"It was too sudden," replied her husband, as he finished reading the letter: "he was not ill more than two hours, so there was no time to send for anybody." "What was the matter with him?" "The "Ah! that's the worst, almost, for mother," sighed the man, drawing the back of his hand across his eyes. bank broke where they kept the bit of money they'd saved; and when father heard that there was no hope of ever seeing a farthing of it again, he fell back in a fit and never spoke or moved afterwards." "What a shame the banks should break!" said his wife through her tears. "What will mother do now?" But before this question could be answered, the loud clang, clang of several factory bells was heard; and, with a violent effort to control his grief. the husband took his cap from behind the door and went out, not even kissing the children as he was wont to do. "It'll be a sorry change for mother, I'm thinking," soliloquized Martha, as she began washing up the breakfast things. "I wonder what the poor old soul will do. It's hard to have to turn to work when one thinks they've done, 'specially for an old woman turned of sixty." This subject was in her thoughts all the morning; and no sooner had her husband got in at dinner-time, than she mentioned it to him, repeating her question of the morning. 66 Well, I've been thinking of it all the morning," Martha, he replied, "and there's only one thing I can think of." "What's that?" she asked, quickly, for her husband seemed to hesitate. 66 Well, wife, I hardly know what you'll say to it; but I think I ought to help mother." "So do I," said Martha, decidedly. "To be sure it's a hard push for us now, with five little ones to keep and everything so dear; but still I'll do all I can to scrape together a little to send to mother every week; she's been a good mother to both of us; and if your brother John would agree to do the same, I should think we might almost keep her between us. I can't bear the thought of her having to turn to work again now; she shan't if I can help it." "Thank you, Martha. I thought you'd agree to help me a bit in this. Now, how much do you think we might manage to save every week?" Then there ensued a lengthened calculation of expenses, which after all were found to be barely met by George's wages, a fact which they had known long since. A happy thought was at length suggested to Martha's mind. 66 We might manage to let our front room," she said; we shall only have to pack a little closer, and it will be a half-crown clearly gained; so that you might promise that at once. This was agreed to, and the room was cleared the same afternoon, and a bill put up in the window announcing that it was to let. It was of course out of the question for George to think of going to the funeral of his father; but he wrote an affectionate letter to his mother, telling her not to trouble about the future-he and John would arrange all that. But in thus depending upon his brother, George was reckoning without his host. A few days brought a letter from him saying he could not do anything. "What a shame!" burst forth Martha indignantly, as she threw down the letter. "This comes of his drinking ways-for he earns more than you do and hasn't half our expenses; and now I suppose you will have to do it all or see her go to the poor-house." "That she never shall while I can work to keep her out," said George, decidedly; and there ensued another discussion as to how they must manage under these altered circumstances. After the lapse of several weeks it was arranged that the widow should come and live with her son. She longed to be near him now her companion of so many years had been taken from her; and so the tenant in the front room received notice to leave, for the room would be needed. "Well, it will be a hard pull for us this winter, Martha," said her husband one day, as he sat thinking of this additional burden. "Never mind, we'll win through," said Martha, cheerfully. "There's only one commandment with a promise, and that's the one that tells us to honour father and mother; and I reckon that He that gives the commandment and the promise will help us through, George." "Well, I'll say this much, He's helped me mightily in giving me such a wife as you," said her husband, affectionately; and the look which accompanied it repaid her for any self-denial called for in taking the poor widow into her house. Martha was prepared to exercise patience and self-denial, and it was well she was; for she found it hard to please the old lady sometimes, and then the additional expense fell heavily upon them as winter advanced and the price of provisions increased. "Martha, I must try and do something more-something of an evening that will bring in a few shillings," said George one day, as he sat thinking of how shoes were to be bought for the children now that it took all his wages to supply their every day wants. "What will you do?" asked his wife. But the question that could not be answered then was answered a few hours afterwards. Some machinery required repairing; and although George was not a skilled workman, he was steady and sober, and the master had engaged him to do it of an evening after most of the other people had left, so that he was now sure of extra employment for some weeks. "There, George, I told you God would help us if we only trusted in him," said his wife, triumphantly, when