Year: 1877




as the injuries proved to be fatal, and
the agonies Of pain became terrible to
witness.


Many hours, before devoted to work
Mrs. Gresham and Alice gave to the in
valid, and they did not hesitate to draw
upon their carefully boarded savings to
obtain various little comforts for her,


Five weeks of patiently borne suffer-
ing, of tender care, followed the acci-
dent, and then the doctor whispered to
Mrs. Gresham that the weary watching
would soon be over.


All day the aged sufferer struggled
for breath and rest, till at night-fall
the great peace that 80 often is merci-
fully granted TO precede the last hours
of earth fell upon her.


"Dear friends" she said, softly look
ing in the tender, gentle faces watch
ing to aid and comfort her, "you have
been very kind and loving to a lonely
old woman, who offered 10 return for
all your goodness. But now you shall
know am not ungrateful. 1T shall be
my dying happiness to know you will
soon be back in your own home, and
Alice be Eben's loving bride"


"YOu think / am deliriOus, but ! am
not. You saved to buy back your home
but you never saved as | have done.
You are now giving time and money to
an old woman for pure charity, ]
boarded, scraped, starved for my boy.
spent nothing, working hard, eating
little, saving, saving; but he had always
money In his purse, lie was good
son. lie did not know all my aaprl-
fees, and he meant to repay d Every
letter told me of the home we were to
have together. He sent me an olean-
der and tho box, Oh, my boy, my boy |!
1t was all dream, For he died coming
home to me. He was drowned, and |
sat here in this room waiting, waiting
for my son who never came. That was
thirty years ago, And when one ole
ander dies in the box he sent me ! buy
another, the only luxury Of my life
the only one. Many a night | water
the roots with tears shed for my boy.
But am going to him now, and there
is no one that loves me, no one to mourn
for me but you.


"You have been good to me, and now
listen. had the passion for boarding,
and could not give it up,


"When | had no use for the money !
saved 1t, adding every year to the pile
of gold. And you shall have it, every
penny. Bury me, but do not have a
costly funeral; that is my last request
only decent burial, and you two to
mourn for the old woman you've been
so kind to, And keep an Oleander for
my sake, to remind you Of my boy and
me.


"The box is deep, very deep, and
half of it is false bottom. There you
will find the gold. Turn both the
handles to the right, half round, and
the top of the box will lift Off All you
find under that is yOurs-nearly five
hundred pOunds-all in gold. 1t is
money Pve scraped up by miserly
habits, by utter, selfish disregard OF
others, but it is honestly earned, every
penny of it.


"And when you are in your old
home, with Eben and Alice beside you,
dear friend, give corner in one room
for the oleander box. Now say fare
well, and, Alice, read to me the pre-
ciOus words of promise, while your
mother holds my hand"


Soothed by the sweet, low voice, the
lonely woman sank into the deep sleep
that has no waking on earth.


just as she had requested she was
buried, and then Mrs. Gresham and
Alice returned to the farm, once more
their own home.


In the spring time there was we'd
ding, and Eben came to live with them,
to take mans place in their old home
and give a masters eye to the farm.


And ever, in the cosy sitting room,
there is an oleander in the box that
was Mrs. Kaighn's most unexpected
legacy, the strange windfall that came
to the brave, true hearted women who
never forgot charity in their own sor-