He was far away. Should
they ever meet again? Should their sweet companionships ever be renewed?
The cares of her new home won her back to content.
Minnie's mother was feeble, and required careful nursing. Her own early
life had been darkened by hardships. When a young girl she had often
gone supperless to bed. Her bare feet and legs were bitten by the
cutting winds of winter. Her people had belonged to the North of
Ireland. She herself was born in the south of Antrim. Her mother was
early left a widow, without means of support. She worked in the fields
for fourpence a day, from six to six, and out of this she had to pay
a shilling a week for rent, and buy food and clothing for herself and
orphan child. Her employer was a Christian, and deeply interested in
the social and spiritual welfare of the heathen! When the outdoor
work failed in the winter, she wound cotton upon the old-fashioned
spinning-wheel, and Minnie's mother often hung upon the revolving spool
with a fearful interest. Mother and child were often hungry. The finish
of the cotton at a certain hour of the day meant a small pittance
wherewith bread could be bought.
Pages:
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40