Year: 1860

young mother lay uylnS' Ane 'Ieeole cHllu
had lust come to claim from her a mothers love
and was folded in its blankets on chair be-
side her. There was nothing dainty, or costly
in its Holdings, but that look of extreme weak
ness, which had come from the poor mothers
care, overSpread their scantness, and poverty,
and made them almost beautiful. And the
humble neghbors who had come with their
neighborly offices to that chamber OF sickness,
and death, looked reverently upon those evil
dences Of neatness and skill, which lay about
them, and knew that she who had wrought this
comfort and beauty out Of such scanty material
was superior to themselves. But her last care
full work was done, and her hads folded for
their final rest. A welcome rest it might seem
to be for her. for life had given her little to love
and leave She was an orphan and alone when
William Grove married her, one who had felt
all the accumulated bitterness of forphanage


But the strong, hopeful young mechanic who
had taken her for his own had felt fully able to
make the rough way smooth for her. Perhaps
he was "o'er young to marry when he took





now lay dying. But he knew that hard home
had been hers for years, and in his strong love
for her. he would fain have shielded her from
the sorrow with which she was so famished.


And they were married, with nothing but
their own strong hearts, and willing hands for
dependence. But these were enough for the
time, for they were content with little and
William Grove was careful, and industrious;
brave sturdy young man, always in the thickest
of the work, as those who knew him said.-
But while thus in the thckest OF the work, a
piece OF machinery fell upon him, and he was
carried home corpse to his feeble young wife
before they had been married a twelve month.
Poor Lefty Grove! She stroye to bear up
brayely through her misery, for the sake Of a.
MOTHER And bravely and truthfully she did go
through her appointed time. But now her hour
was come only moment was left for the part
ing Of the new born which bound her to the
world.


The glance which rested upon her child was
full Of agony, none knew better than herselfthe
evils of that poverty and trendlessness to which
she was leaving her. She drew neighbor who
stood at her bedside down to her pillow to
whisper her last message. "Let me be buried
in the Potters Field - she said, "These things
will be wanted, -


"But you will want to be buried by the side
Of William, Lefty" said the kind neighbor, in
terrupting her.


"No, no." said she impatiently. sit would
take all we haeo to bury me there My baby
will want these things. Perhaps some one will
take them as pay for taking care of her. | can
not have her go to, the poor house She will
die there" and she shuddered as she thought
death. ..... ..


''There is Mrs, Hill" she added, "She's just
married, and needs such things for her house
She would be a kind body to my Lefty, think.
And bye and bye, the child would be help to
her. There is little money in that drawer, l
want it all to be saved for the care ofmy baby
It will so good ways with one that's pru-
dent"



ed SO to gather, the rag carpet in the room
where she lay the chairs, and the tables, and
the plain bureau which Williams own hands
had made, AMI the quilts, and the pillows, and
the tidy cur tains which her skillful fingers had
prepared, all had new value in her eyes, and
she counted their worth with mser's eager
ness, for the sake Of the ease they might pur-
chase for her child.


And the neighbors respected her wish, and
when her dust lay with the unwept in the Pot
ters' Field, her child found shelter in the cot
tage she had named


But the neat store of household goods which
had been passed over to the newly married cou-
pie as recompense for the shelter Of the child,
soon lost their air Of neatness and beauty. and
become familiar to them, as if they had always
been their own. And they forgot the love that
springs Of life were growing cold; and the irail
child received from them only such attention as
children are apt to receive in the abodes of pov.
erty when there is no mothers hand to minister
to them in there helplessness.


Sometimes, when pride, or caprice induced
the foster mother to take her up from the poor
couch where she was accustomed to hemoan her
sorrows to herself and make her tidy she
would draw forth the admiration OF the neigh
bors, and they would say "What pretty child
it is that Lefty Grove left" But for the most
part she was left in such a state as to attract
little notice, and no affection from those
who saw her


After two or'three years of this life, when q
little one Of their own had been given to the
family where she claimed shelter, they began
to feel that the burden was too heavy for them,
that they had more than repaid the bequest in
consideration Of which they had received with
the child, aad little Lefty was at last sent
to the poor house, from which her mother had
longed to shield her. But it was only slight
change for the worse. There were only the
more harsh spirits to rule her--to fret at the
wailing that misery wrung from her, and to
wish that she were out Of their way. The air
was only little more foul than that Of the cot.
tage she shad first known, and the food and
clothing only a little worse, X i.


Lefty Grove possessed a more delicate or
ganizaton than most of those who had to bear
with her the ills ofpoverty. Her lungs were
kind that could not bear the foul air she was
forced to breathe, without her suffering. And
her nerves weretso strong that she could not