Ruby's Reward — page 177: what you’re looking at

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

Everything that he possessed would hare | to be sold, and even then there would re- smain a debt of two or three thousand dollars upon his shoulders. Tt wasa terrible blow to the proud and generous man to be obliged to stand before the world at hisage without a dollar of his own, and even owing an amount such as he had often given away to charitable objects and thought nothing of it. But he was comforted wilh the thought that there was no stain upon his name, for he would yet ay all, even to the uttermost penny ; that he atill had the trust aud respect of business men, several of whom stood ready to help him upagain. If his wife had only borne the shock as bravely as Ruby had done, it would have been far easier for him. But she scemed to be completely prostrated, excluded herself from cveryone, and spent her time in weep- ing and bemoaning her hard lot. Ruby, true to her word, went directly to tho cook, after leaving her brother on that never-to-be-forgotten day, confided their trouble to her, and asked her to teach hev how to make good bread and other simple things, such 2s she knew she would necd to understand in order to keep house her- self, She gave her whole heart to this under taking, and it was with no small amount of pride that she saw many a tempting viand which her own hand had pvepared dis- appear, and with evident relish, from their table, Mr Gordon soon found a sinall house of six rooms in the city, aud removed thither what furniture and few comforts he felt he had a right to take from his luxurious home, and Ruby, with the aid of one of the ser- vants, put their little home in order, and made it as inviting as they could with their limited resources. . comnikcboakss.com