Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1903-06-10
THE RELIEF AND Y
AID COMMITTEEMAN
IOriginai.l

In the rooms OF the relief and aid
committee to distribute funds contrib
uted to sufferers by the great Chicago
| fire of 1871 Edward Tucker. a commit
teeman, sat writing.
| Can you tell me how to secure aidT
Tucker looked up into the kindly. pa
tent face of an old woman who wore
| a faded, threadbare dress that many
years before must have been costly.
| Have you been burned out, mad
| am?' he asked.
"well, no, not exactly, but we are
| somewhat straitened In our circum-
| stances. My husband was a banker.
| He died many years ago and left US
without anything to live on, and" (con-
ndentially) Il wasn't brought up right
My father had been rich. couldn't
take hold for myself"
| what was your husbands Manner
| plumber - Ralph b. Plumber Of
Plumber & Chubb, bankers"
| Mr. Tucker started.
"You knew himT'
l les. lAdt 10 many sSaio oScs @AN
was a great deal older than and rich.
i was a poor boy then. Give me your
address, Mrs. Plumber"
She gave him an address which
| Tucker noted, and the old lady with
| drew. Tucker took checkbook from
| his desk and wrote a check. Then
| stepping to a man who sat at another
desk he said:
Exchange check for that, please,
payable to Mrs. Ralph B. Plumber"
| The check was duly made out, and
| Tucker went to his room to prepare
| for dinner, which he usually took ~
| his club. AS he entered he sighed.
| No one was ever in the room but him
| self and a servant. 1t was a dreary
| place. though it was handsomely fur
nished Tucker sat down and brooded
for awhile, as he had brooded many
| time before, on the fact that with all
| his means for the procurement of
| home he had no home. Why was he
| not married? There were a dozen wo-
men among the wealthy people with
| whom he moved who had angled for
| him. Perhaps it was because they an
| gled that he did not care to marry
| them. Presently he arose languidly
| and made his toilet. He dined alone
| at his club and after dinner set out
to find Mrs. Plumber.
He was admitted by a girl of twen-
| ty-two or twenty-three years of age,
| bearing the same impress of refinement
as her mother. She resembled her IA
| Their, especially as Tucker had known
| him when he was perhaps ten years
older than the daughter was now.
your mother called this morning at
| the relief and aid committees room,
| and have called to examine the case"
| said Tucker in kindly tone. He was
| introduced into the living room, where
| Mrs. Plumber received him with as
| constituent, and be sat down on
| chair with holes in the seat almost
large enough to let him through. He
asked Mrs. Plumber about her re-
sources; then, apparently satisfied that
! it was a proper case for the commit
| tee to relieve, took out its check for
| $500. Mrs. Plumber, to whom he
handed it, was too dazed at receiving
check at all TO notice the amount
| and turned it over to her daughter.
| Margaret Plumber glanced at it and
| handed it back to Tucker, with the re-
mark that there must be some mis-
| take. 1t was some time before he
could convince the two of the extreme
| liberality of the committee in their
case.
Tucker called often, every time bring
ing check signed by the cashier of the
relief and aid society till the abode Of
the Plumbers was painted and fur
nished and their wardrobes renewed.
He took Margaret Plumber out to
amusements and to drive and spent
many an evening with her at her home.
One evening he brought a check from
the relief and aid society which Mar
garet declined. There is no further oc-
casion," she said, for this assistance
have been studying shorthand and
typewriting and have finished my stud
les and secured a situation. Now
wish, Mr.. Tucker, that you would give
me some hint as to how l may show
you my appreciation of your kindly in.
terest which has resulted in these
checks"
There is but one way and that
would be asking too much"
Name it, and l promise you it shall
be DONE"
IF not repugnant to YOU
Nothing l can do for you would be
repugnant to me-"
You will not think me selfish?"
II am sure you could never be self
ish. Come. tell me what is this re-
turn?"