Year: 1877

lDanbury Ncws.l


1t was in the kitchen on the second
floor of Danbury house. The occu
pants of the room itself indicated that il
was not an abode of wealth. The hus.
band and father was a mechanic two
months out of work, with no immediate
prospects of a resumption at his trade
lie was light-faced man with rounded
shoulders, thin, straight brown hair
and light blue eyes with care-worn cx.
preston not entirely hidden by the look
of expectation which now filled them.
The woman, his wife, had black hair, q
pale, thin face, and preternaturally large
black eyes-handsome eyes, but very
tired looking. They were sitting i'm this
room because of its ire, as the night was
damp, raw and chilly. On the table be.
tween them were pile of circulars OF
an advertising nature, which the two
children were admiring because of thei.
large type and illustrations. The man
ran his hands through his very thin
hair on his head for the twentieth time
and said


Yes, sir, every book / sell fetches
me dollar. If / only sell five day,
that will be five dollars. OF course
there can be no doubt of selling five"


OF course not. His mind contem-
plated days round among his towns
people. lie saw that he could i'm that
time visit at least forty families, and
one OF every eight taking book-a book
so generally and cordially recommended
was not AN eXaggerative freak Of the
imagination. On the cOntrary-looking
again over the formidable array of
recommends-this was striking mild
computation. There was n twingc of
regret that he had not taken the pro
ject in hand long ago.


But even three books" said his
wife, hopefully, "would pay well. Or
two books. Two dollars a day isa good
sum"


The tired eyes looked around the
scantlly furnished room, over the thread
bare clothes on her family, down at her
own rusty garment, and then grew
rested again as they contemplated the
two dollars. ltwas very good sum in
deed


Still he did not consider it.. His ewes
again sought the list of recommends.
and his mind rovcd along the route he
should take, including forty visits, and
he began to think that in fixing on five
sales a day he had done an Injurious
thing. What if there were ten 4? 1t was
pretty good leap. But was it unrea-
sonable? If there were fifteen il would
be better. IL would be a good Joke if he
was, in his highest flight, getting way
below the mark And it might p0ssibly
be so. A smile unconsciousiy crept into
his face as these thoughts filled his
mind.


&" amt felt soencouraeed in months. -
he said to his wife. awe have bemoaned
our i'll luck, but how do we know but
that my being thrown out Of work was
the best thing that could happen to
me~


81 hope so, said his wife. Poor wo.
man! She had need of announcement.
And 1t was a good thing TO see the tired
eyes brighten. IL was long time since
they had. He looked into her expectant
lace and his own grew brighter under
the inspiration. Presently he aroused
himself with the remark


Well, ] must get abroad early to-
morrow morning, as I'll have a long
day. work"


Whereupon his wife prepared the
children for bed, and pretty soon the
father and mother retired, but hardly Ia
sleep.


At nine o'clock the next morning he
was ready TO start. There was not as
much enthusiasm as on the evening be.
fore, but that could not he expected
Daylight is eminently more practical
than lamplight. His patient wife had
made his old suit look really presentable,
and had prepared him a lunch of bread
and butter 70 eat at noon, for he ex-
peCted 10 be too busy to come home to
dinner. The lunch ne carefully slowed
away In his pocket, and his canvasginp
books he put under his arm. He was
hopeful, having just stimulated himself
by another careful glance at the recon.
mends. Still the expression of weari-
ness was there, and the faithful woman
who stood before him looking into his
face saw it more plainly than was good
for her. His features showed thinner
with the sunlight streaming upon them.
She saw in all their lines the effects of q
long sickness that had taken all the
earnings, and Of q brOOding and worry
that had come from DAYS of unsuccess-
full search for work. From this her
mind went back over the years of their
welded life and she saw in their record
n steady, accomplishing fight, and a
constant, tender love for her. Then she
looked quickly into the care-worn face
again, and by an impulse which she
could not control, threw her arms about
his neck and sObbed aloud.


" Lizziew he cried, dropping the
books to fold his arms about her.


She made no reply, but only clunp
the tighter to him.


With that delicacy Of feeling occa.
sionally found among the poor even, he
stroked her hair in silence, waiting pa.
tiently for the paroxysm TO pass away.
He had no need to ask her why she cried
Every sob that convused her weak frame