The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-06-18
A WEDDING GUEST
FROM THE POOR HOUSE
Copyright, 1904, by Daily Story Pu
Col
BY JACOB BRErscH.

! tCopyright, 1904, by Daily Story Pun
Coz.
An old woman sat silent In a corner
of one of the wards in a great poor
house. Her eyes were on the floor and
she was busy with thoughts of othe,
days, when her heart was young and
| full of love and life and courage; wher
the future was aglow with brightness
and promise. She did not sigh and there
was In her face an expression of resig-
nation and patience. II not content
1t was not the evening of life she
looked forward 20 when she was a bon
ME, brown-eyeo girl. roaming the fields
and groves of tie old farm. nor when
she stood blushing at the altar and put
| her hand in that of stalwart Robert
Mann, nor when she set out bravely
with him in search of fortune and hap
piness In the great city. All, no. then
all seemed so easy. so certain so sure.
And when little Robert came she had
thought surely no shadow could cross
their path for had they not given hos
tage. to fortune? Those were happy
days even though Robert did not get
ahead very much so far as money was
concerned, and there was much pinch
ing to make the ends meet.
Then had come Roberts long illness,
anu HDdliy the DIaCh u3y Wnen ne ndu
died. leaving her with the boy, then IL
years old. hopelessly in debt and total
ly unprepared to cope with the world.
She had been such a simple body
and had never taken kindly to city
ways. So Robert had assumed most of
the contact with the world and her life
had been almost wholly confined to the
little cottage and the little garden back
OF 1T. She knew no more of bread
earning than a child. The old father
and mother were dead and they had
left nothing, the inevitable mortgage
having eaten up the old place. For
four terrible years she had struggled
with the bread and-butter problem,
lighting every inch of the ground and
barely keeping the VOLTS nose outsids
the threshold, and this only by keep
ing the boy constantly at work. This
was what hurt her most, because she
saw the boy growing up to a life of
toll such as had been his fathers, I'M
prepared to cope with the world on
equal terms. And he was such an I'M
usually bright and ambitious lad, too,
and desired so ardently to acquire an
education. He had been brave and man.
ly when taken from school and put to
work, but had insisted on going to
night school. He had early developed
a passion for things medical and sur
gical and the idea of studying medi-
cine took root and grew within hima
So whole-hearted did he become in this
direction that he attracted the atten-
borhood. who offered to take the bow
under his wing and give him a medi-
cal education. At first Robert was wild |
with delight. Then he suddenly real
lied that 1t was impossible. His small |
earnings were absolutely necessary to |
Keep want away from the squaiid little |
nat, called home. So he manfully de- |
elined the offer. In vain did the mother |
urge him to accept the great oppor- |
tunity. She could get along, she would |
live, one way or another. Her wants |
were few, and, Heaven knows, she was
willing to work to the finger bones
that he should have this great oppor-
tunity.
But he knew her ineff1ciency to COM
bat the world and resoluteIy refused TO
retract his resolution
IL was then that a mighty resolve |
took possession of the mother heart
She would not stand in the way of her
boy She would not be the milestone to
keep him down to the life of penury,
she had known. She would go away and
leave him to carve out his career I'M
hindered. She thought it over during
many sleepless nights and finally de-
>ided in desperation that the poor house
onered the only sure and safeNway. She
that she was not capable of
keeptng soul and body together by her |
'wn misdirected exertions and she was
'ure If she attempted to go on work.
ng in the great city that Robert would
ma -her-he was so smart. No she must ,
Eliminate herself utterly.
And so one morning she had called :
Robert back as he was leaving for his I
work and asked him to kiss her once c
more. and she had chung, trembling
md fearful, with both arms about his
leck as she babe him wnat she knew y
vas to be her last goodbye. She re-
nembered now his kindly. CHEEKY way
You're working too hard. man." he
lad said. Now, do go out and get
ome sunshine and forget all this wor- +,
" I'll take care of things all rigLC, a.
10 wthat l have quit dreaming Cheer
lp"' And he had pinched her cheek !,
nd kissed her. .,
AS soon as he was well away she ..~.d h
zone forth, simply clad and a few :,
ours later had been admitted to the
ounty poorhouse under an assumed u
anne. She knew Robert would make II
great fuss searching for her and
caring her own resolution had re- ~
used to read the newspapers Later, h
wild to know whether he had
one into medicine under the patron h
ge of the famous physician she had b
til feared her strength and not only 81
ad not sought Information, but reso- II
ltely kept away from the newspapers. k
est she might read something which a
rould tempt her beyond her strength. II