she heard it. 866 We may, like the ships, by tempests be tossed Though Satan enrages the wind and the tide, "He always has done it, and he always will," she added, confidently. The addition to the weekly wages gained by George's evening work purchased many little extra comforts; and they were needed now, for one of the children was ill, and the widow often ailing, so that Martha had enough to do. The evening work went on for several weeks, when, one night, just as Martha was turning out the little savoury. supper she had prepared for her husband, a knock was heard at the door, and on opening it, Martha saw one of the men whom she knew to be engaged on the same work as her husband. "George hasn't come in yet," she said, returning to the "but he won't be a minute now." saucepan, Her visitor stood twirling his cap and looking very awkward for a moment or two, but at last he managed to say "I hope you won't be frightened, missis, but there's been an accident at the works to-night." "And my George is hurt," gasped Martha, turning very pale, as she put the saucepan down. "Yes-a little." "They're bringing him home, I suppose?" she said, turning towards the door. "I will go and get the bed ready." "No occasion, missis," said the man: "we're afeard his arm's broke, so we carried him straight to the hospital." "Oh! why didn't you bring him home?" said Martha, reproachfully. And she hastened to put on her bonnet, to go to the hospital. It was the right arm which had been caught by the machinery, and though the doctors did everything to save it, it was found necessary to amputate it. Poor George! it was a dreadful trial to him to lose his right arm. What should he do?-how could he earn daily bread for his family even, when he got well and was able to leave the hospital? For the present they might do well enough. A little sum of money had been collected among his fellowworkmen, and his master had likewise promised to pay half his usual wages so long as he should remain in the hospital; but when George thought of the future, he could not help feeling very much cast down. 66 Now, George, the Lord will provide," his brave wife said to him one day when he was pouring out his anxieties to her. "He can find you work to do. Depend upon it he won't let you want through helping mother." "But there's you and the children, Martha, besides mother to think of; and it was hard enough to do all with two arms-what in the world can I do with one ?" "Well, I can do a little. I've begun." And Martha unfolded a plan she had not meant to tell her husband just yet. "Mother's better now, you know, and can mind Lizzie and baby a bit, which leaves my hands free. Well, I thought I'd better turn this to some account, and so with the bit of money the men gathered I bought a mangle, and I've took in a bit of washing as well. At first I thought I'd go out, but then I reckoned it wouldn't be much save to earn a shilling and let the children waste uinepence while I was doing it. So, you see, till something else turns up you can help me with the mangle." But George did not have to help with the mangle. Before he left the hospital, his master proposed that he should take the place of messenger in the factory. This post had just become vacant, and the loss of his arm would not be of much importance. And so it was settled that George should enter upon his new duties the following week. Martha was delighted when she heard the news, but positively refused to give up her own work now that she had begun. She would take care, she said, that the house was always clean and comfortable; but she found that the old widow was much less exacting now that she was employed in minding the children; and, moreover, she thought she was by this means helping towards her own support, which pleased her amazingly and helped to keep her good-tempered and cheerful; so that, altogether, Martha's venture in the washing and mangling business had been productive of too good results to be given up lightly. George was not long learning the new duties devolving upon him; but there was one thing he was frequently embarrassed about, and that was writing. He had learned to write a little, but it was not much he could do when he had his right hand, and now that was gone he could simply do nothing beyond making a sprawling cross when his signature was required. He spoke of this one day to his wife, -spoke bitterly of the loss of his limb.. It must be hard, George, as you say," she answered, seriously; "but you may be sure it's all for the best, somehow, and you have a good strong arm still-although it is the left one," she added, laughing, "and so you must make that work." "But, Martha, it's writing that I want now, and I can't make a straight stroke properly." "Nor more can the children, I guess, when they first go to school," said Martha, drily. "The children! But what have they to do with the question ?" 66 Well, they have to learn; and I should think you might manage it after a bit." George had not thought of this before-had deemed it impossible that he could ever use his left arm for such a purpose; but his wife's words made him reconsider this impossibility, and at length he resolved to try and overcome the difficulties that lay in the way of its accomplishment. That evening a copy-book was bought, and he sat down to his self-imposed task. Patiently and perseveringly |