The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1905-09-07
The Nest OF n blind Bird.

How An Olp MANS WEAksrss NRorGn'
Coon roR HmsEtl AND fnirNns.
The nest OF blind bird Is built by God
Morse pfoyefb.
ole Of the summer visitors who hsd lin
gered az SQuam until Grandsir Gikey
birthday hegsn 10 be talked Of bad left
ten. dollsr bin IS apresen, for The old man
Grandsir Gllkey was so old that be loved
a toy and could sweeten the bitterness o'
life with plum; go old that be sometimes
confused the happenings OF seventy year.
sgo sith those of last week aud thought
Ruthy Ann WAS his daughter, Eleanor
Mary, Who oied when she was fifteen.
He was, not grandfather to any otc Il
squam, although he was kao.n as Grand
sire 10 every one. He had wandered intt
that village op frosty fall day and ss'
with his bundle beside him, on Aaron Gil
KEY doorstep. He said bis name wal
Hiram Giikey and he thought his fatbel
and Asron's were second or third cousins
He had been In the hospital = lorg time, hi
thought. Anyhow, there were good many
things he could not remember about. Hi'
son had died and his dsughter-iu-law hst
married again. There didn't seem TO bt
su room for him 10 her house.
Aaron shook his head over the suggested
relationship, shook IL with contemptuou'
smile. He didn't know much about rela
tions anvil how he had always had TO make
his own way, he ssit. Aaron was ship
builder ard well.tc-do for Sqasm.
His wife whispered TO him eagerly and
with ffowns behind the door. She saic
the poorbouse WAS the place for the old
man; anyhow it was none Of their busi'
ness
Grsndsir Gilkev searched Aaron's face
wis.iully after the whispered conference
snd without another word no got upon hii
trembling legs and moved of.
Lab 10 Gtlkey, comiog from his work In
Asaron's shipsard, met the old man. Labar
WAS Asron's brother, but he had not been
50 prosperous, The pitfu tears of old age
were trckling down the burrows OF the
wayfsrer's cheeks. Halt an hour later be
was eleefully making "cats' cradles" for
Rulhy Ann and little Abel. in the coolest
conner Of I.aban Gilkey's hearth.
Before long Laban's wife said boldly to
Mrs. Aaron that she didn't know how che
coud get along without Grandsir. lt wss
really he who carried Ruthy Ann through
the measles that she had so very hard, and
he Who told Mutt such entertaining stories
that he never wished to 90 down to the
Point with the rough boys evenings. AS
for little Abel, he wsddld after the old
man wherever he went; there never were
seen such psir OF friends.
Mrs. Aaron whispered darkly that Mrs
Laban thought 1t a feather In her cap to
keep the old man. But by the time bis
second birthday In Squam came around
Grandsir remembered how old he was and
insisted upon keeping his birthdays-Mrs.
Aaron sent him purple elk handkerchief
az a present She was person who liked
to be In the fashion, and Squam had begun
20 feel a certain pride 10 Its very Id man
and to show him attention. People were
fond of him, too he was so gentle ana
kindly. And although he was so weak and
childish, when he told Of sea fight of the
port o. Spain or Of amuti0y on board ship
that he had commanded there came fire
into his faded eyes aud ring into his qniv-
ering voice that made people say to each
other with meaning mods that he had once
been man among men.
Mrs. Aaron asked Ruthy Ann to return
the handkerchief to her when the birthday
WAS over, Grandsir would forget all about
T.. she said, aud she could present 1t to him
again on hi. next birthday She was Thrift
ty by nature. and she felt that 1t really did
not psv to spend monev on simpe-mipd-
ed old man like that.
Tnen for eight consecutive years Mrs.
Aaron presented Grsndsir with that same
purple siIk handkerchief, ard each time he
r. ce,y, d II with childish delight and touch
log gratitude BY this time Mrs. Aaron had
almost forgotten her self thst II was not q
new present hist she made 70 Grsndslr and
she said to hpr inlimsies that the should
not bnor what to think o. herself N she
allowed his birthday to pass without a
gift.
Great trouble invaded the home where
Grandsir WAS so hsppy Laban Gilkey died
suddenly sud The burden of the fsmilv's
support came up,n young Nuts shoulders.
sturdy shoulders and stout heart had
Mutt. but while he t0iled manfully 10 the
,bip,ard bis eyts followed wistfullv every
ship that put forth to sea. He was only
seventeen.
When Mrs. Aaron heard OF The summer
visitors gilt of ten dollars to Grandsir she
yss In fever Of anxiety lest the cid man
should he allowed to spend the money fool
ishly. Ten dollars VAS a good deal OF
money In pcverty-stricken family like
hist. and of course GrsndsIr could really
call nothing his own, She herself hsd Civ
en- him some of Asrons old clothes that
ought to have gone to her sisters children
down al sicsrspps.
Even Mrs. Lsbsn drew Mutt back and
privately murmured q csu,ion as he and
Grsndsir were settiog out for the port to
spend the precious ten dollars
There's a hard wlnter coming, Nut, but
I'm DO. thinking OF ourselves. II YOU could
mske him see hat he ought to keep II for
nest eggl CT him to put T. iato the
bspk II yod ear, Nutt, she said, earnestly.
The man who gave II TO Grandsir told
MIN 10 spend 1t for whatever he liked, and
h. / gci,g TO. Nobody could stop him,
and there ess no rsgre, In his tone, el her,
Al hongh he knew--nons better that II
xss yutag TO te = hard ~iater.