinching cold
drove her To desperation and she brok,
| il up for fuel l can fancy the hot
! tears binding her as she struck cacl
! blow. and then she fumbled over the
| splntered pieces there was n shrieb
from the oldest girl Money, nam
ma, Money! Half crazed and only
! half comprehending. she stood dazet
End swaying while the child dov,
| among the broken sides OF the ches
end held up three crisp new banknotes
| The poor mother tainted. and whel
! she came back TO life and looked int,
the frightened eyes OF her children ant
remembered il all she was wild will
/ Joy Money! That meant food an,
warmth Mary and Grhce were {,
run to the coal yard TO get two bucket
of coal. while her mother tidied herscl
for n visit 10 the store. In twenty min
utes the children were back agdn. bu
in n panic and accompanied by an of
hccr. The ten.dollar note was coun
terfet So were the other two-au,
as the truth forced itself home TO th
poor woman her tired brain gave way
Mrs. Iamberson wanted US 90 do some
thing for those children aud we did
Tom. that thing haunted me. and I
tho paper this morning | saw the stor
: of the tragedy. and. Tom. the note
; were your notes.-the tens on the Firs
! National Bank: you know the ones
E oh. Tom. Toni Think OF that poe
cevil and the suffering that came I
him through you and your friends
what you used TO call your "entel
prise" And that woman. with start
ing eyes and matted hair. muttering a
? she sits idly in the corner OF her bar
: rooml You couldn't have known whS
? IL all meant when you went in wit
] them. You were SO tender and yor