Roxy Hastings — page 50: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

att “~" ROXY HASTINGS. Beit aly » It will be the same with the rest. The pupils themselves will be the first to object. Lettie Lumpkins boasts that her teacher lives in a stone front on Chestnut street, with _ her brother, and not in rooms like these. I shall lose them all.” ‘Well, they’ve been a great trouble and vexation to you, Emily, and no great profit. You can earn almost as much by sewing, and we'll have such pleasant sociable times sitting together all the long afternoons and evenings.” “And poor Roxy! It puts an end to her hopes.” “Roxy! Oh, she’ll be married to some nice young far- mer one of these days, and perhaps we’ll all go and live with her on the farm.” Emily said nothing of an undeclared lover of her own, of whose sentiments she was well assured, but whom she felt that she was giving up with everything else now. He was a clerk in a store, without means, though with fair prospects; but she believed and hoped that he would lose sight of her when she had descended into this ‘‘lower deep” of poverty. “We have two whole days yet,” said the mother. ‘‘Let us make the most of our pleasant home while we stay.” “And I used to think these so dismal,” replied Emily, self reproachfully. ‘‘Now I should be too happy to be al- lowed to keep them.” “So all things go by comparison,” answered Mrs. Hast- ings. ‘‘I have heard it said that the man who is sentenced to be hung would esteem it quite a luxury to be shot.” The widow herself became very sad that evening, as in- deed she often did, though she usually suppressed all manifestations of her dejection. She had had sueh hopes that they were to get along and to have dear Roxy with them, and now to find themselves still on the down-hill road was melancholy enough. Late in the evening Charles Lee came and introduced himself, awkwardly enough, but with a radiant, sunshiny countenance and a laughing voice, which somehow awakened a great amount of undefined hope in the hearts of the two ladies, even before his errand was known. “My name is Lee, madam,” he said. “I came from Mr. Rooke’s, where I saw your daughter, and I— promised her that I would call and see you.” “You are very kind, sir. How is Roxy? Did she write? How does she look ?” SPN The anxious mother spoke quickly, and Charley, smiling at her impatience, replied ; Eomicbooks (E(0)