The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1842-11-29

"Haye yo9not done yet, Alice 2" said tn
elder lady, liz a sad tone, "you surely can
not work longer by this light without inju
ring your eyes, and if they are spoiled gu
last resource is gone"
"Fear not, mother" said the daughter il
a cheerful voice, but without looking VI
from her needle, 81 will take care not t.
hurt my sight. A few stitches and it will
be DONE"
The mother heaved gentle sigh, and Z
tear stole quietly down her cheek. She die
not wipe it away lest her daughter nigh
see the gesture but the crystal drop fell or
the cheek of the boy who knelt at his pa
rents feet.
sob mother" he said, "what would
not give il | was man for then you and
Alice would not have to work this way but
| would support you. How many years,
mother, will it be before shall be man p
The mothers heart was full, and the ag.
itation Of the sister, as the boy thus spoke,
might be seen from the nervous velocity
with which she phed the needle. But nei-
Their could trust themselves to speak. The
boy saw all this, and did not press the ques.
ton, although for a minute he looked curl
ously from one to the other. At length,
however, he spoke again
81 hope | shall be q man soon, for then
will get rich, and you and Alice, mother,
shall live with me in in nice house in the
country like the one we used to live in-you
remember it, don't you, dear mother ? oh !
it was so beautiful. How used to chase
the butterflies over the green fields. and fish
in the creek, or hunt wild flowers in the
wood for sisters hair-were we not all
happy, thcn7 DON'T cry, mother" for by
this time, the tears of the parent were falling
thick and fast, 'for some of these days
we'll get rich, and we will 60 back to the
old place again"
That little family, as the words of the
prattler indicated, had once seen better days
The father of it had been prosperous mer-
chant, and the world rightly reputed him TO
be rich. Mr.. Beckett lived in a style com.
mensurate with his wealth. He had town
and country house. kept his carriage, and
INDUCED himself and family in all the ele-
gances, nay, luxuries of life and a more
happy family did not exist for each other in
all this wide country. But at length there
came one of those commissions in the com
merclal world which periodically appear,
producing a devastation which is looked
upon afterward, as we would look on the
path of a hurricane, when ruin has followed
it on every hand. Dir. Beckett was one of
the first victims to the storm. Several ex-
tensive houses, which were debtors to him
for large amount, failed, and in their ruin
dragged him down with them, The blow
killed him. Unable to behold the utter loss
Of his fortune, to contemplate the poverty
TO which his darling wife and children were
reduced, he pinned away. suffering his mis-
fortunes TO brood on his spirit, until finally
he took sick and died. His poor wife near
ly sank under the loss of her husband, al
though she had borne the loss of fortune
with christian resignation. In these trying
circumstances utter ruin would indeed have
overtaken the little family had it not been
for the exertions of the daughter, who dis
played an energy which was above her
years. She attended TO the closing of her
fathers affairs and hursed her mother
accustomed TO these things from childhood,
instead of being the offspring of luxury
When her fathers estate was settled, bare
pittance of five hundred dollars was paid to
her. On this paltry sum, with the aid of
her needle,sh managed to support the fam
lily for two years, during which her mother
was i'll for most of the time. But their
means had at length failed, and although
Alice had foreseen this with heavy heart,
yet she had endeavored to keep up and still
maintained cheerful aspect. On this eve
ming they had consumed their last loaf of
bread. Their fuel too was nearly gone, =
They had no means Of replenishing either,
until Alice had finished and been paid for
the fine piece of fancy needle work on which
she had been working. At length she rose
up.
"There it is DONE" she said, "and now
| will run home with it. In All hour will
be back"
"What through the storm,my child" said
the mother.
Yes but it SHOWS very little now, and
besides | promised to have the work done
by tonight"
The mother looked on her child and sigh
ed, but made no farther answ er and Alice,
putting on her bonnet and wrapping thin
shawl around her-for alas she had no
forth into the storm. Her
brother would have accompanied her, but /
she would not suffer him to leave her lnval- /
ID mother. |
AFTER III.
THE wind reared wildly around the rich
mansion of Mrs. Templeton, as she and
,er nephew Edward Moreton sat talking
,y the drawing room fire. The sofa had
been wheeled in front Of the crate, and the
whole apartment bad that air of comfort
which is so peculiarly apPreciable on
winter night. As the aunt
ind her nephew sat listening to the shrill
whistle of the gale as it swept down the
treet, and then heard the low -oar of the
nassy CRATE glowing with its load of coal,
heir situation and feelings were in striking
contrast with those of the little group we