Year: 1869

towel pinned over her hair. stood shak.
ing and beating up apillow. upon the
upper balcony of a square stone house
and man stood brushing the dus, and
specks from his coat. upon the balcony
| below. The woman was Bridget
Geoakes. and the man was Paul Whit
ing.


Now il happened that just beyond
the church. iown a side street. was a
little low wing growing upon the body
OF painted wooded house; and here
lived Miss Alma Disbrow. n worthy
maiden with frost-bitien curis, who
always wore n rustling black silk gown,
heavy gold chain. and an eyeglass.


Miss Disbrow's father had been un-
fortunate enough TO bc pioneer in this
part OF the lake country, SO long ago as
when the Governors wife rode 10
church in tip-cart drawn by oxen. aud
when the town was lighted by glow.
worms instead Of gas.


But the daughter, Miss Alma, was
fortunate enough To live so lately as
when the most desirable street OF n
fiou: ishing commercial city ran directly
through the heart Of her fathers swamp
lands. And still later. when. in token
Of her being unmarried, and an only
daughter, she came into possession, by
her fathers will. OF the principal part
Of his rich inheritance.


Upon that, turning her back toward
all aspiring adventures, and shutting
her eyes against her brothers longing
boys and girls, she gave the best locat-
ed lots OF the whole for church and
rectory: and then throwing out this
modest wing from the house of her
Youngest and least disliked brother.
she settled herself down in il TO sit and
look all day at her beautiful gift


But Miss Alma had eyes rs sharp a.
a brass PIN the better TO see with, nv
dear 50. beside the high stone church,
She perceived great many things.
And upon this particular morning she
sat in her Parker-rockcr. rGstling and
rocking, with her eyeglass in one hand,
and the morning paper in the other.


On the leather cushions OF an old
armchair. by the sunniest window, sat
her confidential. black dog with
white face. named Benjamin.


This dog received a great deal more
consideration. and many more privi-
leges than her brothers children and
it was into his pointed ears that Miss
Disbrow. who had not another weak
ness in the world. (unless in the matter
of a front tooth or SOY had the habit of
dropping everything she knew. or
thought. or guessed. And the dog Ben
jamin. as a man benjamin might not
have done. always listened without in
terruption, and never repeated thing
she said.


benjamin" cried out Miss Disbrow.
SO suddenly that the dog jumped upon
his feet, las true as you are born, Mrs.
Baby has only just this moment come
to clear up after the church social"


..Well now, da-say. if that is not
real mean! just come! When there
she is. boarding, with nothing under
the stars to do, not even to make her
own bed; and poor. little Mrs. Gree
ling. with her six children, and all her
housekeeping cares has been here hard
at work fully half an hour. | cannot
stand such shirking, lazy ways-l de-
clare can't


Benjamin yawned. aud stretched
himself: and Miss Disbrow moved her
chai.. nearer the window, and looking
out at the clouded sky, the brown-touch-
ed trees, and the wet walk, and she saw
presently the figures upon the two
piazzas Of the square stone house at the
corner.


BY that time the ladies were through
with their work Of clearing up the yes
try, and had gone clattering home in
their higl,-heeled boots; the scrub
women and the boys had done all their
running out and in, stopping about with
pals of water and the old white beard
ed sexton, in his round, steel-bOwed
glasses, that made him look like gray
owl. had locked the door and gone to
his DAVIS work, saving wood. at one OF
the grand houses on the avenue. So
Miss Disbrow had plenty Of time to
turn her eyeglass towards her neigh
bors' balconies. To tell the plain truth,
between you and me and Benjamin,
Miss Disbrow had for some time felt
that the Whiting family needed more
looking after than they got from the
sun, moon and stars and the city
watchman, and she had long been try
ing to act the part Of the good Samari-
tan. and 60 with The oil and wine, when