Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-07-07
Charity's
Reward.
By MURIEL HAYNES.
Copyrighted. 1909. by Associated
Literary Press.


voking"-
But best brother that ever lived"
concluded Richard Ames. Look here,
Maude; I'll give up my intention Of
taking Miss Hempsted out driving and
devote the time instead to the noble
cause of rummage, but only with the
understanding that IL give up the So
ciety of the beautiful Miss Hempsted
for sweet charity am to pick my own
company
"The way you fired me at Nella
Brewsters head the night of the
church socieble was nothing short Of
indecent. II she doesn't want to speak
to me again, why should you deprive
her Of that satisfaction"
ITS not satisfaction" insisted
Dicks sister. "Nella is as utterly mis-
cradle as yen. and you know it."
she didn't look that way this after
noon when I passed her skating with
Ben Harklnson," commented Dick.
shes game. She would smile II
she had the toothache and happened to
see you coming" persisted Maude.
"She wouldn't let you see that she was
hurt by the way you have acted, but
well, any woman can see that she is
dreadfully hurt"
$50 much hurt that she could not
answer letter Of abject apology
sent her" suggested Dick.
did you really send it? demanded
Maude curiously. "She says she never
got 1t and that you didn't even answer
hers"
Because there was none to an
swer." retorted Dick. "Come on, now!
Let us get down to the church and to
that charity which is its own reward"
Maude paused uncertainty. 1t was
the first time that Dick had spoken
freely about his quarrel with Nella
Brewster. and she wanted to sound
the trouble to its greatest depths. But
here was Dick drawing off just as she
had seemed about to reach the bottom.
That the trouble had been trivial at
the start she knew, aud with two per-.
sons like her brother and Nella 1t was
hard to tell where the trouble might
end, but the chances were that they
would drift farther and farther apart.
Meekly she slipped into her wraps
and prepared for the walk to the
church. where rummage sale for the
poor was being prepared.
Old clothes were pouring in to be
sold to the needy for whatever their
slender purses could afford. When
Maude led Dick into the Sunday
school room he whistled in surprise at
the stacks Of clothing.
"They are stopping all the time to
talk about styles" explained Cheevers.
"The moment they get dress that IS
out Of the ordinary they all stop to see
how it's made"
II heard Oracle Chester say that at
last she could be certain that Mrs.
Pomeroy's dress wasn't silk lined" an
swered Dick. with chuckle.
"By the way" went on Cheevers.
heres something found in the over
coat Of that little darky that the
Brewsters brought up from the south
with them last winter Looks as
though Alexander had been holding
out some letters on you.
He passed over a thin package Of
letters, and Dick gasped. The envel-
opes were grimy and worn. but be
could see that they were some letters
from himself that never had been de-
livered and others from Nella that had
shared the same fate.
He recognized even the letter in
which he had sought to win her for
giveness for all he had said during
their last quarrel-a quarrel which had
started over some of her letters which
he now held In his hand for the first
time.
There was a bulky one from Nella
that he opened first, and his heart
glowed as he realized that without
waiting for him to speak Nella had
written her own letter Of forgiveness.
Il didn't know that there were so
many old clothes in town. he de-
clared wonderingly. and one Of the
workers directed him briskly toward
one of the piles.
This is only the first lot" she said.
'.These are the mems and boys clothes.
Will you help get those Strengthened
out? We want them sorted roughly by
sizes"
Dick followed the example of the
other men in the room and slipped of
his coat before he attacked the pile of
garments.
Here We're clothes of all sizes and
weights, and as he picked up the first
garment one of the men on the other
side called to him:
-"Better go through all the pockets
first. l found dollar bill in vest
awhile ago, and Cheevers did better
than that He found two"
1--WE should leave them in the cloth
ing" suggested Dick. perhaps the
donors put them there on purpose"
"They forgot Them" declared the 9TH
er man as be turned to lay coat on
its proper heap. and Dick again bent
to his task.
The pile If clothing seemed formi-
5aLIo I,,,% .rsth holt dn1ap man xuork.