Amador ledger., 1905-07-28
How the Mortgage was Paid.
By f. Ii. Tratton.

Whatever brightness there was in
little household was strictly home
made. Home made things may lack
style and polish and great many
other qualities, but they are solid and
satisfying The widowed mother was
brave and patient; fourteeen-year old
George was manly and helpful; baby
Bess, a wee tot. insisted that she was
mammals sunbeam aud tieorgie's Joy,
and between them the love that these
three had for each other was their
principal fortune 10 he sure, they
had their cottage nestled like brown
little wren of house among the
cherry trees, but so tar from the more
pretentious street of the village as to
| be quite secluded in its modest re-
ttirement-a home nest. where there
was more home than plenty
One thing this tiny residence had in
common with the many stately man
sions that unwinkingly stand forth as
if begging tor public admiration -
there was mortgage on it. Lit was
so very small house that it really
would seem as though it would not
take much to crush in its low, ramb-
ling roof, like too heavy load of
snow, aud, like the snow. is a mort
gage on poor mans house-a cold,
pitiless, dead weight.
Next after her two children Mrs
Morris loved this wren-lIke house best
of anything, and for three long years
she had tried at that mortgage, saving
up and paying off "by littles," until
at last when of the original $500 there
remained trifle less than $40 to pay,
lawyer Harding had given her notice
that he had orders from the holder of
the mortgage that he could no longer
extend the time, aud that unless the
balance was paid by the first day of
the month he would forerlose. This
simply meant that she would lose all
she had paid and be turned out OF
doors III the bargain. At the same
time the lawyer had intimated, on
giving this disagreeable notice, if
Mrs Morris would consent to marry
him he would relieve her of all future
financial embarrassment.
The mortgage itself was enough for
one poor woman to bear; but she
would rather have had all the mort
cages in the world to fight than to en-
dure the thought of life with man
with the mean traits of this lawyer.
She gave him to understand this fact
as clearly as good use of plain mat
ter-of fact English could do it. His
words we're smooth enough - too
smooth, in fact--as he went away, but
its sinister counterpart in his soul
boded no good to the object of his
thoughts. 1t was evident to her as
though he had said so in so many
words that the time mentioned
would be the last day of grace.
April first came-but not the paltry
balance needed to clear off the mort
gage. And no sum of money is paltry
when one must have it to avert dis
aster-and cannot get it. Mis-. Nor
is could see no earthly way out of
her troubles that morning. Every
thing looked dark 1t was hard to
have worked so long, to have
struggled for weeks, months and
years, as she had done, only to lose
all, all at last. No, not all! For she
had George and Bess lett. Thinking
of them made it still harder TO bear,
for it was fol their dear sakes she had
toiled and economical and saved.
There was suggestion of what her
eyes had been doing when George
came cheerily in to his breakfast.
"What, my little mammies' eyes
are half drowned!" he exclaimed in
his hearty, boyish way, with part
fun and more tenderness in his tone,
sa he hugged her like young bear,
and dabbed kisses into each damp eye.
"'Tisn't me?" he continued, search
ing for cause for the rather unusual
display of discomfort. "No? I'm glad
of that, for l don't think I've done
anything downright awful lately, and
it can't be Bess! She's all right. l
know-no measles or whooping cough
or anything-for l just saw her sleep
in like a-a- here he paused for a
satisfactory simile, dabbing more
warm kisses from rosy lips into red
eyes the while -"like happy little
kitten -
"GeoIgie, do eat your breakfast
It's as bad to have ones eyes kissed
out as drowned out
ooh, know!" he continued. pursu-
ing the subject with no intention of
being put off. "Tbat old Harding is
coming again. I'll bet anything
"i es, dear, he is coming!" but the
little woman had not the heart to tell
all that dreadful coming implied.
"Pshaw, mamma, don't worry so
about it. That blamed mortgage is
almost paid off and you won't have
to see the mean sneak many times
more"
II don't like to hear you speak that
way. 1t doesn't help me and it hurts
you.
More kisses that said plainly as
words could, ''It was because [ love
and can't bear to see you unhappy,